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Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2005 Sep 25
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7Expression evaluation *expression* *expr* *E15* *eval*
8
9Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual |usr_41.txt|.
10
11Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000031
32{Vi does not have any of these commands}
33
34==============================================================================
351. Variables *variables*
36
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000371.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000038 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000039There are five types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000040
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000041Number A 32 bit signed number.
42 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
43
44String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
45 Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
46
47Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
48 Example: function("strlen")
49
50List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
51 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000052
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000053Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
54 value. |Dictionary|
55 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
56
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000057The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
58are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000059
60Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
61the Number. Examples: >
62 Number 123 --> String "123"
63 Number 0 --> String "0"
64 Number -1 --> String "-1"
65
66Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
67to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
68the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
69 String "456" --> Number 456
70 String "6bar" --> Number 6
71 String "foo" --> Number 0
72 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
73 String "0100" --> Number 64
74 String "-8" --> Number -8
75 String "+8" --> Number 0
76
77To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
78 :echo "0100" + 0
79
80For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
81
82Note that in the command >
83 :if "foo"
84"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
85use strlen(): >
86 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000087< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
88List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000089
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000090 *E706*
91You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
92to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000093equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000094 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000095 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000096 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000097
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000098
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000991.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000100 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000101A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000102in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
103around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000104
105 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
106 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000107< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000108A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:" or "b:". You cannot
109have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000110
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000111A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
112Dictionary entry. Example: >
113 :function dict.init() dict
114 : let self.val = 0
115 :endfunction
116
117The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
118function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
119
120A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
121 :call Fn()
122 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000123
124The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000125 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000126
127You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
128arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000129 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000130
131
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001321.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000133 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000134A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
135can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
136position in the sequence.
137
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000138
139List creation ~
140 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000141A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000142Examples: >
143 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
144 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000145
146An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000147nested List: >
148 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000149
150An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
151
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000152
153List index ~
154 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000155An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000156after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
157 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000160When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000161 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000162<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000163A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
164the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000165 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
166
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000167To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000168is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000169 :echo get(mylist, idx)
170 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
171
172
173List concatenation ~
174
175Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
176 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000177 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000178
179To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
180it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
181
182
183Sublist ~
184
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000185A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
186separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000187 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000188
189Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
190similar to -1. The difference is that there is no error if the items are not
191available. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000192 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
193 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
194 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000195
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000196The second index can be just before the first index. In that case the result
197is an empty list. If the second index is lower, this results in an error. >
198 :echo mylist[2:1] " result: []
199 :echo mylist[2:0] " error!
200
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000201NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
202using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
203mylist[s : e].
204
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000205
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000206List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000207 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000208When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
209variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
210change "bb": >
211 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
212 :let bb = aa
213 :call add(aa, 4)
214 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000215< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000216
217Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
218works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000219a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000220 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
221 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000222 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000223 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
224 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000225< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000226 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000227< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000228
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000229To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000230copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000231
232The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000233List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000234the same value. >
235 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
236 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
237 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000238< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000239 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000240< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000241
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000242Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
243same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000244exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
245different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
246variables. Example: >
247 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000248< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000249 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000250< 0
251
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000252Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
253can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a string: >
254
255 :let a = 5
256 :let b = "5"
257 echo a == b
258< 1 >
259 echo [a] == [b]
260< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000261
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000262
263List unpack ~
264
265To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
266square brackets, like list items: >
267 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
268
269When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
270this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
271and a variable name: >
272 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
273
274This works like: >
275 :let var1 = mylist[0]
276 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000277 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000278
279Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
280empty list then.
281
282
283List modification ~
284 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000285To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000286 :let list[4] = "four"
287 :let listlist[0][3] = item
288
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000289To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000290modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000291 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
292
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000293Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
294examples: >
295 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
296 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
297 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000298 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000299 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
300 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000301 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000302 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000303 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000304 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000305
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000306Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000307 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
308 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
309
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000310
311For loop ~
312
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000313The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
314to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000315 :for item in mylist
316 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000317 :endfor
318
319This works like: >
320 :let index = 0
321 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000322 : let item = mylist[index]
323 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000324 : let index = index + 1
325 :endwhile
326
327Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000328results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000329the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000330
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000331If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000332function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000333
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000334Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
335requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
336 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
337 : call Doit(lnum, col)
338 :endfor
339
340This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
341must remain the same to avoid an error.
342
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000343It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000344 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
345 : call Doit(i, j)
346 : if !empty(rest)
347 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
348 : endif
349 :endfor
350
351
352List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000353 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000354Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000355 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000356 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000357 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
358 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
359 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000360 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
361 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000362 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
363 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000364 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
365 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000366 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
367 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000368
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000369Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
370example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
371 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
372
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000373
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003741.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000375 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000376A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000377entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
378ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000379
380
381Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000382 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000383A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000384braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
385only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000386 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
387 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000388< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000389A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
390String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000391entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
392Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000393
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000394A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000395nested Dictionary: >
396 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
397
398An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
399
400
401Accessing entries ~
402
403The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
404 :let val = mydict["one"]
405 :let mydict["four"] = 4
406
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000407You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000408
409For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
410form can be used |expr-entry|: >
411 :let val = mydict.one
412 :let mydict.four = 4
413
414Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
415key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000416 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000417
418
419Dictionary to List conversion ~
420
421You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
422turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
423
424Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
425 :for key in keys(mydict)
426 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
427 :endfor
428
429The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
430 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
431
432To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
433 :for v in values(mydict)
434 : echo "value: " . v
435 :endfor
436
437If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000438a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000439 :for entry in items(mydict)
440 : echo entry[0] . ': ' . entry[1]
441 :endfor
442
443
444Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000445 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000446Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
447Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
448Dictionary: >
449 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
450 :let adict = onedict
451 :let adict['a'] = 11
452 :echo onedict['a']
453 11
454
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000455Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
456more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000457
458
459Dictionary modification ~
460 *dict-modification*
461To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
462use |:let| this way: >
463 :let dict[4] = "four"
464 :let dict['one'] = item
465
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000466Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
467Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
468 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
469 :unlet dict.aaa
470 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000471
472Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000473 :call extend(adict, bdict)
474This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
475in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000476Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
477expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
478adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000479
480Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +0000481 :call filter(dict 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000482This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000483
484
485Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000486 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000487When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
488special way with a dictionary. Example: >
489 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000490 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000491 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000492 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
493 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000494
495This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
496Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
497the function was invoked from.
498
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000499It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
500Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
501
502 *numbered-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000503To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
504assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000505 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
506 :function mydict.len() dict
507 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000508 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000509 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000510
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000511The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
512that references this function. The function can only be used through a
513|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
514remaining that refers to it.
515
516It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000517
518
519Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000520 *E715*
521Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000522 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
523 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
524 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
525 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
526 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
527 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
528 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
529 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000530
531
5321.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000533 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000534If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
535function.
536
537When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
538start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
539stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
540
541When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
542start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
543stored in the session file |session-file|.
544
545variable name can be stored where ~
546my_var_6 not
547My_Var_6 session file
548MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
549
550
551It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
552|curly-braces-names|.
553
554==============================================================================
5552. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
556
557Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
558
559|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
560
561|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
562
563|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
564
565|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
566 expr5 != expr5 not equal
567 expr5 > expr5 greater than
568 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
569 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
570 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
571 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
572 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
573
574 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
575 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
576 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
577 matching case
578
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000579 expr5 is expr5 same List instance
580 expr5 isnot expr5 different List instance
581
582|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000583 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
584 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
585
586|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
587 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
588 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
589
590|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
591 - expr7 unary minus
592 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000593
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000594
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000595|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a List
596 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a List
597 expr8.name entry in a Dictionary
598 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with Funcref variable
599
600|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000601 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000602 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000603 [expr1, ...] List
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000604 {expr1: expr1, ...} Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000605 &option option value
606 (expr1) nested expression
607 variable internal variable
608 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
609 $VAR environment variable
610 @r contents of register 'r'
611 function(expr1, ...) function call
612 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
613
614
615".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
616Example: >
617 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
618
619All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
620
621
622expr1 *expr1* *E109*
623-----
624
625expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
626
627The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
628non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
629otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
630Example: >
631 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
632
633Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
634other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
635Example: >
636 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
637
638To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
639 :echo lnum == 1
640 :\ ? "top"
641 :\ : lnum == 1000
642 :\ ? "last"
643 :\ : lnum
644
645
646expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
647---------------
648
649 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
650The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
651are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
652
653 input output ~
654n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
655zero zero zero zero
656zero non-zero non-zero zero
657non-zero zero non-zero zero
658non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
659
660The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
661
662 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
663
664Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
665
666 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
667
668Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
669arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
670
671 let a = 1
672 echo a || b
673
674This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
675so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
676
677 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
678
679This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
680only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
681
682
683expr4 *expr4*
684-----
685
686expr5 {cmp} expr5
687
688Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
689if it evaluates to true.
690
691 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
692 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
693 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
694 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
695 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
696 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000697 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000698 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
699equal == ==# ==?
700not equal != !=# !=?
701greater than > ># >?
702greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
703smaller than < <# <?
704smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
705regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
706regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000707same instance is
708different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000709
710Examples:
711"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
712"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
713"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
714
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000715 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000716A List can only be compared with a List and only "equal", "not equal" and "is"
717can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively. Ignoring
718case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
719
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000720 *E735* *E736*
721A Dictionary can only be compared with a Dictionary and only "equal", "not
722equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the Dictionary,
723recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
724
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000725 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000726A Funcref can only be compared with a Funcref and only "equal" and "not equal"
727can be used. Case is never ignored.
728
729When using "is" or "isnot" with a List this checks if the expressions are
730referring to the same List instance. A copy of a List is different from the
731original List. When using "is" without a List it is equivalent to using
732"equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
733different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
734is false.
735
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000736When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
737and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
738because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
739
740When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
741results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
742necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
743
744When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
745'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp().
746
747When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
748'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp().
749
750The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
751argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
752This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
753matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
754portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
755single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
756Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
757(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
758can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
759 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
760 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
761
762
763expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
764---------------
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000765expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or List concatenation *expr-+*
766expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
767expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000768
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000769For Lists only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The result
770is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
771
772expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
773expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
774expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000775
776For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
777
778Note the difference between "+" and ".":
779 "123" + "456" = 579
780 "123" . "456" = "123456"
781
782When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
783When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
784
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000785None of these work for Funcrefs.
786
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000787
788expr7 *expr7*
789-----
790! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
791- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
792+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
793
794For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
795For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
796For '+' the number is unchanged.
797
798A String will be converted to a Number first.
799
800These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
801 !-1 == 0
802 !!8 == 1
803 --9 == 9
804
805
806expr8 *expr8*
807-----
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000808expr8[expr1] item of String or List *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000809
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000810If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
811expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000812Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000813
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000814Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
815text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
816cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000817 :let c = getline(line("."))[col(".") - 1]
818
819If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000820String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
821compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
822
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000823If expr8 is a List then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000824for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
825error. Example: >
826 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
827
828Generally, if a List index is equal to or higher than the length of the List,
829or more negative than the length of the List, this results in an error.
830
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000831
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000832expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000833
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000834If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
835from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000836expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
837encodings.
838
839If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
840string minus one is used.
841
842A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
843the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
844
845If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
846expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
847
848Examples: >
849 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
850 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
851 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
852 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
853
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000854If expr8 is a List this results in a new List with the items indicated by the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000855indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained just
856above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
857 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
858 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
859 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
860
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000861Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a Funcref results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000862
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000863
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000864expr8.name entry in a Dictionary *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000865
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000866If expr8 is a Dictionary and it is followed by a dot, then the following name
867will be used as a key in the Dictionary. This is just like: expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000868
869The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
870but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
871
872There must not be white space before or after the dot.
873
874Examples: >
875 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
876 :echo dict.one
877 :echo dict .2
878
879Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
880always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
881
882
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000883expr8(expr1, ...) Funcref function call
884
885When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
886
887
888
889 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000890number
891------
892number number constant *expr-number*
893
894Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
895
896
897string *expr-string* *E114*
898------
899"string" string constant *expr-quote*
900
901Note that double quotes are used.
902
903A string constant accepts these special characters:
904\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
905\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
906\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
907\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
908\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
909\X.. same as \x..
910\X. same as \x.
911\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
912 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
913\U.... same as \u....
914\b backspace <BS>
915\e escape <Esc>
916\f formfeed <FF>
917\n newline <NL>
918\r return <CR>
919\t tab <Tab>
920\\ backslash
921\" double quote
922\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
923
924Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
925
926
927literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
928---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000929'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000930
931Note that single quotes are used.
932
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000933This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000934meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000935
936Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
937to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
938 if a =~ "\\s*"
939 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000940
941
942option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
943------
944&option option value, local value if possible
945&g:option global option value
946&l:option local option value
947
948Examples: >
949 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
950 if &insertmode
951
952Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
953and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
954anyway.
955
956
957register *expr-register*
958--------
959@r contents of register 'r'
960
961The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
962Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +0000963register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
964registers.
965
966When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
967evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000968
969
970nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
971-------
972(expr1) nested expression
973
974
975environment variable *expr-env*
976--------------------
977$VAR environment variable
978
979The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
980result is an empty string.
981 *expr-env-expand*
982Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
983expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
984are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
985the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
986fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
987does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
988 :echo $version
989 :echo expand("$version")
990The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
991variable (if your shell supports it).
992
993
994internal variable *expr-variable*
995-----------------
996variable internal variable
997See below |internal-variables|.
998
999
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001000function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001001-------------
1002function(expr1, ...) function call
1003See below |functions|.
1004
1005
1006==============================================================================
10073. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1008 *E461*
1009An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1010cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1011|curly-braces-names|.
1012
1013An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001014An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1015|:unlet|.
1016Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1017been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001018
1019There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1020specified by what is prepended:
1021
1022 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1023|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1024|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
1025|global-variable| g: Global.
1026|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1027|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1028|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
1029|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
1030
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001031The scope name by itself can be used as a Dictionary. For example, to delete
1032all script-local variables: >
1033 :for k in keys(s:)
1034 : unlet s:[k]
1035 :endfor
1036<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001037 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1038A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1039Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1040This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1041|:bdelete|.
1042
1043One local buffer variable is predefined:
1044 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1045b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1046 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1047 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1048 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1049 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1050 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1051 : call My_Update()
1052 :endif
1053<
1054 *window-variable* *w:var*
1055A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1056is deleted when the window is closed.
1057
1058 *global-variable* *g:var*
1059Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1060access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1061place if you like.
1062
1063 *local-variable* *l:var*
1064Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
1065But you can also prepend "l:" if you like.
1066
1067 *script-variable* *s:var*
1068In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1069accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1070
1071They can be used in:
1072- commands executed while the script is sourced
1073- functions defined in the script
1074- autocommands defined in the script
1075- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1076 defined in the script (recursively)
1077- user defined commands defined in the script
1078Thus not in:
1079- other scripts sourced from this one
1080- mappings
1081- etc.
1082
1083script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1084Take this example:
1085
1086 let s:counter = 0
1087 function MyCounter()
1088 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1089 echo s:counter
1090 endfunction
1091 command Tick call MyCounter()
1092
1093You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1094that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1095"Tick" was defined is used.
1096
1097Another example that does the same: >
1098
1099 let s:counter = 0
1100 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1101
1102When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001103script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001104defined.
1105
1106The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1107function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1108
1109 let s:counter = 0
1110 function StartCounting(incr)
1111 if a:incr
1112 function MyCounter()
1113 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1114 endfunction
1115 else
1116 function MyCounter()
1117 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1118 endfunction
1119 endif
1120 endfunction
1121
1122This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1123when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1124called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1125
1126When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1127They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1128maintain a counter: >
1129
1130 if !exists("s:counter")
1131 let s:counter = 1
1132 echo "script executed for the first time"
1133 else
1134 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1135 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1136 endif
1137
1138Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1139variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1140
1141
1142Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1143
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001144 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1145v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1146 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1147 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1148
1149 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1150v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1151 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1152
1153 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1154v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1155 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1156
1157 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001158v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1159 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1160 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1161 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001162 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1163 highlighted text is used.
1164 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1165
1166 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1167v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1168 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1169
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001170 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1171v:charconvert_from
1172 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1173 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1174
1175 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1176v:charconvert_to
1177 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1178 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1179
1180 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1181v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1182 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1183 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1184 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1185 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1186 possible to append this variable directly after the
1187 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1188 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1189 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1190 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1191 in 'printexpr'.
1192
1193 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1194v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1195 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1196 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1197 can be used.
1198
1199 *v:count* *count-variable*
1200v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1201 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1202 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1203< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1204 get when typing ':' after a count.
1205 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1206
1207 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1208v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1209 used.
1210
1211 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1212v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1213 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1214 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1215 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1216 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1217 command.
1218 See |multi-lang|.
1219
1220 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1221v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1222 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1223 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1224 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1225 Example: >
1226 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1227<
1228 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1229v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1230 Example: >
1231 :let v:errmsg = ""
1232 :silent! next
1233 :if v:errmsg != ""
1234 : ... handle error
1235< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1236
1237 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1238v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1239 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1240 Example: >
1241 :try
1242 : throw "oops"
1243 :catch /.*/
1244 : echo "caught" v:exception
1245 :endtry
1246< Output: "caught oops".
1247
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001248 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1249v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1250 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1251 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1252 deleted file no longer exists
1253 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1254 changed and buffer is modified
1255 changed file contents has changed
1256 mode mode of file changed
1257 time only file timestamp changed
1258
1259 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1260v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1261 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1262 do with the affected buffer:
1263 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1264 the file was deleted).
1265 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1266 was no autocommand. Except that when
1267 only the timestamp changed nothing
1268 will happen.
1269 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1270 everything that needs to be done.
1271 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1272 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1273
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001274 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
1275v:fname_in The name of the input file. Only valid while evaluating:
1276 option used for ~
1277 'charconvert' file to be converted
1278 'diffexpr' original file
1279 'patchexpr' original file
1280 'printexpr' file to be printed
1281
1282 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1283v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1284 evaluating:
1285 option used for ~
1286 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1287 'diffexpr' output of diff
1288 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1289 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1290 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1291 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1292 file and different from v:fname_in.
1293
1294 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1295v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1296 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1297
1298 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1299v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1300 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1301
1302 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1303v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1304 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001305 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001306
1307 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1308v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001309 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001310
1311 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1312v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001313 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001314
1315 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1316v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001317 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001318
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001319 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1320v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1321 events. Values:
1322 i Insert mode
1323 r Replace mode
1324 v Virtual Replace mode
1325
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001326 *v:key* *key-variable*
1327v:key Key of the current item of a Dictionary. Only valid while
1328 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1329 Read-only.
1330
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001331 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1332v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1333 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1334 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1335 The value is system dependent.
1336 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1337 command.
1338 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1339 in a different language than what is used for character
1340 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1341
1342 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1343v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1344 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1345 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1346 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1347 command. See |multi-lang|.
1348
1349 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001350v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
1351 expressions. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1352 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001353
1354 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1355v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1356 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1357 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1358 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1359< Read-only.
1360
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001361 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1362v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1363 See |profiling|.
1364
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001365 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1366v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1367 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1368 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1369 Read-only.
1370
1371 *v:register* *register-variable*
1372v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1373 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1374
1375 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1376v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1377 Read-only.
1378
1379 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1380v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1381 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1382 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1383 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1384 executed. Read-only.
1385 Example: >
1386 :!mv foo bar
1387 :if v:shell_error
1388 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1389 :endif
1390< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1391
1392 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1393v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1394
1395 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1396v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1397 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1398 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1399 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1400 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1401 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1402 terminal.
1403 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1404 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1405 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1406 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1407 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1408
1409 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1410v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1411 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1412 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1413 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1414
1415 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1416v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1417 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1418 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1419 Example: >
1420 :try
1421 : throw "oops"
1422 :catch /.*/
1423 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1424 :endtry
1425< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1426
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001427 *v:val* *val-variable*
1428v:val Value of the current item of a List or Dictionary. Only valid
1429 while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
1430 |filter()|. Read-only.
1431
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001432 *v:version* *version-variable*
1433v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1434 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1435 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1436 compatibility.
1437 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1438 if has("patch123")
1439< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1440 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1441 completely different.
1442
1443 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1444v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1445
1446==============================================================================
14474. Builtin Functions *functions*
1448
1449See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1450
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001451(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001452
1453USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1454
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001455add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to List {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001456append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001457append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001458argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001459argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001460argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
1461browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1462 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001463browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001464bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001465buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1466bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001467bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1468bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1469bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1470byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001471byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001472call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1473 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001474char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001475cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001476col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001477complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
1478complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001479confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1480 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001481copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001482count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1483 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001484cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1485 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001486cursor( {lnum}, {col}) Number position cursor at {lnum}, {col}
1487deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001488delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1489did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001490diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1491diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001492empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001493escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001494eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001495eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001496executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1497exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
1498expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
1499filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001500filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1501 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001502finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
1503 String Find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001504findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001505 String Find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001506filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
1507fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001508foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1509foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001510foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001511foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001512foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001513function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001514get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001515get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001516getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1517 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001518getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1519getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001520getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
1521getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1522getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001523getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001524getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001525getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1526getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001527getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001528getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001529getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001530getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1531getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001532getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001533getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001534getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001535getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1536getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1537getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in window {nr}
1538glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1539globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1540has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001541has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001542hasmapto( {what} [, {mode}]) Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
1543histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1544histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1545histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1546histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1547hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1548hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1549hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001550iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1551indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001552index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1553 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001554input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1555 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001556inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001557inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1558inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001559inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001560insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001561isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001562islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001563items( {dict}) List List of key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001564join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001565keys( {dict}) List List of keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001566len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1567libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001568libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1569line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1570line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001571lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001572localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001573map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001574maparg( {name}[, {mode}]) String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1575mapcheck( {name}[, {mode}]) String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001576match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001577 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001578matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001579 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001580matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1581 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001582matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1583 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001584max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1585min({list}) Number minumum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001586mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1587 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001588mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001589nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1590nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
1591prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00001592printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001593range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1594 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001595readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1596 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001597remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1598 String send expression
1599remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1600remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1601 Number check for reply string
1602remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1603remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1604 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001605remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001606remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001607rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1608repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1609resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001610reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001611search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001612searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
1613 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001614searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001615 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001616server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1617 Number send reply string
1618serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1619setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1620setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1621setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00001622setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number set list of quickfix items using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001623setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001624setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001625simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001626sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001627soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001628spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00001629spellsuggest( {word} [, {max}]) List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001630split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
1631 List make List from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001632strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001633stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1634 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001635string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001636strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1637strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1638 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001639strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1640 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001641strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001642submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001643substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1644 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001645synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001646synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1647 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1648synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001649system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00001650taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
1651tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001652tempname() String name for a temporary file
1653tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1654toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001655tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1656 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001657type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001658values( {dict}) List List of values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001659virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1660visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1661winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1662wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1663winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1664winline() Number window line of the cursor
1665winnr() Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001666winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001667winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001668writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1669 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001670
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001671add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
1672 Append the item {expr} to List {list}. Returns the resulting
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001673 List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001674 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1675 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
1676< Note that when {expr} is a List it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001677 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001678 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001679
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001680
1681append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001682 When {expr} is a List: Append each item of the List as a text
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001683 line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001684 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1685 the current buffer.
1686 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001687 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1688 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001689 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001690 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001691<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001692 *argc()*
1693argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1694 current window. See |arglist|.
1695
1696 *argidx()*
1697argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1698 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1699
1700 *argv()*
1701argv({nr}) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
1702 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1703 Example: >
1704 :let i = 0
1705 :while i < argc()
1706 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1707 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1708 : let i = i + 1
1709 :endwhile
1710<
1711 *browse()*
1712browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1713 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1714 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1715 The input fields are:
1716 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1717 {title} title for the requester
1718 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1719 {default} default file name
1720 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1721 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1722
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001723 *browsedir()*
1724browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1725 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1726 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1727 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1728 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1729 to be used.
1730 The input fields are:
1731 {title} title for the requester
1732 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1733 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1734 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1735
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001736bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1737 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1738 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001739 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001740 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001741 exactly. The name can be:
1742 - Relative to the current directory.
1743 - A full path.
1744 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1745 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001746 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1747 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1748 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1749 long name to be able to find them.
1750 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1751 file name.
1752 *buffer_exists()*
1753 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1754
1755buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1756 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1757 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001758 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001759
1760bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1761 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1762 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001763 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001764
1765bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1766 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1767 ":ls" command.
1768 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1769 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1770 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1771 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1772 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1773 match an empty string is returned.
1774 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1775 alternate buffer.
1776 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
1777 or middle of the buffer name is accepted.
1778 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1779 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1780 buffers are searched for.
1781 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1782 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1783 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1784< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1785 string is returned. >
1786 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1787 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1788 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1789 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1790< *buffer_name()*
1791 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1792
1793 *bufnr()*
1794bufnr({expr}) The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
1795 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
1796 above. If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
1797 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1798 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1799< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1800 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1801 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1802 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1803 *buffer_number()*
1804 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1805 *last_buffer_nr()*
1806 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1807
1808bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1809 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1810 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1811 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1812 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1813
1814 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1815
1816< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1817 |:wincmd|.
1818
1819
1820byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1821 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1822 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1823 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1824 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1825 one.
1826 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1827 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1828 feature}
1829
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001830byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1831 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1832 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1833 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1834 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1835 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1836 Example : >
1837 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1838< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1839 same: >
1840 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1841 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1842< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1843 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1844 is returned.
1845
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001846call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001847 Call function {func} with the items in List {arglist} as
1848 arguments.
1849 {func} can either be a Funcref or the name of a function.
1850 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1851 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001852 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1853 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001854
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001855char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1856 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1857 char2nr(" ") returns 32
1858 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
1859< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
1860 char2nr("á") returns 225
1861 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001862< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001863
1864cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
1865 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
1866 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
1867 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
1868 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
1869 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
1870 feature, -1 is returned.
1871
1872 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001873col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001874 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
1875 . the cursor position
1876 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
1877 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
1878 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
1879 returned)
1880 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
1881 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
1882 Examples: >
1883 col(".") column of cursor
1884 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
1885 col("'t") column of mark t
1886 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
1887< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
1888 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
1889 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
1890 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
1891 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
1892 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
1893 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
1894 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
1895<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001896
1897complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
1898 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
1899 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
1900 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
1901 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
1902 the list.
1903
1904complete_check() *complete_check()*
1905 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
1906 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
1907 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
1908 zero otherwise.
1909 Only to be used by the function specified with the
1910 'completefunc' option.
1911
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001912 *confirm()*
1913confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1914 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
1915 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
1916 choice this is 1.
1917 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
1918 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
1919 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
1920 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
1921 used (and translated).
1922 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
1923 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
1924 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
1925 by '\n', e.g. >
1926 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
1927< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
1928 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
1929 not need to be the first letter: >
1930 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
1931< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
1932 the default shortcut key.
1933 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
1934 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
1935 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
1936 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
1937 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
1938 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
1939 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
1940 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
1941 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
1942 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
1943 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
1944
1945 An example: >
1946 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
1947 :if choice == 0
1948 : echo "make up your mind!"
1949 :elseif choice == 3
1950 : echo "tasteful"
1951 :else
1952 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
1953 :endif
1954< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
1955 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
1956 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
1957 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
1958 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
1959 the horizontal layout is always used.
1960
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001961 *copy()*
1962copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1963 different from using {expr} directly.
1964 When {expr} is a List a shallow copy is created. This means
1965 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1966 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
1967 changing an item changes the contents of both Lists. Also see
1968 |deepcopy()|.
1969
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001970count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001971 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001972 in List or Dictionary {comp}.
1973 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
1974 {start} can only be used with a List.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001975 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
1976
1977
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001978 *cscope_connection()*
1979cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1980 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
1981 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
1982 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
1983 if there are no cscope connections;
1984 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
1985
1986 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
1987 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
1988
1989 {num} Description of existence check
1990 ----- ------------------------------
1991 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
1992 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
1993 {dbpath}.
1994 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
1995 {dbpath}.
1996 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
1997 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1998 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
1999 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2000
2001 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2002
2003 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2004
2005 # pid database name prepend path
2006 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2007<
2008 Invocation Return Val ~
2009 ---------- ---------- >
2010 cscope_connection() 1
2011 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2012 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2013 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2014 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2015 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2016 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2017 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2018<
2019cursor({lnum}, {col}) *cursor()*
2020 Positions the cursor at the column {col} in the line {lnum}.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002021 The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002022 Does not change the jumplist.
2023 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2024 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2025 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002026 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002027 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2028 line.
2029 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
2030
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002031
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002032deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002033 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2034 different from using {expr} directly.
2035 When {expr} is a List a full copy is created. This means
2036 that the original List can be changed without changing the
2037 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a List, a copy for it
2038 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
2039 not change the contents of the original List.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002040 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained List or Dictionary
2041 is only copied once. All references point to this single
2042 copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a List or
2043 Dictionary results in a new copy. This also means that a
2044 cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002045 *E724*
2046 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002047 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2048 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002049 Also see |copy()|.
2050
2051delete({fname}) *delete()*
2052 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002053 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2054 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002055 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002056
2057 *did_filetype()*
2058did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2059 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2060 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2061 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2062 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2063 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2064 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2065 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2066 file.
2067
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002068diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2069 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2070 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2071 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2072 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2073 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2074 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2075 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2076
2077diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2078 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2079 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2080 diff change zero is returned.
2081 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2082 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2083 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2084 line.
2085 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2086 syntax information about the highlighting.
2087
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002088empty({expr}) *empty()*
2089 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002090 A List or Dictionary is empty when it does not have any items.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002091 A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2092 For a long List this is much faster then comparing the length
2093 with zero.
2094
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002095escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2096 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2097 backslash. Example: >
2098 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2099< results in: >
2100 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002101
2102< *eval()*
2103eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2104 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2105 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
2106 Also works for Funcrefs that refer to existing functions.
2107
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002108eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2109 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2110 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2111 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2112 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2113
2114executable({expr}) *executable()*
2115 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2116 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002117 arguments.
2118 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2119 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2120 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2121 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2122 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2123 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2124 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2125 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2126 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2127 extension.
2128 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2129 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002130 The result is a Number:
2131 1 exists
2132 0 does not exist
2133 -1 not implemented on this system
2134
2135 *exists()*
2136exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2137 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2138 which contains one of these:
2139 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2140 not if it really works)
2141 +option-name Vim option that works.
2142 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2143 done by comparing with an empty
2144 string)
2145 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2146 or user defined function (see
2147 |user-functions|).
2148 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002149 |internal-variables|). Also works
2150 for |curly-braces-names|, Dictionary
2151 entries, List items, etc. Beware that
2152 this may cause functions to be
2153 invoked cause an error message for an
2154 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002155 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2156 command or command modifier |:command|.
2157 Returns:
2158 1 for match with start of a command
2159 2 full match with a command
2160 3 matches several user commands
2161 To check for a supported command
2162 always check the return value to be 2.
2163 #event autocommand defined for this event
2164 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2165 pattern (the pattern is taken
2166 literally and compared to the
2167 autocommand patterns character by
2168 character)
2169 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2170
2171 Examples: >
2172 exists("&shortname")
2173 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2174 exists("*strftime")
2175 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2176 exists("bufcount")
2177 exists(":Make")
2178 exists("#CursorHold");
2179 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
2180< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2181 name.
2182 Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2183 variable itself! For example: >
2184 exists(bufcount)
2185< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
2186 but gets the contents of "bufcount", and checks if that
2187 exists.
2188
2189expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2190 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2191 The result is a String.
2192
2193 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2194 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2195 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2196
2197 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2198 for a non-existing file is not included.
2199
2200 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2201 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2202 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2203
2204 % current file name
2205 # alternate file name
2206 #n alternate file name n
2207 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2208 <afile> autocmd file name
2209 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2210 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2211 <sfile> sourced script file name
2212 <cword> word under the cursor
2213 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2214 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2215 message |server2client()|
2216 Modifiers:
2217 :p expand to full path
2218 :h head (last path component removed)
2219 :t tail (last path component only)
2220 :r root (one extension removed)
2221 :e extension only
2222
2223 Example: >
2224 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2225< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2226 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2227 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2228< Use this: >
2229 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2230< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2231 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2232 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2233 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2234 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2235<
2236 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2237 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2238 to modify normal file names.
2239
2240 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2241 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2242 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2243 '/' added.
2244
2245 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2246 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2247 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2248 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002249 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2250 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2251 files in the current directory and below: >
2252 :echo expand("**/README")
2253<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002254 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2255 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2256 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2257 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2258 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2259 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2260 "$FOOBAR".
2261
2262 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2263 getting the raw output of an external command.
2264
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002265extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
2266 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both Lists or both Dictionaries.
2267
2268 If they are Lists: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
2269 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2270 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2271 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2272 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002273 Examples: >
2274 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2275 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002276< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2277 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002278 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002279<
2280 If they are Dictionaries:
2281 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2282 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2283 used to decide what to do:
2284 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2285 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00002286 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002287 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2288
2289 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2290 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2291 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2292 Returns {expr1}.
2293
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002294
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002295filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2296 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2297 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2298 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2299 expression, which is used as a String.
2300 *file_readable()*
2301 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2302
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002303
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002304filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
2305 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
2306 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
2307 is zero remove the item from the List or Dictionary.
2308 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
2309 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
2310 Examples: >
2311 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2312< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2313 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2314< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2315 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002316< Removes all the items, thus clears the List or Dictionary.
2317
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002318 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2319 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2320 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2321
2322 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
2323 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002324 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), '& =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002325
2326< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002327
2328
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002329finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
2330 Find directory {name} in {path}.
2331 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2332 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
2333 {name} in {path}.
2334 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
2335 When the found directory is below the current directory a
2336 relative path is returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
2337 Example: >
2338 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
2339< Searches from the current directory upwards until it finds
2340 the file "tags.vim".
2341 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2342
2343findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2344 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
2345
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002346filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2347 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2348 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2349 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2350 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2351
2352fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2353 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2354 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2355 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2356 Example: >
2357 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2358< results in: >
2359 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2360< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2361 |expand()| first then.
2362
2363foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2364 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2365 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2366 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2367
2368foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2369 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2370 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2371 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2372
2373foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2374 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2375 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2376 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2377 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2378 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2379 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2380 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2381 previous line is usually available.
2382
2383 *foldtext()*
2384foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2385 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2386 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2387 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2388 The returned string looks like this: >
2389 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2390< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2391 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2392 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2393 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2394 options is removed.
2395 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2396
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002397foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2398 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2399 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2400 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2401 returned.
2402 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2403 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2404 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2405 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2406
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002407 *foreground()*
2408foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2409 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2410 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2411 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2412 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2413 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2414 Win32 console version}
2415
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002416
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002417function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002418 Return a Funcref variable that refers to function {name}.
2419 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2420
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002421
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002422garbagecollect() *garbagecollect()*
2423 Cleanup unused Lists and Dictionaries that have circular
2424 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2425 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2426 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2427 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2428 freed when they become unused.
2429 This is useful if you have deleted a very big List and/or
2430 Dictionary with circular references in a script that runs for
2431 a long time.
2432
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002433get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002434 Get item {idx} from List {list}. When this item is not
2435 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2436 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002437get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
2438 Get item with key {key} from Dictionary {dict}. When this
2439 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2440 {default} is omitted.
2441
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002442 *getbufline()*
2443getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002444 Return a List with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
2445 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a List
2446 with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002447
2448 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2449
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002450 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
2451 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002452
2453 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2454 lines in the buffer, an empty List is returned.
2455
2456 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2457 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002458 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002459 returned.
2460
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002461 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002462 non-existing buffers, an empty List is returned.
2463
2464 Example: >
2465 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002466
2467getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2468 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2469 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2470 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002471 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2472 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2473 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002474 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2475 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2476 returned, there is no error message.
2477 Examples: >
2478 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2479 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2480<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002481getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
2482 Get a single character from the user. If it is an 8-bit
2483 character, the result is a number. Otherwise a String is
2484 returned with the encoded character. For a special key it's a
2485 sequence of bytes starting with 0x80 (decimal: 128).
2486 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2487 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
2488 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
2489 not consumed. If a normal character is
2490 available, it is returned, otherwise a
2491 non-zero value is returned.
2492 If a normal character available, it is returned as a Number.
2493 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2494 The returned value is zero if no character is available.
2495 The returned value is a string of characters for special keys
2496 and when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used.
2497 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2498 user that a character has to be typed.
2499 There is no mapping for the character.
2500 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2501 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2502 sequence. Examples: >
2503 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2504 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2505< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2506 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2507 :function FindChar()
2508 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2509 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2510 : normal l
2511 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2512 : break
2513 : endif
2514 : endwhile
2515 :endfunction
2516
2517getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2518 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2519 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2520 These values are added together:
2521 2 shift
2522 4 control
2523 8 alt (meta)
2524 16 mouse double click
2525 32 mouse triple click
2526 64 mouse quadruple click
2527 128 Macintosh only: command
2528 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2529 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2530 with no modifier.
2531
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002532getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2533 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2534 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2535 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2536 Example: >
2537 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002538< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002539
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002540getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002541 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2542 byte count. The first column is 1.
2543 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2544 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002545 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2546
2547getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
2548 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
2549 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002550 : normal Ex command
2551 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
2552 / forward search command
2553 ? backward search command
2554 @ |input()| command
2555 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002556 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2557 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
2558 otherwise.
2559 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002560
2561 *getcwd()*
2562getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2563 working directory.
2564
2565getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2566 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2567 given file {fname}.
2568 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2569 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
2570
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002571getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2572 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2573 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2574 |hl-Normal|.
2575 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2576 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2577 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2578 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
2579 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not you your vimrc or
2580 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2581 for a valid name does not work.
2582 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2583 function just after the GUI has started.
2584
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002585getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2586 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2587 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2588 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2589 empty string is returned.
2590 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2591 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2592 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2593 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2594 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2595 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2596< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2597 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002598
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002599getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2600 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2601 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2602 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2603 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2604 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2605
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002606getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2607 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2608 file of the given file {fname}.
2609 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2610 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2611 results:
2612 Normal file "file"
2613 Directory "dir"
2614 Symbolic link "link"
2615 Block device "bdev"
2616 Character device "cdev"
2617 Socket "socket"
2618 FIFO "fifo"
2619 All other "other"
2620 Example: >
2621 getftype("/home")
2622< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2623 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2624 "file" are returned.
2625
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002626 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002627getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2628 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2629 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002630 getline(1)
2631< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2632 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2633 To get the line under the cursor: >
2634 getline(".")
2635< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2636 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2637
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002638 When {end} is given the result is a List where each item is a
2639 line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
2640 including line {end}.
2641 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2642 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002643 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002644 Example: >
2645 :let start = line('.')
2646 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2647 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2648
2649
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002650getqflist() *getqflist()*
2651 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2652 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2653 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2654 bufname() to get the name
2655 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2656 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002657 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2658 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002659 nr error number
2660 text description of the error
2661 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2662 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2663
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00002664 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
2665 returned.
2666
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002667 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2668 do something with them: >
2669 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2670 :for d in getqflist()
2671 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2672 :endfor
2673
2674
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002675getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002676 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002677 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002678 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2679< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002680 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002681 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
2682 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
2683 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002684 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2685
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002686
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002687getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2688 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2689 The value will be one of:
2690 "v" for |characterwise| text
2691 "V" for |linewise| text
2692 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2693 0 for an empty or unknown register
2694 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2695 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2696
2697 *getwinposx()*
2698getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2699 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2700 -1 if the information is not available.
2701
2702 *getwinposy()*
2703getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2704 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2705 information is not available.
2706
2707getwinvar({nr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2708 The result is the value of option or local window variable
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00002709 {varname} in window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current
2710 window is used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002711 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
2712 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
2713 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002714 Note that the name without "w:" must be used.
2715 Examples: >
2716 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
2717 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
2718<
2719 *glob()*
2720glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. The result is a String.
2721 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2722 characters.
2723 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
2724 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
2725
2726 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
2727 any external command. Example: >
2728 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
2729 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
2730< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
2731 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
2732
2733 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
2734 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
2735
2736globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
2737 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
2738 the results. Example: >
2739 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
2740< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
2741 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
2742 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
2743 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
2744 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
2745 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
2746 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
2747 error message.
2748 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
2749 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
2750
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002751 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
2752 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
2753 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
2754 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
2755<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002756 *has()*
2757has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
2758 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
2759 string. See |feature-list| below.
2760 Also see |exists()|.
2761
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002762
2763has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
2764 The result is a Number, which is 1 if Dictionary {dict} has an
2765 entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
2766
2767
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002768hasmapto({what} [, {mode}]) *hasmapto()*
2769 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
2770 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
2771 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
2772 {mode}.
2773 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
2774 buffer are checked for a match.
2775 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
2776 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
2777 n Normal mode
2778 v Visual mode
2779 o Operator-pending mode
2780 i Insert mode
2781 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
2782 c Command-line mode
2783 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
2784
2785 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
2786 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
2787 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
2788 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
2789 :endif
2790< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
2791 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
2792
2793histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
2794 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
2795 one of: *hist-names*
2796 "cmd" or ":" command line history
2797 "search" or "/" search pattern history
2798 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
2799 "input" or "@" input line history
2800 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
2801 shifted to become the newest entry.
2802 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
2803 otherwise 0 is returned.
2804
2805 Example: >
2806 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
2807 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
2808< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
2809
2810histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002811 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002812 for the possible values of {history}.
2813
2814 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
2815 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
2816 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
2817 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
2818 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
2819 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
2820 if it exists.
2821
2822 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
2823 otherwise 0 is returned.
2824
2825 Examples:
2826 Clear expression register history: >
2827 :call histdel("expr")
2828<
2829 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
2830 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
2831<
2832 The following three are equivalent: >
2833 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
2834 :call histdel("search", -1)
2835 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
2836<
2837 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
2838 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
2839 :call histdel("search", -1)
2840 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
2841
2842histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
2843 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
2844 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
2845 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
2846 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
2847 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
2848
2849 Examples:
2850 Redo the second last search from history. >
2851 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
2852
2853< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
2854 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
2855 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
2856<
2857histnr({history}) *histnr()*
2858 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
2859 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
2860 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
2861
2862 Example: >
2863 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
2864<
2865hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
2866 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
2867 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
2868 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
2869 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
2870 item.
2871 *highlight_exists()*
2872 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
2873
2874 *hlID()*
2875hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
2876 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
2877 zero is returned.
2878 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
2879 group. For example, to get the background color of the
2880 "Comment" group: >
2881 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
2882< *highlightID()*
2883 Obsolete name: highlightID().
2884
2885hostname() *hostname()*
2886 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002887 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002888 256 characters long are truncated.
2889
2890iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
2891 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
2892 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
2893 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
2894 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
2895 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
2896 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
2897 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
2898 can be done.
2899 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
2900 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
2901 UTF-8 and use: >
2902 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
2903< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
2904 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
2905 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
2906 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
2907
2908 *indent()*
2909indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
2910 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
2911 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
2912 |getline()|.
2913 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
2914
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002915
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002916index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002917 Return the lowest index in List {list} where the item has a
2918 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00002919 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
2920 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002921 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
2922 case must match.
2923 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
2924 Example: >
2925 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00002926 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002927
2928
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002929input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002930 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
2931 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
2932 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002933 prompt to start a new line.
2934 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
2935 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
2936 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
2937 for lines typed for input().
2938 Example: >
2939 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
2940 : echo "Cheers!"
2941 :endif
2942<
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002943 If the optional {text} is present and not empty, this is used
2944 for the default reply, as if the user typed this. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002945 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
2946
2947< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
2948 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
2949 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
2950 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
2951 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
2952 more information. Example: >
2953 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
2954<
2955 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
2956 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002957 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
2958 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
2959 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
2960 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
2961 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
2962 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
2963 |:execute| or |:normal|.
2964
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002965 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002966 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
2967 :function GetFoo()
2968 : call inputsave()
2969 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
2970 : call inputrestore()
2971 :endfunction
2972
2973inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
2974 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
2975 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
2976 Example: >
2977 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
2978 :if n != ""
2979 : let &sw = n
2980 :endif
2981< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
2982 omitted an empty string is returned.
2983 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
2984 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002985 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002986
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00002987inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
2988 {textlist} must be a list of strings. This list is displayed,
2989 one string per line. The user will be prompted to enter a
2990 number, which is returned.
2991 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
2992 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
2993 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
2994 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
2995 is returned.
2996 Make sure {textlist} has less then 'lines' entries, otherwise
2997 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
2998 the start of the string. Example: >
2999 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3000 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3001
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003002inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
3003 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
3004 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3005 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3006 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3007
3008inputsave() *inputsave()*
3009 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3010 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3011 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3012 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3013 many inputrestore() calls.
3014 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3015
3016inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3017 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3018 two exceptions:
3019 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3020 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3021 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3022 |history| stack.
3023 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3024 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003025 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003026
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003027insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
3028 Insert {item} at the start of List {list}.
3029 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
3030 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
3031 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3032 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003033 Returns the resulting List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003034 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3035 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3036 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003037< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003038 Note that when {item} is a List it is inserted as a single
3039 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
3040
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003041isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3042 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3043 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3044 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3045 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3046
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003047islocked({expr}) *islocked()*
3048 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3049 name of a locked variable.
3050 {expr} must be the name of a variable, List item or Dictionary
3051 entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
3052 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3053 :lockvar 1 alist
3054 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3055 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3056
3057< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
3058 message. Use |exists()| to check for existance.
3059
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003060items({dict}) *items()*
3061 Return a List with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3062 List item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict} entry
3063 and the value of this entry. The List is in arbitrary order.
3064
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003065
3066join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3067 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3068 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3069 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3070 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3071 add it there too: >
3072 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
3073< String items are used as-is. Lists and Dictionaries are
3074 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3075 The opposite function is |split()|.
3076
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003077keys({dict}) *keys()*
3078 Return a List with all the keys of {dict}. The List is in
3079 arbitrary order.
3080
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003081 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003082len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3083 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3084 used, as with |strlen()|.
3085 When {expr} is a List the number of items in the List is
3086 returned.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003087 When {expr} is a Dictionary the number of entries in the
3088 Dictionary is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003089 Otherwise an error is given.
3090
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003091 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3092libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3093 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3094 with single argument {argument}.
3095 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3096 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3097 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3098 limited.
3099 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3100 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3101 to Vim.
3102 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3103 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3104 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3105 null-terminated string.
3106 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3107
3108 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3109 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3110 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3111 very probably crash.
3112
3113 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3114 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3115 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3116 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3117 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3118 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3119 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3120 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3121 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3122 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3123
3124 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
3125 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
3126 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3127 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3128 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3129 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3130 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3131 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3132 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3133 feature is present}
3134 Examples: >
3135 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
3136 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
3137<
3138 *libcallnr()*
3139libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3140 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3141 int instead of a string.
3142 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3143 feature is present}
3144 Example (not very useful...): >
3145 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3146 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3147<
3148 *line()*
3149line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3150 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3151 . the cursor position
3152 $ the last line in the current buffer
3153 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3154 returned)
3155 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
3156 Examples: >
3157 line(".") line number of the cursor
3158 line("'t") line number of mark t
3159 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3160< *last-position-jump*
3161 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3162 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3163 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003164
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003165line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3166 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3167 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3168 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3169 line returns 1.
3170 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3171 below the last line: >
3172 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3173< This is the file size plus one.
3174 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3175 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3176 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3177
3178lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3179 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3180 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3181 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3182 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3183 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3184 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3185
3186localtime() *localtime()*
3187 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3188 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3189
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003190
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003191map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
3192 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
3193 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3194 {string}.
3195 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
3196 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
3197 Example: >
3198 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003199< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003200
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003201 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003202 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003203 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3204 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003205
3206 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
3207 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003208 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003209
3210< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003211
3212
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003213maparg({name}[, {mode}]) *maparg()*
3214 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3215 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
3216 These characters can be used for {mode}:
3217 "n" Normal
3218 "v" Visual
3219 "o" Operator-pending
3220 "i" Insert
3221 "c" Cmd-line
3222 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3223 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
3224 When {mode} is omitted, the modes from "" are used.
3225 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3226 command. The returned String has special characters
3227 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3228 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3229 then the global mappings.
3230
3231mapcheck({name}[, {mode}]) *mapcheck()*
3232 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3233 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3234 {name}.
3235 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3236 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3237
3238 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3239 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3240 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3241 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3242 mapcheck("b") no no no
3243
3244 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3245 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3246 mapping for {name} exactly.
3247 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3248 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3249 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3250 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3251 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3252 then the global mappings.
3253 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3254 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3255 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3256 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3257 :endif
3258< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3259 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3260
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003261match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003262 When {expr} is a List then this returns the index of the first
3263 item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a String,
3264 Lists and Dictionaries are used as echoed.
3265 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3266 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3267 {pat} matches.
3268 A match at the first character or List item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003269 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3270 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003271 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
3272 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 2
3273< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003274 *strpbrk()*
3275 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3276 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3277< *strcasestr()*
3278 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3279 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3280 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3281<
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003282 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003283 is found in a String the search for the next one starts on
3284 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003285 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003286< In a List the search continues in the next item.
3287
3288 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
3289 {start} in a String or item {start} in a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003290 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003291 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003292 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3293< result is again "4". >
3294 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3295< result is again "4". >
3296 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3297< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003298 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3299 the index is counted from the end.
3300 If {start} is out of range (> strlen({expr} for a String or
3301 > len({expr} for a List) -1 is returned.
3302
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003303 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3304 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3305 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3306 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3307
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003308matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003309 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3310 the match. Example: >
3311 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3312< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003313 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3314 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3315 do it with matchend(): >
3316 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3317 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3318< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3319
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003320 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3321 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3322< results in "7". >
3323 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3324< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003325 When {expr} is a List the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003326
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003327matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
3328 Same as match(), but return a List. The first item in the
3329 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3330 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
3331 in |:substitute|.
3332 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3333
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003334matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003335 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3336 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3337< results in "ing".
3338 When there is no match "" is returned.
3339 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3340 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3341< results in "ing". >
3342 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3343< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003344 When {expr} is a List then the matching item is returned.
3345 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003346
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003347 *max()*
3348max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3349 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3350 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3351 An empty List results in zero.
3352
3353 *min()*
3354min({list}) Return the minumum value of all items in {list}.
3355 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3356 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3357 An empty List results in zero.
3358
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003359 *mkdir()* *E749*
3360mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3361 Create directory {name}.
3362 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3363 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3364 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3365 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3366 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3367 for others.
3368 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3369 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3370 :if exists("*mkdir")
3371<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003372 *mode()*
3373mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3374 n Normal
3375 v Visual by character
3376 V Visual by line
3377 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3378 s Select by character
3379 S Select by line
3380 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3381 i Insert
3382 R Replace
3383 c Command-line
3384 r Hit-enter prompt
3385 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3386 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3387
3388nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3389 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3390 that is not blank. Example: >
3391 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3392< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3393 below it, zero is returned.
3394 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3395
3396nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3397 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3398 value {expr}. Examples: >
3399 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3400 nr2char(32) returns " "
3401< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3402 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3403< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3404 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3405 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003406 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003407
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003408printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
3409 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
3410 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003411 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003412< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003413 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003414
3415 Often used items are:
3416 %s string
3417 %6s string right-aligned in 6 characters
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003418 %c single byte
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003419 %d decimal number
3420 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
3421 %x hex number
3422 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
3423 %X hex number using upper case letters
3424 %o octal number
3425 %% the % character
3426
3427 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
3428 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
3429 the result.
3430
3431 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003432 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003433
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003434 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003435
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003436 flags
3437 Zero or more of the following flags:
3438
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003439 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
3440 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
3441 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
3442 of the number is increased to force the first
3443 character of the output string to a zero (except
3444 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
3445 precision of zero).
3446 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
3447 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
3448 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003449
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003450 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
3451 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
3452 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
3453 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
3454 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003455
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003456 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
3457 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
3458 The converted value is padded on the right with
3459 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
3460 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003461
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003462 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
3463 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003464
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003465 + A sign must always be placed before a number
3466 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
3467 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003468
3469 field-width
3470 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
3471 field width. If the converted value has fewer
3472 characters than the field width, it will be padded
3473 with spaces on the left (or right, if the
3474 left-adjustment flag has been given) to fill out the
3475 field width.
3476
3477 .precision
3478 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
3479 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
3480 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
3481 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
3482 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
3483 characters to be printed from a string for s
3484 conversions.
3485
3486 type
3487 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
3488 be applied, see below.
3489
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003490 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
3491 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
3492 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
3493 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
3494 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
3495 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003496 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003497< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003498 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003499
3500 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003501
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003502 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
3503 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
3504 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
3505 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003506 conversions.
3507 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
3508 digits that must appear; if the converted value
3509 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
3510 zeros.
3511 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
3512 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
3513 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
3514 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
3515
3516 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
3517 resulting character is written.
3518
3519 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
3520 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
3521 specified are used.
3522
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003523 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
3524 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003525
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003526 Each argument can be Number or String and is converted
3527 automatically to fit the conversion specifier. Any other
3528 argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003529
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00003530 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003531 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
3532 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003533 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003534
3535
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003536prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3537 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3538 that is not blank. Example: >
3539 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3540< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3541 above it, zero is returned.
3542 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3543
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003544 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003545range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
3546 Returns a List with Numbers:
3547 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3548 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3549 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3550 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3551 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003552 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
3553 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
3554 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003555 Examples: >
3556 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
3557 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3558 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
3559 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003560 range(0) " []
3561 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003562<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003563 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003564readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003565 Read file {fname} and return a List, each line of the file as
3566 an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
3567 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3568 NL appears somewhere).
3569 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3570 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3571 added.
3572 - No CR characters are removed.
3573 Otherwise:
3574 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3575 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3576 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003577 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3578 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3579 lines of a file: >
3580 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3581 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3582 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003583< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
3584 are returned, or as many as there are.
3585 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003586 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3587 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3588 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003589 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3590 the result is an empty list.
3591 Also see |writefile()|.
3592
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003593 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3594remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3595 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3596 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
3597 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3598 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3599 remote_read() is stored there.
3600 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3601 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3602 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3603 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
3604 and the result will be the empty string.
3605 Examples: >
3606 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
3607 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
3608<
3609
3610remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
3611 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
3612 This works like: >
3613 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
3614< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
3615 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
3616 to bring itself to the foreground.
3617 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3618 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3619 Win32 console version}
3620
3621
3622remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
3623 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
3624 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
3625 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
3626 name of a variable.
3627 Returns zero if none are available.
3628 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
3629 See also |clientserver|.
3630 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3631 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3632 Examples: >
3633 :let repl = ""
3634 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
3635
3636remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
3637 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
3638 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
3639 See also |clientserver|.
3640 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3641 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3642 Example: >
3643 :echo remote_read(id)
3644<
3645 *remote_send()* *E241*
3646remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003647 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
3648 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
3649 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003650 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3651 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3652 remote_read() is stored there.
3653 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3654 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3655 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3656 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
3657 up the display.
3658 Examples: >
3659 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
3660 \ remote_read(serverid)
3661
3662 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
3663 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
3664 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
3665 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003666<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003667remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
3668 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from List {list} and
3669 return it.
3670 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
3671 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
3672 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
3673 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
3674 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003675 Example: >
3676 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003677 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003678remove({dict}, {key})
3679 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
3680 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
3681< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
3682
3683 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003684
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003685rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
3686 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
3687 should also work to move files across file systems. The
3688 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
3689 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
3690 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3691
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003692repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
3693 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
3694 result. Example: >
3695 :let seperator = repeat('-', 80)
3696< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003697 When {expr} is a List the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003698 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003699 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
3700< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003701
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003702
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003703resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
3704 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
3705 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
3706 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
3707 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
3708 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
3709 stopped after 100 iterations.
3710 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
3711 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
3712 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
3713 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
3714 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
3715
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003716 *reverse()*
3717reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
3718 {list}.
3719 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3720 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
3721
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003722search({pattern} [, {flags}]) *search()*
3723 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003724 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003725 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
3726 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003727 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003728 'w' wrap around the end of the file
3729 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003730 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the
3731 cursor.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003732 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
3733
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003734 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
3735 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
3736 flag.
3737
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003738 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
3739 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
3740 flag is used).
3741 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
3742 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003743
3744 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
3745 :let n = 1
3746 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
3747 : exe "argument " . n
3748 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
3749 : " first search to find match at start of file
3750 : normal G$
3751 : let flags = "w"
3752 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
3753 : s/foo/bar/g
3754 : let flags = "W"
3755 : endwhile
3756 : update " write the file if modified
3757 : let n = n + 1
3758 :endwhile
3759<
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003760
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00003761searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
3762 Search for the declaration of {name}.
3763
3764 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
3765 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
3766 first match in the function.
3767
3768 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
3769 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
3770 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
3771
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003772 Moves the cursor to the found match.
3773 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3774 Example: >
3775 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
3776 echo getline('.')
3777 endif
3778<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003779 *searchpair()*
3780searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
3781 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
3782 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
3783 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
3784 The search starts at the cursor. If a match is found, the
3785 cursor is positioned at it and the line number is returned.
3786 If no match is found 0 or -1 is returned and the cursor
3787 doesn't move. No error message is given.
3788
3789 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
3790 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
3791 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
3792 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
3793 typical use is: >
3794 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
3795< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
3796
3797 {flags} are used like with |search()|. Additionally:
3798 'n' do Not move the cursor
3799 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
3800 outer pair
3801 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
3802 the match; will only be > 1 when 'r' is used.
3803
3804 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
3805 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
3806 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
3807 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
3808 or a string.
3809 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
3810 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
3811 and -1 returned.
3812
3813 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
3814 patterns are used like it's on.
3815
3816 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
3817 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
3818 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
3819 if 1
3820 if 2
3821 endif 2
3822 endif 1
3823< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
3824 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
3825 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
3826 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
3827 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
3828 "endif 2".
3829 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
3830 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
3831 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
3832 the matching start.
3833
3834 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
3835
3836 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
3837 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
3838
3839< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
3840 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
3841 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
3842 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
3843 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
3844 match.
3845 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
3846
3847 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
3848
3849< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
3850 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
3851 highlighting recognized as strings: >
3852
3853 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
3854 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
3855<
3856server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
3857 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
3858 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
3859 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3860 Note:
3861 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003862 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003863 before calling any commands that waits for input.
3864 See also |clientserver|.
3865 Example: >
3866 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
3867<
3868serverlist() *serverlist()*
3869 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
3870 When there are no servers or the information is not available
3871 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
3872 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3873 Example: >
3874 :echo serverlist()
3875<
3876setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
3877 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
3878 {val}.
3879 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
3880 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
3881 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
3882 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3883 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
3884 Examples: >
3885 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
3886 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
3887< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3888
3889setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
3890 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
3891 {pos}. The first position is 1.
3892 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
3893 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003894 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
3895 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
3896 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
3897 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
3898 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003899 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
3900 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
3901 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
3902 line.
3903
3904setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003905 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
3906 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003907 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {line} will be
3908 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003909 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
3910 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003911 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003912< When {line} is a List then line {lnum} and following lines
3913 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
3914 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
3915< This is equivalent to: >
3916 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
3917 : call setline(n, l)
3918 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003919< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
3920
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003921
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003922setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003923 Creates a quickfix list using the items in {list}. Each item
3924 in {list} is a dictionary. Non-dictionary items in {list} are
3925 ignored. Each dictionary item can contain the following
3926 entries:
3927
3928 filename name of a file
3929 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003930 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003931 col column number
3932 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
3933 when zero: "col" is byte index
3934 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003935 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003936 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003937
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003938 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
3939 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
3940 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003941 If the "filename" entry is not present or neither the "lnum"
3942 or "pattern" entries are present, then the item will not be
3943 handled as an error line.
3944 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
3945 be used.
3946
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003947 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
3948 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
3949 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
3950 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
3951 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
3952 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
3953
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003954 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
3955
3956 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
3957 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
3958 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
3959
3960
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003961 *setreg()*
3962setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
3963 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
3964 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
3965 then the value is appended.
3966 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
3967 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
3968 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
3969 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
3970 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
3971 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
3972 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
3973 in the longest line (counting a <TAB> as 1 character).
3974
3975 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
3976 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
3977 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
3978 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3979
3980 Examples: >
3981 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
3982 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
3983 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
3984
3985< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
3986 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003987 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003988 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
3989 ....
3990 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
3991
3992< You can also change the type of a register by appending
3993 nothing: >
3994 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
3995
3996setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
3997 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {nr} to
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00003998 {val}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003999 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
4000 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
4001 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
4002 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
4003 Examples: >
4004 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
4005 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
4006< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4007
4008simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
4009 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
4010 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
4011 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
4012 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
4013 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
4014 not removed either.
4015 Example: >
4016 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
4017< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
4018 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
4019 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
4020 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
4021 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
4022
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004023
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004024sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004025 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
4026 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4027 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
4028< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004029 Numbers sort after Strings, Lists after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004030 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004031 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
4032 When {func} is a Funcref or a function name, this function is
4033 called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
4034 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
4035 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
4036 sorts before the second one. Example: >
4037 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
4038 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
4039 endfunc
4040 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004041<
4042
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004043 *soundfold()*
4044soundfold({word})
4045 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
4046 language in 'spellang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004047 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
4048 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004049 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
4050 the method can be quite slow.
4051
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004052 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00004053spellbadword([{sentence}])
4054 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
4055 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
4056 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
4057 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
4058
4059 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
4060 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
4061 result is an empty string.
4062
4063 The return value is a list with two items:
4064 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
4065 - The type of the spelling error:
4066 "bad" spelling mistake
4067 "rare" rare word
4068 "local" word only valid in another region
4069 "caps" word should start with Capital
4070 Example: >
4071 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
4072< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
4073
4074 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
4075 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
4076 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004077
4078 *spellsuggest()*
4079spellsuggest({word} [, {max}])
4080 Return a List with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
4081 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
4082 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
4083
4084 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
4085 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00004086 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
4087 replace a line.
4088
4089 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
4090 returned. {word} itself is also included, most likely as the
4091 first entry, thus this can be used to check spelling.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004092
4093 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004094 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
4095 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004096
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004097
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004098split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
4099 Make a List out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or empty
4100 each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004101 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004102 removing the matched characters.
4103 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
4104 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00004105 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
4106 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004107 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004108 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004109< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004110 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00004111< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
4112 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
4113< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004114 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
4115 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
4116< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004117
4118
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004119strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
4120 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
4121 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
4122 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
4123 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
4124 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
4125 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
4126 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
4127 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
4128 Examples: >
4129 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
4130 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
4131 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
4132 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
4133 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
4134 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004135< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4136 :if exists("*strftime")
4137
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004138stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
4139 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4140 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004141 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
4142 This can be used to find a second match: >
4143 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
4144 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
4145< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004146 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004147 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004148 See also |strridx()|.
4149 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004150 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
4151 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
4152 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004153< *strstr()* *strchr()*
4154 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
4155 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
4156
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004157 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004158string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
4159 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
4160 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004161 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004162 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004163 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004164 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004165 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004166 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004167 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004168
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004169 *strlen()*
4170strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004171 {expr} in bytes.
4172 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
4173 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004174
4175 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004176<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004177 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
4178 For other types an error is given.
4179 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004180
4181strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
4182 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
4183 byte {start}, with the length {len}.
4184 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
4185 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
4186 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
4187 end of the {src}. >
4188 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
4189 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
4190 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
4191 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
4192< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
4193 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
4194 strpart(getline(line(".")), col(".") - 1, 3)
4195<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004196strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
4197 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4198 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
4199 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
4200 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
4201 match: >
4202 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
4203 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
4204< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004205 For pattern searches use |match()|.
4206 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004207 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004208 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004209 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004210< *strrchr()*
4211 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
4212 function strrchr().
4213
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004214strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
4215 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
4216 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
4217 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
4218 echo strtrans(@a)
4219< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
4220 starting a new line.
4221
4222submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
4223 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
4224 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
4225 the whole matched text is returned.
4226 Example: >
4227 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
4228< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
4229 A line break is included as a newline character.
4230
4231substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
4232 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
4233 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
4234 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
4235 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
4236 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
4237 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
4238 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
4239 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
4240 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
4241 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
4242 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
4243 unmodified.
4244 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
4245 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
4246 Example: >
4247 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
4248< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
4249 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
4250< results in "TESTING".
4251
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004252synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004253 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004254 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004255 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
4256 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004257
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004258 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004259 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
4260
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004261 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
4262 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
4263 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
4264 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
4265 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
4266 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
4267 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
4268
4269 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
4270 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
4271<
4272synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
4273 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
4274 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
4275 about a syntax item.
4276 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
4277 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
4278 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
4279 used (GUI, cterm or term).
4280 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
4281 {what} result
4282 "name" the name of the syntax item
4283 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
4284 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
4285 term: empty string)
4286 "bg" background color (like "fg")
4287 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
4288 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
4289 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
4290 "bold" "1" if bold
4291 "italic" "1" if italic
4292 "reverse" "1" if reverse
4293 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
4294 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004295 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004296
4297 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
4298 cursor): >
4299 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
4300<
4301synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
4302 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
4303 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
4304 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
4305 ":highlight link" are followed.
4306
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004307system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
4308 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
4309 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
4310 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
4311 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004312 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004313 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
4314 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
4315 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004316 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
4317 The result is a String. Example: >
4318
4319 :let files = system("ls")
4320
4321< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
4322 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
4323 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
4324 The command executed is constructed using several options:
4325 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
4326 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
4327 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
4328 concatenated commands.
4329
4330 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
4331 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
4332 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
4333 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
4334
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004335
4336taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
4337 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00004338 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
4339 entries:
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004340 name name of the tag.
4341 filename name of the file where the tag is
4342 defined.
4343 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
4344 the file.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004345 kind type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004346 entry depends on the language specific
4347 kind values generated by the ctags
4348 tool.
4349 static a file specific tag. Refer to
4350 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004351 The "kind" entry is only available when using Exuberant ctags
4352 generated tags file. More entries may be present, depending
4353 on the content of the tags file: access, implementation,
4354 inherits and signature. Refer to the ctags documentation for
4355 information about these fields. For C code the fields
4356 "struct", "class" and "enum" may appear, they give the name of
4357 the entity the tag is contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004358
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004359 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
4360 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004361
4362 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
4363
4364 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
4365 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
4366 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
4367
4368 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
4369 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
4370 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
4371
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00004372 *tagfiles()*
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00004373tagfiles() Returns a List with the file names used to search for tags for
4374 the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
4375
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004376
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004377tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
4378 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
4379 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
4380 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
4381 :let tmpfile = tempname()
4382 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
4383< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
4384 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
4385 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
4386 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
4387 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
4388 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
4389
4390tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
4391 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
4392 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
4393 the string).
4394
4395toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
4396 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
4397 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
4398 the string).
4399
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00004400tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
4401 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
4402 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
4403 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
4404 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
4405 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
4406 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
4407
4408 Examples: >
4409 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
4410< returns "Hello THere" >
4411 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
4412< returns "{blob}"
4413
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004414 *type()*
4415type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004416 Number: 0
4417 String: 1
4418 Funcref: 2
4419 List: 3
4420 Dictionary: 4
4421 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004422 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
4423 :if type(myvar) == type("")
4424 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
4425 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004426 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004427
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004428values({dict}) *values()*
4429 Return a List with all the values of {dict}. The List is in
4430 arbitrary order.
4431
4432
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004433virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
4434 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
4435 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
4436 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
4437 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
4438 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
4439 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
4440 set to 8, it returns 8.
4441 For the byte position use |col()|.
4442 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
4443 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
4444 The accepted positions are:
4445 . the cursor position
4446 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
4447 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
4448 plus one)
4449 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
4450 returned)
4451 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
4452 Examples: >
4453 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
4454 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
4455 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
4456< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
4457
4458visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
4459 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
4460 used. Initially it returns an empty string, but once Visual
4461 mode has been used, it returns "v", "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a
4462 single CTRL-V character) for character-wise, line-wise, or
4463 block-wise Visual mode respectively.
4464 Example: >
4465 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
4466< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
4467 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
4468 Visual mode that was used.
4469
4470 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
4471 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
4472 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
4473 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
4474
4475 *winbufnr()*
4476winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004477 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004478 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
4479 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4480 Example: >
4481 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
4482<
4483 *wincol()*
4484wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
4485 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
4486 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
4487
4488winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
4489 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
4490 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
4491 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4492 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
4493 Examples: >
4494 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
4495<
4496 *winline()*
4497winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
4498 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
4499 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00004500 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
4501 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004502
4503 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004504winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4505 window. The top window has number 1.
4506 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
4507 last window is returnd (the window count).
4508 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
4509 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
4510 If there is no previous window 0 is returned.
4511 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
4512 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004513
4514 *winrestcmd()*
4515winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
4516 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
4517 are opened or closed and the current window is unchanged.
4518 Example: >
4519 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
4520 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
4521 :exe cmd
4522
4523winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
4524 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
4525 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
4526 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4527 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
4528 Examples: >
4529 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
4530 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
4531 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
4532 :endif
4533<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004534 *writefile()*
4535writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
4536 Write List {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
4537 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
4538 Number.
4539 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
4540 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
4541 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
4542 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
4543 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
4544 to writefile().
4545 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
4546 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
4547 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
4548 fails.
4549 Also see |readfile()|.
4550 To copy a file byte for byte: >
4551 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
4552 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
4553<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004554
4555 *feature-list*
4556There are three types of features:
45571. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
4558 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
4559 :if has("cindent")
45602. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
4561 Example: >
4562 :if has("gui_running")
4563< *has-patch*
45643. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
4565 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
4566 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
4567 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
4568
4569all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
4570amiga Amiga version of Vim.
4571arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
4572arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
4573autocmd Compiled with autocommands support.
4574balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00004575balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004576beos BeOS version of Vim.
4577browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
4578 work.
4579builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
4580byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
4581cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
4582clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
4583clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
4584cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
4585cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
4586cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
4587comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
4588cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
4589cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
4590compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
4591debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
4592dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
4593dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
4594diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
4595digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
4596dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
4597dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
4598dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
4599ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
4600emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
4601eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
4602 true, of course!
4603ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
4604extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
4605 |'hlsearch'|
4606farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
4607file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004608filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
4609 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004610find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
4611 |+find_in_path|.
4612fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
4613 Windows this is not present).
4614folding Compiled with |folding| support.
4615footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
4616fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
4617gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
4618gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
4619gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004620gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
4621gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00004622gui_kde Compiled with KDE GUI |KVim|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004623gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
4624gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
4625gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
4626gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
4627gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
4628gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
4629hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
4630iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
4631insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
4632 Insert mode.
4633jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
4634keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
4635langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
4636libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
4637linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
4638 support.
4639lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
4640listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
4641 and the argument list |arglist|.
4642localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
4643mac Macintosh version of Vim.
4644macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
4645menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
4646mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
4647modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
4648mouse Compiled with support mouse.
4649mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
4650mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
4651mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
4652mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
4653mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
4654mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
4655multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
4656multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
4657multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00004658mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004659netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00004660netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004661ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
4662os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
4663osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
4664path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
4665perl Compiled with Perl interface.
4666postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
4667printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004668profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004669python Compiled with Python interface.
4670qnx QNX version of Vim.
4671quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
4672rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
4673ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
4674scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
4675showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
4676signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
4677smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00004678sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004679statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
4680 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
4681sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00004682spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
4683syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004684syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
4685 current buffer.
4686system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
4687tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
4688 |tag-binary-search|.
4689tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
4690 |tag-old-static|.
4691tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
4692 files |tag-any-white|.
4693tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
4694terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
4695termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
4696textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
4697tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
4698 or terminfo file.
4699title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
4700toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
4701unix Unix version of Vim.
4702user_commands User-defined commands.
4703viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
4704vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
4705vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
4706virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
4707visual Compiled with Visual mode.
4708visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
4709 |blockwise-operators|.
4710vms VMS version of Vim.
4711vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
4712wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
4713wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
4714windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
4715winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
4716win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
4717win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
4718win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
4719win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
4720win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
4721writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
4722xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
4723xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
4724xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
4725xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
4726xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
4727xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
4728 xterm screen.
4729x11 Compiled with X11 support.
4730
4731 *string-match*
4732Matching a pattern in a String
4733
4734A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
4735the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
4736everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
4737like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
4738line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
4739with ".". Example: >
4740 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
4741 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
4742 aa
4743 xx
4744 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
4745 a
4746 x
4747
4748Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
4749"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
4750"\n".
4751
4752==============================================================================
47535. Defining functions *user-functions*
4754
4755New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
4756functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
4757commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
4758
4759The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
4760builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
4761avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
4762the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
4763
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004764It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
4765|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004766
4767 *local-function*
4768A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
4769can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
4770and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
4771function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
4772instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
4773
4774 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
4775:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
4776
4777:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004778 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4779 Funcref: >
4780 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004781
4782:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
4783 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
4784 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00004785<
4786 *:function-verbose*
4787When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
4788last defined. Example: >
4789
4790 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
4791 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
4792 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
4793<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00004794See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00004795
4796 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004797:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004798 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
4799 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
4800 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004801
4802 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4803 Funcref: >
4804 :function dict.init(arg)
4805< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
4806 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
4807 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
4808 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
4809 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
4810 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004811 *E127* *E122*
4812 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
4813 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
4814 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
4815 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004816
4817 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
4818
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004819 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
4820 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
4821 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
4822 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
4823 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
4824 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
4825 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004826
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004827 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
4828 abort as soon as an error is detected.
4829 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
4830 will not be changed by the function.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004831
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004832 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
4833 be invoked through an entry in a Dictionary. The
4834 local variable "self" will then be set to the
4835 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004836
4837 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
4838:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
4839 by its own, without other commands.
4840
4841 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
4842:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004843 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4844 Funcref: >
4845 :delfunc dict.init
4846< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
4847 function is deleted if there are no more references to
4848 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004849 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
4850:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
4851 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
4852 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
4853 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
4854 the number 0 is returned.
4855 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
4856 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
4857
4858 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
4859 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
4860 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
4861 are executed first. This process applies to all
4862 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
4863 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
4864
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004865 *function-argument* *a:var*
4866An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
4867be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
4868 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740*
4869Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
4870arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
4871may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
4872as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004873can be 0). "a:000" is set to a List that contains these arguments. Note that
4874"a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
4875 *E742*
4876The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
4877However, if a List or Dictionary is used, you can changes their contents.
4878Thus you can pass a List to a function and have the function add an item to
4879it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a List or Dictionary
4880use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004881
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004882When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
4883to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
4884may be larger.
4885
4886It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
4887still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
4888until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
4889inside a function body.
4890
4891 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004892Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
4893will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
4894accessed with "g:".
4895
4896Example: >
4897 :function Table(title, ...)
4898 : echohl Title
4899 : echo a:title
4900 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004901 : echo a:0 . " items:"
4902 : for s in a:000
4903 : echon ' ' . s
4904 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004905 :endfunction
4906
4907This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004908 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
4909 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004910
4911To return more than one value, pass the name of a global variable: >
4912 :function Compute(n1, n2, divname)
4913 : if a:n2 == 0
4914 : return "fail"
4915 : endif
4916 : let g:{a:divname} = a:n1 / a:n2
4917 : return "ok"
4918 :endfunction
4919
4920This function can then be called with: >
4921 :let success = Compute(13, 1324, "div")
4922 :if success == "ok"
4923 : echo div
4924 :endif
4925
4926An alternative is to return a command that can be executed. This also works
4927with local variables in a calling function. Example: >
4928 :function Foo()
4929 : execute Bar()
4930 : echo "line " . lnum . " column " . col
4931 :endfunction
4932
4933 :function Bar()
4934 : return "let lnum = " . line(".") . " | let col = " . col(".")
4935 :endfunction
4936
4937The names "lnum" and "col" could also be passed as argument to Bar(), to allow
4938the caller to set the names.
4939
4940 *:cal* *:call* *E107*
4941:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
4942 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
4943 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
4944 used.
4945 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
4946 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
4947 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
4948 function.
4949 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
4950 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
4951 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
4952 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
4953 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
4954 this works:
4955 *function-range-example* >
4956 :function Mynumber(arg)
4957 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
4958 :endfunction
4959 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
4960<
4961 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
4962 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
4963 the range.
4964
4965 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
4966
4967 :function Cont() range
4968 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
4969 :endfunction
4970 :4,8call Cont()
4971<
4972 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
4973 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
4974
4975 *E132*
4976The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
4977option.
4978
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004979
4980AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004981 *autoload-functions*
4982When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004983only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
4984the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
4985
4986
4987Using an autocommand ~
4988
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004989This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
4990
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004991The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
4992You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
4993That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
4994again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
4995
4996Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
4997function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004998
4999 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
5000
5001The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
5002"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
5003
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005004
5005Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005006 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005007This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
5008
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005009Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
5010exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
5011like this: >
5012
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005013 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005014
5015When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
5016"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
5017"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
5018then define the function like this: >
5019
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005020 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005021 echo "Done!"
5022 endfunction
5023
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00005024The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005025exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
5026called.
5027
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005028It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
5029a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005030
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005031 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005032
5033Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
5034
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005035This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
5036
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005037 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005038
5039When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
5040be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
5041
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005042 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
5043 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005044
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00005045Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
5046defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
5047function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005048And you will get an error message every time.
5049
5050Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
5051other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
5052Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005053
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005054==============================================================================
50556. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
5056
5057Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
5058This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
5059{} like this: >
5060 my_{adjective}_variable
5061
5062When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
5063that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
5064name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
5065"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
5066"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
5067
5068One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
5069value. For example, the statement >
5070 echo my_{&background}_message
5071
5072would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
5073on the current value of 'background'.
5074
5075You can use multiple brace pairs: >
5076 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
5077..or even nest them: >
5078 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
5079where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
5080
5081However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005082variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005083 :let foo='a + b'
5084 :echo c{foo}d
5085.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
5086
5087 *curly-braces-function-names*
5088You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
5089Example: >
5090 :let func_end='whizz'
5091 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
5092
5093This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
5094
5095==============================================================================
50967. Commands *expression-commands*
5097
5098:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
5099 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
5100 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
5101 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
5102 is created.
5103
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005104:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
5105 Set a list item to the result of the expression
5106 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
5107 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
5108 the index can be repeated.
5109 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
5110
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005111 *E711* *E719*
5112:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005113 Set a sequence of items in a List to the result of the
5114 expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
5115 correct number of items.
5116 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
5117 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
5118 When the selected range of items is partly past the
5119 end of the list, items will be added.
5120
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005121 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005122:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
5123:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
5124:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
5125 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
5126 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
5127
5128
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005129:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
5130 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
5131 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005132:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
5133 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
5134 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
5135 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005136
5137:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
5138 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
5139 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
5140 must be the name of a writable register (see
5141 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
5142 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
5143 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
5144 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
5145 characterwise.
5146 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
5147 :let @/ = ""
5148< This is different from searching for an empty string,
5149 that would match everywhere.
5150
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005151:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
5152 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
5153 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
5154
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005155:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-star*
5156 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005157 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
5158 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005159 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
5160 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
5161 value and the global value is changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005162 Example: >
5163 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005164
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005165:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
5166 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
5167 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
5168
5169:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
5170:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
5171 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
5172 {expr1}.
5173
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005174:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005175:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5176:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
5177:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005178 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
5179 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
5180
5181:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005182:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5183:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
5184:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005185 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
5186 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
5187
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005188:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005189 {expr1} must evaluate to a List. The first item in
5190 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
5191 {name2}, etc.
5192 The number of names must match the number of items in
5193 the List.
5194 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
5195 command as mentioned above.
5196 Example: >
5197 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005198< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
5199 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
5200 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
5201 :let x = [0, 1]
5202 :let i = 0
5203 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
5204 :echo x
5205< The result is [0, 2].
5206
5207:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
5208:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
5209:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
5210 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
5211 List item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005212
5213:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005214 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the List may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005215 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
5216 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
5217 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005218 Example: >
5219 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
5220<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005221:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
5222:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
5223:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
5224 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
5225 List item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005226 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005227:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005228 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
5229 here: *E738*
5230 g: global variables.
5231 b: local buffer variables.
5232 w: local window variables.
5233 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005234
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005235:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
5236 variable is indicated before the value:
5237 <nothing> String
5238 # Number
5239 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005240
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005241
5242:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108*
5243 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
5244 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
5245 may also be a List or Dictionary item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005246 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
5247 variables.
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005248 One or more items from a List can be removed: >
5249 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
5250 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
5251< One item from a Dictionary can be removed at a time: >
5252 :unlet dict['two']
5253 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005254
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005255:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
5256 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
5257 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
5258 A locked variable can be deleted: >
5259 :lockvar v
5260 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
5261 :unlet v
5262< *E741*
5263 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
5264 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
5265
5266 [depth] is relevant when locking a List or Dictionary.
5267 It specifies how deep the locking goes:
5268 1 Lock the List or Dictionary itself,
5269 cannot add or remove items, but can
5270 still change their values.
5271 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
5272 the items. If an item is a List or
5273 Dictionary, cannot add or remove
5274 items, but can still change the
5275 values.
5276 3 Like 2 but for the List/Dictionary in
5277 the List/Dictionary, one level deeper.
5278 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a List
5279 or Dictionary the values cannot be changed.
5280 *E743*
5281 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
5282 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
5283 loops.
5284
5285 Note that when two variables refer to the same List
5286 and you lock one of them, the List will also be locked
5287 when used through the other variable. Example: >
5288 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
5289 :let cl = l
5290 :lockvar l
5291 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
5292< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
5293 See |deepcopy()|.
5294
5295
5296:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
5297 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
5298 opposite of |:lockvar|.
5299
5300
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005301:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
5302:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5303 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5304
5305 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
5306 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
5307 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
5308 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
5309 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
5310 part was not executed either.
5311
5312 You can use this to remain compatible with older
5313 versions: >
5314 :if version >= 500
5315 : version-5-specific-commands
5316 :endif
5317< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
5318 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
5319 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
5320 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
5321 avoid problems: >
5322 :if version >= 600
5323 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
5324 :endif
5325<
5326 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
5327 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
5328
5329 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
5330:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5331 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
5332 executed.
5333
5334 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
5335:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
5336 is no extra ":endif".
5337
5338:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005339 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005340:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
5341 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5342 When an error is detected from a command inside the
5343 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005344 Example: >
5345 :let lnum = 1
5346 :while lnum <= line("$")
5347 :call FixLine(lnum)
5348 :let lnum = lnum + 1
5349 :endwhile
5350<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005351 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005352 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005353
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005354:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005355:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
5356 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005357 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005358 value of each item.
5359 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005360 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00005361 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
5362 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005363 :for item in copy(mylist)
5364< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
5365 next item in the list, before executing the commands
5366 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
5367 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
5368 it will not be found. Thus the following example
5369 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
5370 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005371 :call remove(mylist, 0)
5372 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005373< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
5374 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
5375 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005376 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
5377 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
5378 to allow multiple item types.
5379
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005380:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
5381:endfo[r]
5382 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
5383 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
5384 {var2}, etc. Example: >
5385 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
5386 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
5387 :endfor
5388<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005389 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005390:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
5391 to the start of the loop.
5392 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5393 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5394 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5395 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5396 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5397 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005398
5399 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005400:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
5401 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
5402 ":endfor".
5403 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5404 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5405 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5406 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5407 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5408 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005409
5410:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
5411:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
5412 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
5413 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
5414 or autocommand invocations.
5415
5416 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
5417 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
5418 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
5419 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
5420 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
5421 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
5422 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
5423 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
5424 Example: >
5425 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
5426 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
5427<
5428 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
5429 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
5430 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
5431 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
5432 processing is not terminated.
5433
5434 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
5435 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
5436 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
5437 other errors are converted to a value of the form
5438 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
5439 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
5440 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
5441 the error number.
5442 Examples: >
5443 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
5444 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
5445<
5446 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
5447:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
5448 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
5449 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
5450 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
5451 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
5452 commands are skipped.
5453 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
5454 Examples: >
5455 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
5456 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
5457 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
5458 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
5459 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
5460 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
5461 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
5462 :catch " same as /.*/
5463<
5464 Another character can be used instead of / around the
5465 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
5466 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
5467 {pattern}.
5468 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
5469 an error message because it may vary in different
5470 locales.
5471
5472 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
5473:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
5474 are executed whenever the part between the matching
5475 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
5476 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
5477 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
5478 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
5479
5480 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
5481:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
5482 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
5483 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
5484 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
5485 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
5486 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
5487 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
5488 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
5489 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
5490 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
5491 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
5492 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
5493 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
5494 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
5495 is terminated.
5496 Example: >
5497 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
5498<
5499
5500 *:ec* *:echo*
5501:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
5502 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
5503 Also see |:comment|.
5504 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
5505 cursor to the first column.
5506 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5507 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5508 Example: >
5509 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
5510< A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
5511 To avoid that a command from before the ":echo" causes
5512 a redraw afterwards (redraws are often postponed until
5513 you type something), force a redraw with the |:redraw|
5514 command. Example: >
5515 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
5516<
5517 *:echon*
5518:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
5519 |:comment|.
5520 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5521 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5522 Example: >
5523 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
5524<
5525 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
5526 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
5527 command: >
5528 :!echo % --> filename
5529< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
5530 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
5531< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
5532 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
5533 :echo % --> nothing
5534< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
5535 :echo "%" --> %
5536< This just echoes the '%' character. >
5537 :echo expand("%") --> filename
5538< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
5539
5540 *:echoh* *:echohl*
5541:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
5542 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
5543 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
5544 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
5545< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
5546 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
5547
5548 *:echom* *:echomsg*
5549:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
5550 message in the |message-history|.
5551 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5552 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
5553 displayed, not interpreted.
5554 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5555 Example: >
5556 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
5557<
5558 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
5559:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
5560 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
5561 script or function the line number will be added.
5562 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5563 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
5564 the message is raised as an error exception instead
5565 (see |try-echoerr|).
5566 Example: >
5567 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
5568< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
5569 And to get a beep: >
5570 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
5571<
5572 *:exe* *:execute*
5573:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
5574 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
5575 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
5576 used as the processed command, command line editing
5577 keys are not recognized.
5578 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5579 Examples: >
5580 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
5581 :execute "normal " count . "w"
5582<
5583 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
5584 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
5585 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
5586
5587< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
5588 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
5589 command: >
5590 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
5591< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
5592
5593 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005594 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
5595 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005596 :execute 'while i > 5'
5597 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
5598<
5599 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
5600 completely in the executed string: >
5601 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
5602<
5603
5604 *:comment*
5605 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
5606 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
5607 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
5608 comment. Example: >
5609 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
5610
5611==============================================================================
56128. Exception handling *exception-handling*
5613
5614The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
5615explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
5616
5617Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
5618|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
5619exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
5620
5621
5622TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
5623
5624Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
5625use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
5626a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
5627 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
5628|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
5629a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
5630be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
5631which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
5632clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
5633
5634 :try
5635 : ...
5636 : ... TRY BLOCK
5637 : ...
5638 :catch /{pattern}/
5639 : ...
5640 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5641 : ...
5642 :catch /{pattern}/
5643 : ...
5644 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5645 : ...
5646 :finally
5647 : ...
5648 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
5649 : ...
5650 :endtry
5651
5652The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
5653appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
5654from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
5655 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
5656is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
5657script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
5658 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
5659lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
5660patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
5661after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
5662executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
5663":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
5664(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
5665continues in the following line as usual.
5666 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
5667":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
5668that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
5669finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
5670the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
5671the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
5672see |try-nesting|.
5673 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
5674remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
5675not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
5676try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
5677a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
5678execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
5679exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5680 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
5681thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
5682clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
5683catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
5684following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
5685clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5686
5687The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
5688a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
5689try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
5690from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
5691sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
5692":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
5693":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
5694from the finally clause.
5695 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
5696try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
5697clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
5698":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
5699clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
5700":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
5701this pending exception or command is discarded.
5702
5703For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
5704
5705
5706NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
5707
5708Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
5709conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
5710clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
5711catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
5712of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
5713checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
5714try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
5715otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
5716nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
5717one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
5718the inner try conditional.
5719
5720When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
5721finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
5722An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
5723thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
5724implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
5725as usual.
5726
5727For examples see |throw-catch|.
5728
5729
5730EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
5731
5732Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
5733'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
5734script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
5735finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
5736a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
5737(see |debug-scripts|).
5738
5739
5740THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
5741
5742You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
5743and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
5744 :throw 4711
5745 :throw "string"
5746< *throw-expression*
5747You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
5748first, and the result is thrown: >
5749 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
5750 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
5751
5752An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
5753command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
5754The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
5755 Example: >
5756
5757 :function! Foo(arg)
5758 : try
5759 : throw a:arg
5760 : catch /foo/
5761 : endtry
5762 : return 1
5763 :endfunction
5764 :
5765 :function! Bar()
5766 : echo "in Bar"
5767 : return 4710
5768 :endfunction
5769 :
5770 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
5771
5772This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
5773executed. >
5774 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
5775however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
5776
5777Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
5778abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
5779exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
5780 Example: >
5781
5782 :if Foo("arrgh")
5783 : echo "then"
5784 :else
5785 : echo "else"
5786 :endif
5787
5788Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
5789
5790 *catch-order*
5791Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
5792commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
5793command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
5794gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
5795 Example: >
5796
5797 :function! Foo(value)
5798 : try
5799 : throw a:value
5800 : catch /^\d\+$/
5801 : echo "Number thrown"
5802 : catch /.*/
5803 : echo "String thrown"
5804 : endtry
5805 :endfunction
5806 :
5807 :call Foo(0x1267)
5808 :call Foo('string')
5809
5810The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
5811An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
5812specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
5813specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
5814
5815 : catch /.*/
5816 : echo "String thrown"
5817 : catch /^\d\+$/
5818 : echo "Number thrown"
5819
5820The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
5821never taken.
5822
5823 *throw-variables*
5824If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
5825in the variable |v:exception|: >
5826
5827 : catch /^\d\+$/
5828 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
5829
5830You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
5831|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
5832exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
5833 Example: >
5834
5835 :function! Caught()
5836 : if v:exception != ""
5837 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
5838 : else
5839 : echo 'Nothing caught'
5840 : endif
5841 :endfunction
5842 :
5843 :function! Foo()
5844 : try
5845 : try
5846 : try
5847 : throw 4711
5848 : finally
5849 : call Caught()
5850 : endtry
5851 : catch /.*/
5852 : call Caught()
5853 : throw "oops"
5854 : endtry
5855 : catch /.*/
5856 : call Caught()
5857 : finally
5858 : call Caught()
5859 : endtry
5860 :endfunction
5861 :
5862 :call Foo()
5863
5864This displays >
5865
5866 Nothing caught
5867 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
5868 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
5869 Nothing caught
5870
5871A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
5872number in the script or function where it has been used: >
5873
5874 :function! LineNumber()
5875 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
5876 :endfunction
5877 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
5878<
5879 *try-nested*
5880An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
5881a surrounding try conditional: >
5882
5883 :try
5884 : try
5885 : throw "foo"
5886 : catch /foobar/
5887 : echo "foobar"
5888 : finally
5889 : echo "inner finally"
5890 : endtry
5891 :catch /foo/
5892 : echo "foo"
5893 :endtry
5894
5895The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
5896clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
5897conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
5898
5899 *throw-from-catch*
5900You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
5901catch clause: >
5902
5903 :function! Foo()
5904 : throw "foo"
5905 :endfunction
5906 :
5907 :function! Bar()
5908 : try
5909 : call Foo()
5910 : catch /foo/
5911 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
5912 : throw "bar"
5913 : endtry
5914 :endfunction
5915 :
5916 :try
5917 : call Bar()
5918 :catch /.*/
5919 : echo "Caught" v:exception
5920 :endtry
5921
5922This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
5923
5924 *rethrow*
5925There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
5926"v:exception" instead: >
5927
5928 :function! Bar()
5929 : try
5930 : call Foo()
5931 : catch /.*/
5932 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
5933 : throw v:exception
5934 : endtry
5935 :endfunction
5936< *try-echoerr*
5937Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
5938exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
5939Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
5940denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
5941the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
5942
5943 :try
5944 : try
5945 : asdf
5946 : catch /.*/
5947 : echoerr v:exception
5948 : endtry
5949 :catch /.*/
5950 : echo v:exception
5951 :endtry
5952
5953This code displays
5954
5955 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
5956
5957
5958CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
5959
5960Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
5961user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
5962an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
5963a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
5964catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
5965a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
5966normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
5967(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
5968to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
5969clause has been executed.)
5970Example: >
5971
5972 :try
5973 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
5974 : set ts=17
5975 :
5976 : " Do the hard work here.
5977 :
5978 :finally
5979 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
5980 : unlet s:saved_ts
5981 :endtry
5982
5983This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
5984changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
5985that function or script part.
5986
5987 *break-finally*
5988Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
5989a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
5990 Example: >
5991
5992 :let first = 1
5993 :while 1
5994 : try
5995 : if first
5996 : echo "first"
5997 : let first = 0
5998 : continue
5999 : else
6000 : throw "second"
6001 : endif
6002 : catch /.*/
6003 : echo v:exception
6004 : break
6005 : finally
6006 : echo "cleanup"
6007 : endtry
6008 : echo "still in while"
6009 :endwhile
6010 :echo "end"
6011
6012This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
6013
6014 :function! Foo()
6015 : try
6016 : return 4711
6017 : finally
6018 : echo "cleanup\n"
6019 : endtry
6020 : echo "Foo still active"
6021 :endfunction
6022 :
6023 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
6024
6025This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
6026extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
6027return value.)
6028
6029 *except-from-finally*
6030Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
6031a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
6032cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
6033exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
6034 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
6035working correctly: >
6036
6037 :try
6038 : try
6039 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
6040 : while 1
6041 : endwhile
6042 : finally
6043 : unlet novar
6044 : endtry
6045 :catch /novar/
6046 :endtry
6047 :echo "Script still running"
6048 :sleep 1
6049
6050If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
6051think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
6052|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
6053
6054
6055CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
6056
6057If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
6058watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
6059presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
6060exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
6061the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
6062the error exception is.
6063 Error exceptions have the following format: >
6064
6065 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
6066or >
6067 Vim:{errmsg}
6068
6069{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
6070the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
6071when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
6072a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
6073a space.
6074
6075Examples:
6076
6077The command >
6078 :unlet novar
6079normally produces the error message >
6080 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6081which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6082 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
6083
6084The command >
6085 :dwim
6086normally produces the error message >
6087 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6088which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6089 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6090
6091You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
6092 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
6093or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
6094 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
6095
6096Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
6097 :function nofunc
6098and >
6099 :delfunction nofunc
6100both produce the error message >
6101 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6102which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6103 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6104or >
6105 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6106respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
6107command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
6108 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
6109
6110Some commands like >
6111 :let x = novar
6112produce multiple error messages, here: >
6113 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6114 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6115Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
6116one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
6117 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
6118
6119You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
6120 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
6121
6122You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
6123 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
6124
6125You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
6126 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
6127<
6128 *catch-text*
6129NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
6130 :catch /No such variable/
6131only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
6132a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
6133cite the message text in a comment: >
6134 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
6135
6136
6137IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
6138
6139You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
6140
6141 :try
6142 : write
6143 :catch
6144 :endtry
6145
6146But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
6147catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
6148be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
6149
6150 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
6151
6152There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
6153writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
6154then hide the error from the user.
6155 It is much better to use >
6156
6157 :try
6158 : write
6159 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6160 :endtry
6161
6162which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
6163intentionally.
6164
6165For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
6166even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
6167command: >
6168 :silent! nunmap k
6169This works also when a try conditional is active.
6170
6171
6172CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
6173
6174When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
6175the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
6176script is not terminated, then.
6177 Example: >
6178
6179 :function! TASK1()
6180 : sleep 10
6181 :endfunction
6182
6183 :function! TASK2()
6184 : sleep 20
6185 :endfunction
6186
6187 :while 1
6188 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
6189 : try
6190 : if command == ""
6191 : continue
6192 : elseif command == "END"
6193 : break
6194 : elseif command == "TASK1"
6195 : call TASK1()
6196 : elseif command == "TASK2"
6197 : call TASK2()
6198 : else
6199 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
6200 : continue
6201 : endif
6202 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6203 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
6204 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
6205 : endtry
6206 :endwhile
6207
6208You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
6209a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
6210
6211For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
6212your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
6213command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
6214
6215
6216CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
6217
6218The commands >
6219
6220 :catch /.*/
6221 :catch //
6222 :catch
6223
6224catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
6225explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
6226a script in order to catch unexpected things.
6227 Example: >
6228
6229 :try
6230 :
6231 : " do the hard work here
6232 :
6233 :catch /MyException/
6234 :
6235 : " handle known problem
6236 :
6237 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6238 : echo "Script interrupted"
6239 :catch /.*/
6240 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
6241 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
6242 :endtry
6243 :" end of script
6244
6245Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
6246strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
6247specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
6248 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
6249by pressing CTRL-C: >
6250
6251 :while 1
6252 : try
6253 : sleep 1
6254 : catch
6255 : endtry
6256 :endwhile
6257
6258
6259EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
6260
6261Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
6262
6263 :autocmd User x try
6264 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
6265 :autocmd User x catch
6266 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
6267 :autocmd User x endtry
6268 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
6269 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
6270 :
6271 :try
6272 : doautocmd User x
6273 :catch
6274 : echo v:exception
6275 :endtry
6276
6277This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
6278
6279 *except-autocmd-Pre*
6280For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
6281command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
6282of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
6283abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
6284 Example: >
6285
6286 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
6287 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
6288 :
6289 :try
6290 : write
6291 :catch
6292 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
6293 :endtry
6294
6295Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
6296you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
6297autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
6298script displays: >
6299
6300 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
6301<
6302 *except-autocmd-Post*
6303For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
6304command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
6305an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
6306is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
6307 Example: >
6308
6309 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
6310 :
6311 :try
6312 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6313 :catch
6314 : echo v:exception
6315 :endtry
6316
6317This just displays: >
6318
6319 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
6320
6321If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
6322fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
6323 Example: >
6324
6325 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
6326 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
6327 :
6328 :try
6329 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6330 :catch
6331 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6332 :endtry
6333<
6334You can also use ":silent!": >
6335
6336 :let x = "ok"
6337 :let v:errmsg = ""
6338 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
6339 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
6340 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
6341 :try
6342 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6343 :catch
6344 :endtry
6345 :echo x
6346
6347This displays "after fail".
6348
6349If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
6350autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
6351
6352 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
6353 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
6354 :
6355 :try
6356 : write
6357 :catch
6358 : echo v:exception
6359 :endtry
6360<
6361 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
6362For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
6363autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
6364of the command.
6365 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
6366had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
6367some way. >
6368
6369 :if !exists("cnt")
6370 : let cnt = 0
6371 :
6372 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
6373 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
6374 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
6375 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6376 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6377 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
6378 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
6379 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6380 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6381 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
6382 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6383 :endif
6384 :
6385 :try
6386 : write
6387 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
6388 : if &modified
6389 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
6390 : else
6391 : echo "Error after writing"
6392 : endif
6393 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6394 : echo "Error on writing"
6395 :endtry
6396
6397When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
6398first >
6399 File successfully written!
6400then >
6401 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
6402then >
6403 Error after writing
6404etc.
6405
6406 *except-autocmd-ill*
6407You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
6408The following code is ill-formed: >
6409
6410 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
6411 :
6412 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
6413 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
6414 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
6415 :
6416 :write
6417
6418
6419EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
6420
6421Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
6422pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
6423similar things in Vim.
6424 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
6425class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
6426string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
6427 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
6428it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
6429for an error when writing "myfile".
6430 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
6431base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
6432parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
6433 Example: >
6434
6435 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
6436 : if a:a < 0
6437 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
6438 : endif
6439 :endfunction
6440 :
6441 :function! Add(a, b)
6442 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
6443 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
6444 : let c = a:a + a:b
6445 : if c < 0
6446 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
6447 : endif
6448 : return c
6449 :endfunction
6450 :
6451 :function! Div(a, b)
6452 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
6453 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
6454 : if (a:b == 0)
6455 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
6456 : endif
6457 : return a:a / a:b
6458 :endfunction
6459 :
6460 :function! Write(file)
6461 : try
6462 : execute "write" a:file
6463 : catch /^Vim(write):/
6464 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
6465 : endtry
6466 :endfunction
6467 :
6468 :try
6469 :
6470 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
6471 :
6472 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
6473 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6474 : echo "Range error in" function
6475 :
6476 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
6477 : echo "Math error"
6478 :
6479 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
6480 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
6481 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6482 : if file !~ '^/'
6483 : let file = dir . "/" . file
6484 : endif
6485 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
6486 :
6487 :catch /^EXCEPT/
6488 : echo "Unspecified error"
6489 :
6490 :endtry
6491
6492The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
6493a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
6494exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
6495 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
6496failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
6497
6498
6499PECULIARITIES
6500 *except-compat*
6501The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
6502exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
6503and/or a catch clause.
6504
6505In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
6506continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
6507after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
6508functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
6509or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
6510(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
6511
6512This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
6513immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
6514conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
6515be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
6516termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
6517catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
6518by specifying a finally clause.)
6519
6520When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
6521behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
6522scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
6523
6524However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
6525commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
6526conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
6527script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
6528error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
6529messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
6530|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
6531not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
6532where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
6533error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
6534scripts.
6535
6536 *except-syntax-err*
6537Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
6538the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
6539clauses, however, is executed.
6540 Example: >
6541
6542 :try
6543 : try
6544 : throw 4711
6545 : catch /\(/
6546 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
6547 : catch
6548 : echo "inner catch-all"
6549 : finally
6550 : echo "inner finally"
6551 : endtry
6552 :catch
6553 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
6554 : finally
6555 : echo "outer finally"
6556 :endtry
6557
6558This displays: >
6559 inner finally
6560 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
6561 outer finally
6562The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
6563
6564 *except-single-line*
6565The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
6566a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
6567"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
6568 Example: >
6569 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
6570raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
6571argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
6572error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
6573displayed.
6574
6575 *except-several-errors*
6576When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
6577usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
6578 Example: >
6579 echo novar
6580causes >
6581 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6582 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6583The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6584 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
6585< *except-syntax-error*
6586But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
6587the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
6588 Example: >
6589 unlet novar #
6590causes >
6591 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6592 E488: Trailing characters
6593The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6594 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
6595This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
6596not intended by the user. Example: >
6597 try
6598 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
6599 catch /.*/
6600 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
6601 endtry
6602This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
6603a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
6604
6605==============================================================================
66069. Examples *eval-examples*
6607
6608Printing in Hex ~
6609>
6610 :" The function Nr2Hex() returns the Hex string of a number.
6611 :func Nr2Hex(nr)
6612 : let n = a:nr
6613 : let r = ""
6614 : while n
6615 : let r = '0123456789ABCDEF'[n % 16] . r
6616 : let n = n / 16
6617 : endwhile
6618 : return r
6619 :endfunc
6620
6621 :" The function String2Hex() converts each character in a string to a two
6622 :" character Hex string.
6623 :func String2Hex(str)
6624 : let out = ''
6625 : let ix = 0
6626 : while ix < strlen(a:str)
6627 : let out = out . Nr2Hex(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
6628 : let ix = ix + 1
6629 : endwhile
6630 : return out
6631 :endfunc
6632
6633Example of its use: >
6634 :echo Nr2Hex(32)
6635result: "20" >
6636 :echo String2Hex("32")
6637result: "3332"
6638
6639
6640Sorting lines (by Robert Webb) ~
6641
6642Here is a Vim script to sort lines. Highlight the lines in Vim and type
6643":Sort". This doesn't call any external programs so it'll work on any
6644platform. The function Sort() actually takes the name of a comparison
6645function as its argument, like qsort() does in C. So you could supply it
6646with different comparison functions in order to sort according to date etc.
6647>
6648 :" Function for use with Sort(), to compare two strings.
6649 :func! Strcmp(str1, str2)
6650 : if (a:str1 < a:str2)
6651 : return -1
6652 : elseif (a:str1 > a:str2)
6653 : return 1
6654 : else
6655 : return 0
6656 : endif
6657 :endfunction
6658
6659 :" Sort lines. SortR() is called recursively.
6660 :func! SortR(start, end, cmp)
6661 : if (a:start >= a:end)
6662 : return
6663 : endif
6664 : let partition = a:start - 1
6665 : let middle = partition
6666 : let partStr = getline((a:start + a:end) / 2)
6667 : let i = a:start
6668 : while (i <= a:end)
6669 : let str = getline(i)
6670 : exec "let result = " . a:cmp . "(str, partStr)"
6671 : if (result <= 0)
6672 : " Need to put it before the partition. Swap lines i and partition.
6673 : let partition = partition + 1
6674 : if (result == 0)
6675 : let middle = partition
6676 : endif
6677 : if (i != partition)
6678 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6679 : call setline(i, str2)
6680 : call setline(partition, str)
6681 : endif
6682 : endif
6683 : let i = i + 1
6684 : endwhile
6685
6686 : " Now we have a pointer to the "middle" element, as far as partitioning
6687 : " goes, which could be anywhere before the partition. Make sure it is at
6688 : " the end of the partition.
6689 : if (middle != partition)
6690 : let str = getline(middle)
6691 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6692 : call setline(middle, str2)
6693 : call setline(partition, str)
6694 : endif
6695 : call SortR(a:start, partition - 1, a:cmp)
6696 : call SortR(partition + 1, a:end, a:cmp)
6697 :endfunc
6698
6699 :" To Sort a range of lines, pass the range to Sort() along with the name of a
6700 :" function that will compare two lines.
6701 :func! Sort(cmp) range
6702 : call SortR(a:firstline, a:lastline, a:cmp)
6703 :endfunc
6704
6705 :" :Sort takes a range of lines and sorts them.
6706 :command! -nargs=0 -range Sort <line1>,<line2>call Sort("Strcmp")
6707<
6708 *sscanf*
6709There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
6710line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
6711how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
6712"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
6713 :" Set up the match bit
6714 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
6715 :"get the part matching the whole expression
6716 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
6717 :"get each item out of the match
6718 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
6719 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
6720 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
6721
6722The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
6723"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
6724
6725==============================================================================
672610. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
6727
6728When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
6729evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
6730to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
6731recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
6732and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
6733only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
6734recognized.
6735
6736Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
6737missing: >
6738
6739 :if 1
6740 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
6741 :else
6742 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
6743 :endif
6744
6745==============================================================================
674611. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
6747
6748The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
6749options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
6750these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
6751these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
6752a tags file is executed.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006753The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006754
6755These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
6756 - changing the buffer text
6757 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
6758 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
6759 - executing a shell command
6760 - reading or writing a file
6761 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006762This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
6763
6764 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00006765:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006766 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
6767 'foldexpr'.
6768
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006769
6770 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: