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Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2006 Mar 10
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 Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00003112. Textlock |textlock|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000032
33{Vi does not have any of these commands}
34
35==============================================================================
361. Variables *variables*
37
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000381.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000039 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000040There are five types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000041
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000042Number A 32 bit signed number.
43 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
44
45String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
46 Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
47
48Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
49 Example: function("strlen")
50
51List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
52 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000053
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000054Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
55 value. |Dictionary|
56 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
57
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000058The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
59are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000060
61Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
62the Number. Examples: >
63 Number 123 --> String "123"
64 Number 0 --> String "0"
65 Number -1 --> String "-1"
66
67Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
68to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
69the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
70 String "456" --> Number 456
71 String "6bar" --> Number 6
72 String "foo" --> Number 0
73 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
74 String "0100" --> Number 64
75 String "-8" --> Number -8
76 String "+8" --> Number 0
77
78To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
79 :echo "0100" + 0
80
81For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
82
83Note that in the command >
84 :if "foo"
85"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
86use strlen(): >
87 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000088< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
89List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000090
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000091 *E706*
92You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
93to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000094equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000095 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000096 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000097 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000098
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000099
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001001.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000101 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000102A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000103in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
104around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000105
106 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
107 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000108< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000109A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:" or "b:". You cannot
110have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000111
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000112A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
113Dictionary entry. Example: >
114 :function dict.init() dict
115 : let self.val = 0
116 :endfunction
117
118The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
119function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
120
121A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
122 :call Fn()
123 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000124
125The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000126 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000127
128You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
129arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000130 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000131
132
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001331.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000134 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000135A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
136can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
137position in the sequence.
138
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000139
140List creation ~
141 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000142A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143Examples: >
144 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
145 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000146
147An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000148nested List: >
149 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000150
151An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
152
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000153
154List index ~
155 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000156An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000157after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
158 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000159 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000160
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000161When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000162 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000163<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000164A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
165the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000166 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
167
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000168To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000169is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000170 :echo get(mylist, idx)
171 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
172
173
174List concatenation ~
175
176Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
177 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000178 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000179
180To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
181it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
182
183
184Sublist ~
185
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000186A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
187separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000188 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000189
190Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
191similar to -1. The difference is that there is no error if the items are not
192available. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000193 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
194 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
195 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000196
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000197The second index can be just before the first index. In that case the result
198is an empty list. If the second index is lower, this results in an error. >
199 :echo mylist[2:1] " result: []
200 :echo mylist[2:0] " error!
201
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000202NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
203using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
204mylist[s : e].
205
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000206
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000207List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000208 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000209When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
210variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
211change "bb": >
212 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
213 :let bb = aa
214 :call add(aa, 4)
215 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000216< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000217
218Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
219works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000220a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000221 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
222 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000223 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000224 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
225 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000226< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000227 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000228< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000229
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000230To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000231copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000232
233The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000234List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000235the same value. >
236 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
237 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
238 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000239< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000240 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000241< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000242
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000243Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
244same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000245exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
246different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
247variables. Example: >
248 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000249< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000250 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000251< 0
252
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000253Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
254can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a string: >
255
256 :let a = 5
257 :let b = "5"
258 echo a == b
259< 1 >
260 echo [a] == [b]
261< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000262
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000263
264List unpack ~
265
266To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
267square brackets, like list items: >
268 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
269
270When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
271this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
272and a variable name: >
273 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
274
275This works like: >
276 :let var1 = mylist[0]
277 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000278 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000279
280Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
281empty list then.
282
283
284List modification ~
285 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000286To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000287 :let list[4] = "four"
288 :let listlist[0][3] = item
289
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000290To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000291modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000292 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
293
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000294Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
295examples: >
296 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
297 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
298 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000299 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000300 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
301 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000302 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000303 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000304 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000305 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000306
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000307Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000308 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
309 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
310
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000311
312For loop ~
313
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000314The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
315to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000316 :for item in mylist
317 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000318 :endfor
319
320This works like: >
321 :let index = 0
322 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000323 : let item = mylist[index]
324 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000325 : let index = index + 1
326 :endwhile
327
328Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000329results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000330the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000331
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000332If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000333function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000334
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000335Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
336requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
337 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
338 : call Doit(lnum, col)
339 :endfor
340
341This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
342must remain the same to avoid an error.
343
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000344It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000345 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
346 : call Doit(i, j)
347 : if !empty(rest)
348 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
349 : endif
350 :endfor
351
352
353List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000354 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000355Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000356 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000357 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000358 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
359 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
360 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000361 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
362 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000363 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
364 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000365 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
366 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000367 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
368 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000369
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000370Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
371example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
372 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
373
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000374
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003751.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000376 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000377A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000378entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
379ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000380
381
382Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000383 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000384A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000385braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
386only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000387 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
388 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000389< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000390A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
391String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000392entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
393Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000394
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000395A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000396nested Dictionary: >
397 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
398
399An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
400
401
402Accessing entries ~
403
404The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
405 :let val = mydict["one"]
406 :let mydict["four"] = 4
407
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000408You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000409
410For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
411form can be used |expr-entry|: >
412 :let val = mydict.one
413 :let mydict.four = 4
414
415Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
416key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000417 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000418
419
420Dictionary to List conversion ~
421
422You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
423turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
424
425Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
426 :for key in keys(mydict)
427 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
428 :endfor
429
430The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
431 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
432
433To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
434 :for v in values(mydict)
435 : echo "value: " . v
436 :endfor
437
438If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000439a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000440 :for entry in items(mydict)
441 : echo entry[0] . ': ' . entry[1]
442 :endfor
443
444
445Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000446 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000447Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
448Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
449Dictionary: >
450 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
451 :let adict = onedict
452 :let adict['a'] = 11
453 :echo onedict['a']
454 11
455
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000456Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
457more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000458
459
460Dictionary modification ~
461 *dict-modification*
462To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
463use |:let| this way: >
464 :let dict[4] = "four"
465 :let dict['one'] = item
466
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000467Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
468Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
469 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
470 :unlet dict.aaa
471 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000472
473Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000474 :call extend(adict, bdict)
475This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
476in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000477Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
478expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
479adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000480
481Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +0000482 :call filter(dict 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000483This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000484
485
486Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000487 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000488When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
489special way with a dictionary. Example: >
490 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000491 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000492 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000493 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
494 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000495
496This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
497Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
498the function was invoked from.
499
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000500It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
501Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
502
503 *numbered-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000504To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
505assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000506 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
507 :function mydict.len() dict
508 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000509 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000510 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000511
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000512The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
513that references this function. The function can only be used through a
514|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
515remaining that refers to it.
516
517It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000518
519
520Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000521 *E715*
522Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000523 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
524 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
525 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
526 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
527 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
528 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
529 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
530 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000531
532
5331.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000534 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000535If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
536function.
537
538When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
539start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
540stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
541
542When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
543start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
544stored in the session file |session-file|.
545
546variable name can be stored where ~
547my_var_6 not
548My_Var_6 session file
549MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
550
551
552It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
553|curly-braces-names|.
554
555==============================================================================
5562. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
557
558Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
559
560|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
561
562|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
563
564|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
565
566|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
567 expr5 != expr5 not equal
568 expr5 > expr5 greater than
569 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
570 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
571 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
572 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
573 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
574
575 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
576 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
577 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
578 matching case
579
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000580 expr5 is expr5 same |List| instance
581 expr5 isnot expr5 different |List| instance
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000582
583|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000584 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
585 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
586
587|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
588 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
589 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
590
591|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
592 - expr7 unary minus
593 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000594
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000595
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000596|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a |List|
597 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a |List|
598 expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary|
599 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with |Funcref| variable
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000600
601|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000602 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000603 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000604 [expr1, ...] |List|
605 {expr1: expr1, ...} |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000606 &option option value
607 (expr1) nested expression
608 variable internal variable
609 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
610 $VAR environment variable
611 @r contents of register 'r'
612 function(expr1, ...) function call
613 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
614
615
616".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
617Example: >
618 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
619
620All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
621
622
623expr1 *expr1* *E109*
624-----
625
626expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
627
628The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
629non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
630otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
631Example: >
632 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
633
634Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
635other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
636Example: >
637 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
638
639To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
640 :echo lnum == 1
641 :\ ? "top"
642 :\ : lnum == 1000
643 :\ ? "last"
644 :\ : lnum
645
646
647expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
648---------------
649
650 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
651The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
652are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
653
654 input output ~
655n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
656zero zero zero zero
657zero non-zero non-zero zero
658non-zero zero non-zero zero
659non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
660
661The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
662
663 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
664
665Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
666
667 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
668
669Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
670arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
671
672 let a = 1
673 echo a || b
674
675This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
676so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
677
678 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
679
680This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
681only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
682
683
684expr4 *expr4*
685-----
686
687expr5 {cmp} expr5
688
689Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
690if it evaluates to true.
691
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->=?*
697 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000698 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000699 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
700equal == ==# ==?
701not equal != !=# !=?
702greater than > ># >?
703greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
704smaller than < <# <?
705smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
706regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
707regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000708same instance is
709different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000710
711Examples:
712"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
713"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
714"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
715
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000716 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000717A |List| can only be compared with a |List| and only "equal", "not equal" and
718"is" can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively.
719Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000720
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000721 *E735* *E736*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000722A |Dictionary| can only be compared with a |Dictionary| and only "equal", "not
723equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000724recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
725
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000726 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000727A |Funcref| can only be compared with a |Funcref| and only "equal" and "not
728equal" can be used. Case is never ignored.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000729
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000730When using "is" or "isnot" with a |List| this checks if the expressions are
731referring to the same |List| instance. A copy of a |List| is different from
732the original |List|. When using "is" without a |List| it is equivalent to
733using "equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000734different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
735is false.
736
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000737When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
738and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
739because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
740
741When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
742results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
743necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
744
745When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
746'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp().
747
748When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
749'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp().
750
751The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
752argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
753This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
754matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
755portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
756single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
757Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
758(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
759can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
760 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
761 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
762
763
764expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
765---------------
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000766expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or |List| concatenation *expr-+*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000767expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
768expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000769
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +0000770For |Lists| only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000771result is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000772
773expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
774expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
775expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000776
777For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
778
779Note the difference between "+" and ".":
780 "123" + "456" = 579
781 "123" . "456" = "123456"
782
783When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
784When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
785
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000786None of these work for |Funcref|s.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000787
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000788
789expr7 *expr7*
790-----
791! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
792- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
793+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
794
795For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
796For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
797For '+' the number is unchanged.
798
799A String will be converted to a Number first.
800
801These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
802 !-1 == 0
803 !!8 == 1
804 --9 == 9
805
806
807expr8 *expr8*
808-----
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000809expr8[expr1] item of String or |List| *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000810
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000811If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
812expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000813Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000814
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000815Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
816text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
817cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000818 :let c = getline(line("."))[col(".") - 1]
819
820If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000821String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
822compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
823
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000824If expr8 is a |List| then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000825for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
826error. Example: >
827 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
828
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000829Generally, if a |List| index is equal to or higher than the length of the
830|List|, or more negative than the length of the |List|, this results in an
831error.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000832
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000833
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000834expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000835
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000836If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
837from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000838expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
839encodings.
840
841If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
842string minus one is used.
843
844A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
845the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
846
847If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
848expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
849
850Examples: >
851 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
852 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
853 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
854 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
855
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000856If expr8 is a |List| this results in a new |List| with the items indicated by
857the indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained
858just above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000859 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
860 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
861 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
862
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000863Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a |Funcref| results in an
864error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000865
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000866
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000867expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary| *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000868
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000869If expr8 is a |Dictionary| and it is followed by a dot, then the following
870name will be used as a key in the |Dictionary|. This is just like:
871expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000872
873The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
874but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
875
876There must not be white space before or after the dot.
877
878Examples: >
879 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
880 :echo dict.one
881 :echo dict .2
882
883Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
884always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
885
886
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000887expr8(expr1, ...) |Funcref| function call
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000888
889When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
890
891
892
893 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000894number
895------
896number number constant *expr-number*
897
898Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
899
900
901string *expr-string* *E114*
902------
903"string" string constant *expr-quote*
904
905Note that double quotes are used.
906
907A string constant accepts these special characters:
908\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
909\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
910\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
911\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
912\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
913\X.. same as \x..
914\X. same as \x.
915\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
916 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
917\U.... same as \u....
918\b backspace <BS>
919\e escape <Esc>
920\f formfeed <FF>
921\n newline <NL>
922\r return <CR>
923\t tab <Tab>
924\\ backslash
925\" double quote
926\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
927
928Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
929
930
931literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
932---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000933'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000934
935Note that single quotes are used.
936
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000937This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000938meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000939
940Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
941to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
942 if a =~ "\\s*"
943 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000944
945
946option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
947------
948&option option value, local value if possible
949&g:option global option value
950&l:option local option value
951
952Examples: >
953 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
954 if &insertmode
955
956Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
957and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
958anyway.
959
960
961register *expr-register*
962--------
963@r contents of register 'r'
964
965The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
966Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +0000967register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
968registers.
969
970When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
971evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000972
973
974nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
975-------
976(expr1) nested expression
977
978
979environment variable *expr-env*
980--------------------
981$VAR environment variable
982
983The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
984result is an empty string.
985 *expr-env-expand*
986Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
987expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
988are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
989the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
990fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
991does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
992 :echo $version
993 :echo expand("$version")
994The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
995variable (if your shell supports it).
996
997
998internal variable *expr-variable*
999-----------------
1000variable internal variable
1001See below |internal-variables|.
1002
1003
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001004function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001005-------------
1006function(expr1, ...) function call
1007See below |functions|.
1008
1009
1010==============================================================================
10113. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1012 *E461*
1013An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1014cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1015|curly-braces-names|.
1016
1017An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001018An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1019|:unlet|.
1020Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1021been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001022
1023There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1024specified by what is prepended:
1025
1026 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1027|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1028|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
1029|global-variable| g: Global.
1030|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1031|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1032|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
1033|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
1034
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001035The scope name by itself can be used as a |Dictionary|. For example, to
1036delete all script-local variables: >
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001037 :for k in keys(s:)
1038 : unlet s:[k]
1039 :endfor
1040<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001041 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1042A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1043Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1044This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1045|:bdelete|.
1046
1047One local buffer variable is predefined:
1048 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1049b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1050 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1051 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1052 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1053 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1054 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1055 : call My_Update()
1056 :endif
1057<
1058 *window-variable* *w:var*
1059A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1060is deleted when the window is closed.
1061
1062 *global-variable* *g:var*
1063Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1064access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1065place if you like.
1066
1067 *local-variable* *l:var*
1068Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
1069But you can also prepend "l:" if you like.
1070
1071 *script-variable* *s:var*
1072In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1073accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1074
1075They can be used in:
1076- commands executed while the script is sourced
1077- functions defined in the script
1078- autocommands defined in the script
1079- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1080 defined in the script (recursively)
1081- user defined commands defined in the script
1082Thus not in:
1083- other scripts sourced from this one
1084- mappings
1085- etc.
1086
1087script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1088Take this example:
1089
1090 let s:counter = 0
1091 function MyCounter()
1092 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1093 echo s:counter
1094 endfunction
1095 command Tick call MyCounter()
1096
1097You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1098that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1099"Tick" was defined is used.
1100
1101Another example that does the same: >
1102
1103 let s:counter = 0
1104 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1105
1106When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001107script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001108defined.
1109
1110The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1111function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1112
1113 let s:counter = 0
1114 function StartCounting(incr)
1115 if a:incr
1116 function MyCounter()
1117 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1118 endfunction
1119 else
1120 function MyCounter()
1121 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1122 endfunction
1123 endif
1124 endfunction
1125
1126This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1127when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1128called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1129
1130When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1131They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1132maintain a counter: >
1133
1134 if !exists("s:counter")
1135 let s:counter = 1
1136 echo "script executed for the first time"
1137 else
1138 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1139 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1140 endif
1141
1142Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1143variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1144
1145
1146Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1147
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001148 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1149v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1150 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1151 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1152
1153 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1154v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1155 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1156
1157 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1158v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1159 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1160
1161 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001162v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1163 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1164 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1165 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001166 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1167 highlighted text is used.
1168 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1169
1170 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1171v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1172 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1173
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001174 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1175v:charconvert_from
1176 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1177 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1178
1179 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1180v:charconvert_to
1181 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1182 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1183
1184 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1185v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1186 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1187 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1188 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1189 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1190 possible to append this variable directly after the
1191 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1192 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1193 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1194 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1195 in 'printexpr'.
1196
1197 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1198v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1199 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1200 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1201 can be used.
1202
1203 *v:count* *count-variable*
1204v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1205 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1206 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1207< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1208 get when typing ':' after a count.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001209 Also used for evaluating the 'formatexpr' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001210 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1211
1212 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1213v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1214 used.
1215
1216 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1217v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1218 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1219 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1220 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1221 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1222 command.
1223 See |multi-lang|.
1224
1225 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1226v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1227 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1228 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1229 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1230 Example: >
1231 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1232<
1233 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1234v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1235 Example: >
1236 :let v:errmsg = ""
1237 :silent! next
1238 :if v:errmsg != ""
1239 : ... handle error
1240< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1241
1242 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1243v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1244 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1245 Example: >
1246 :try
1247 : throw "oops"
1248 :catch /.*/
1249 : echo "caught" v:exception
1250 :endtry
1251< Output: "caught oops".
1252
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001253 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1254v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1255 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1256 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1257 deleted file no longer exists
1258 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1259 changed and buffer is modified
1260 changed file contents has changed
1261 mode mode of file changed
1262 time only file timestamp changed
1263
1264 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1265v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1266 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1267 do with the affected buffer:
1268 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1269 the file was deleted).
1270 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1271 was no autocommand. Except that when
1272 only the timestamp changed nothing
1273 will happen.
1274 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1275 everything that needs to be done.
1276 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1277 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1278
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001279 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001280v:fname_in The name of the input file. Valid while evaluating:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001281 option used for ~
1282 'charconvert' file to be converted
1283 'diffexpr' original file
1284 'patchexpr' original file
1285 'printexpr' file to be printed
Bram Moolenaar2c7a29c2005-12-12 22:02:31 +00001286 And set to the swap file name for |SwapExists|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001287
1288 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1289v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1290 evaluating:
1291 option used for ~
1292 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1293 'diffexpr' output of diff
1294 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1295 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1296 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1297 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1298 file and different from v:fname_in.
1299
1300 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1301v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1302 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1303
1304 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1305v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1306 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1307
1308 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1309v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1310 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001311 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001312
1313 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1314v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001315 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001316
1317 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1318v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001319 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001320
1321 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1322v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001323 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001324
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001325 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1326v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1327 events. Values:
1328 i Insert mode
1329 r Replace mode
1330 v Virtual Replace mode
1331
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001332 *v:key* *key-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001333v:key Key of the current item of a |Dictionary|. Only valid while
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001334 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1335 Read-only.
1336
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001337 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1338v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1339 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1340 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1341 The value is system dependent.
1342 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1343 command.
1344 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1345 in a different language than what is used for character
1346 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1347
1348 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1349v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1350 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1351 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1352 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1353 command. See |multi-lang|.
1354
1355 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001356v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
Bram Moolenaar5c8837f2006-02-25 21:52:33 +00001357 expressions, tab page number for 'guitablabel'. Only valid
1358 while one of these expressions is being evaluated. Read-only
1359 when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001360
1361 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1362v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1363 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1364 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1365 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1366< Read-only.
1367
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001368 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1369v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1370 See |profiling|.
1371
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001372 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1373v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1374 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1375 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1376 Read-only.
1377
1378 *v:register* *register-variable*
1379v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1380 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1381
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001382 *v:scrollstart* *scrollstart-variable*
1383v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
1384 screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
1385 first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
1386 typed command.
1387 This can be used to find out why your script causes the
1388 hit-enter prompt.
1389
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001390 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1391v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1392 Read-only.
1393
1394 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1395v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1396 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1397 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1398 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1399 executed. Read-only.
1400 Example: >
1401 :!mv foo bar
1402 :if v:shell_error
1403 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1404 :endif
1405< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1406
1407 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1408v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1409
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001410 *v:swapname* *swapname-variable*
1411v:swapname Only valid when executing |SwapExists| autocommands: Name of
1412 the swap file found. Read-only.
1413
1414 *v:swapchoice* *swapchoice-variable*
1415v:swapchoice |SwapExists| autocommands can set this to the selected choice
1416 for handling an existing swap file:
1417 'o' Open read-only
1418 'e' Edit anyway
1419 'r' Recover
1420 'd' Delete swapfile
1421 'q' Quit
1422 'a' Abort
1423 The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
1424 results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
1425 no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
1426
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001427 *v:swapcommand* *swapcommand-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001428v:swapcommand Normal mode command to be executed after a file has been
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001429 opened. Can be used for a |SwapExists| autocommand to have
1430 another Vim open the file and jump to the right place. For
1431 example, when jumping to a tag the value is ":tag tagname\r".
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +00001432 For ":edit +cmd file" the value is ":cmd\r".
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001433
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001434 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1435v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1436 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1437 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1438 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1439 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1440 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1441 terminal.
1442 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1443 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1444 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1445 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1446 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1447
1448 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1449v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1450 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1451 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1452 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1453
1454 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1455v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1456 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1457 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1458 Example: >
1459 :try
1460 : throw "oops"
1461 :catch /.*/
1462 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1463 :endtry
1464< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1465
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001466 *v:val* *val-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001467v:val Value of the current item of a |List| or |Dictionary|. Only
1468 valid while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001469 |filter()|. Read-only.
1470
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001471 *v:version* *version-variable*
1472v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1473 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1474 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1475 compatibility.
1476 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1477 if has("patch123")
1478< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1479 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1480 completely different.
1481
1482 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1483v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1484
1485==============================================================================
14864. Builtin Functions *functions*
1487
1488See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1489
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001490(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001491
1492USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1493
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001494add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to |List| {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001495append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001496append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001497argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001498argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001499argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
1500browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1501 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001502browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001503bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001504buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1505bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001506bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1507bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1508bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1509byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001510byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001511call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1512 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001513char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001514cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001515col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00001516complete({startcol}, {matches}) String set Insert mode completion
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001517complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
1518complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001519confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1520 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001521copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001522count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1523 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001524cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1525 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001526cursor( {lnum}, {col} [, {coladd}])
1527 Number move cursor to {lnum}, {col}, {coladd}
1528cursor( {list}) Number move cursor to position in {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001529deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001530delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1531did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001532diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1533diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001534empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001535escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001536eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001537eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001538executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1539exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
1540expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
1541filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001542filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1543 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001544finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
1545 String Find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001546findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001547 String Find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001548filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
1549fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001550foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1551foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001552foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001553foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001554foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001555function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001556get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001557get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001558getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1559 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001560getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1561getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001562getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
1563getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1564getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001565getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001566getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001567getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1568getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001569getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001570getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001571getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001572getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1573getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001574getloclist({nr}) List list of location list items
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001575getpos( {expr}) List position of cursor, mark, etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001576getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001577getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001578getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001579getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1580getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1581getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in window {nr}
1582glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1583globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1584has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001585has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001586hasmapto( {what} [, {mode}]) Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
1587histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1588histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1589histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1590histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1591hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1592hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1593hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001594iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1595indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001596index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1597 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001598input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1599 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001600inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001601inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1602inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001603inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001604insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001605isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001606islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001607items( {dict}) List key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001608join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001609keys( {dict}) List keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001610len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1611libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001612libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1613line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1614line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001615lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001616localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001617map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001618maparg( {name}[, {mode}]) String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1619mapcheck( {name}[, {mode}]) String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001620match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001621 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001622matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001623 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001624matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1625 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001626matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1627 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001628max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1629min({list}) Number minumum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001630mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1631 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001632mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001633nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1634nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
1635prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00001636printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001637pumvisible() Number whether popup menu is visible
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001638range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1639 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001640readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1641 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001642remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1643 String send expression
1644remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1645remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1646 Number check for reply string
1647remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1648remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1649 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001650remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001651remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001652rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1653repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1654resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001655reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001656search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001657searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
1658 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001659searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001660 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001661searchpairpos( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001662 List search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001663searchpos( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline}]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001664 List search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001665server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1666 Number send reply string
1667serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1668setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1669setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1670setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001671setloclist( {nr}, {list}[, {action}])
1672 Number modify location list using {list}
1673setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number modify quickfix list using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001674setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001675setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001676simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001677sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001678soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001679spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001680spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1681 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001682split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001683 List make |List| from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001684strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001685stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1686 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001687string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001688strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1689strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1690 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001691strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1692 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001693strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001694submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001695substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1696 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001697synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001698synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1699 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1700synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001701system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00001702tabpagebuflist( [{arg}]) List list of buffer numbers in tab page
1703tabpagenr( [{arg}]) Number number of current or last tab page
1704tabpagewinnr( {tabarg}[, {arg}])
1705 Number number of current window in tab page
1706taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00001707tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001708tempname() String name for a temporary file
1709tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1710toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001711tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1712 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001713type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001714values( {dict}) List values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001715virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1716visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1717winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1718wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1719winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1720winline() Number window line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001721winnr( [{expr}]) Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001722winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00001723winrestview({dict}) None restore view of current window
1724winsaveview() Dict save view of current window
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001725winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001726writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1727 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001728
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001729add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001730 Append the item {expr} to |List| {list}. Returns the
1731 resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001732 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1733 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001734< Note that when {expr} is a |List| it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001735 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001736 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001737
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001738
1739append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001740 When {expr} is a |List|: Append each item of the |List| as a
1741 text line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001742 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1743 the current buffer.
1744 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001745 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1746 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001747 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001748 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001749<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001750 *argc()*
1751argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1752 current window. See |arglist|.
1753
1754 *argidx()*
1755argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1756 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1757
1758 *argv()*
1759argv({nr}) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
1760 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1761 Example: >
1762 :let i = 0
1763 :while i < argc()
1764 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1765 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1766 : let i = i + 1
1767 :endwhile
1768<
1769 *browse()*
1770browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1771 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1772 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1773 The input fields are:
1774 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1775 {title} title for the requester
1776 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1777 {default} default file name
1778 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1779 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1780
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001781 *browsedir()*
1782browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1783 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1784 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1785 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1786 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1787 to be used.
1788 The input fields are:
1789 {title} title for the requester
1790 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1791 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1792 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1793
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001794bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1795 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1796 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001797 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001798 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001799 exactly. The name can be:
1800 - Relative to the current directory.
1801 - A full path.
1802 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1803 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001804 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1805 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1806 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1807 long name to be able to find them.
1808 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1809 file name.
1810 *buffer_exists()*
1811 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1812
1813buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1814 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1815 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001816 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001817
1818bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1819 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1820 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001821 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001822
1823bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1824 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1825 ":ls" command.
1826 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1827 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1828 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1829 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1830 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1831 match an empty string is returned.
1832 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1833 alternate buffer.
1834 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
1835 or middle of the buffer name is accepted.
1836 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1837 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1838 buffers are searched for.
1839 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1840 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1841 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1842< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1843 string is returned. >
1844 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1845 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1846 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1847 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1848< *buffer_name()*
1849 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1850
1851 *bufnr()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00001852bufnr({expr} [, {create}])
1853 The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001854 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00001855 above.
1856 If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned. Or, if the
1857 {create} argument is present and not zero, a new, unlisted,
1858 buffer is created and its number is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001859 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1860 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1861< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1862 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1863 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1864 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1865 *buffer_number()*
1866 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1867 *last_buffer_nr()*
1868 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1869
1870bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1871 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1872 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1873 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1874 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1875
1876 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1877
1878< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1879 |:wincmd|.
1880
1881
1882byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1883 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1884 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1885 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1886 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1887 one.
1888 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1889 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1890 feature}
1891
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001892byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1893 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1894 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1895 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1896 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1897 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1898 Example : >
1899 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1900< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1901 same: >
1902 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1903 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1904< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1905 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1906 is returned.
1907
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001908call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001909 Call function {func} with the items in |List| {arglist} as
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001910 arguments.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001911 {func} can either be a |Funcref| or the name of a function.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001912 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1913 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001914 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1915 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001916
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001917char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1918 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1919 char2nr(" ") returns 32
1920 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
1921< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00001922 char2nr("?") returns 225
1923 char2nr("?"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001924< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001925
1926cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
1927 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
1928 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
1929 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
1930 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
1931 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
1932 feature, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard5cdbeb2005-10-10 20:59:28 +00001933 See |C-indenting|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001934
1935 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001936col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001937 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
1938 . the cursor position
1939 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
1940 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
1941 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
1942 returned)
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001943 To get the line number use |col()|. To get both use
1944 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001945 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
1946 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
1947 Examples: >
1948 col(".") column of cursor
1949 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
1950 col("'t") column of mark t
1951 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
1952< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
1953 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
1954 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
1955 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
1956 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
1957 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
1958 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
1959 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
1960<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001961
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00001962complete({startcol}, {matches}) *complete()* *E785*
1963 Set the matches for Insert mode completion.
1964 Can only be used in Insert mode. You need to use a mapping
1965 with an expression argument |:map-<expr>| or CTRL-R =
1966 |i_CTRL-R|. It does not work after CTRL-O.
1967 {startcol} is the byte offset in the line where the completed
1968 text start. The text up to the cursor is the original text
1969 that will be replaced by the matches. Use col('.') for an
1970 empty string. "col('.') - 1" will replace one character by a
1971 match.
1972 {matches} must be a |List|. Each |List| item is one match.
1973 See |complete-items| for the kind of items that are possible.
1974 Note that the after calling this function you need to avoid
1975 inserting anything that would completion to stop.
1976 The match can be selected with CTRL-N and CTRL-P as usual with
1977 Insert mode completion. The popup menu will appear if
1978 specified, see |ins-completion-menu|.
1979 Example: >
1980 inoremap <expr> <F5> ListMonths()
1981
1982 func! ListMonths()
1983 call complete(col('.'), ['January', 'February', 'March',
1984 \ 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September',
1985 \ 'October', 'November', 'December'])
1986 return ''
1987 endfunc
1988< This isn't very useful, but it shows how it works. Note that
1989 an empty string is returned to avoid a zero being inserted.
1990
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001991complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
1992 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
1993 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
1994 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
1995 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
1996 the list.
1997
1998complete_check() *complete_check()*
1999 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
2000 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
2001 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
2002 zero otherwise.
2003 Only to be used by the function specified with the
2004 'completefunc' option.
2005
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002006 *confirm()*
2007confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
2008 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
2009 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
2010 choice this is 1.
2011 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
2012 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
2013 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
2014 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
2015 used (and translated).
2016 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
2017 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
2018 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
2019 by '\n', e.g. >
2020 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
2021< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
2022 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
2023 not need to be the first letter: >
2024 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
2025< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
2026 the default shortcut key.
2027 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
2028 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
2029 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
2030 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
2031 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
2032 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
2033 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
2034 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
2035 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
2036 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
2037 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
2038
2039 An example: >
2040 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
2041 :if choice == 0
2042 : echo "make up your mind!"
2043 :elseif choice == 3
2044 : echo "tasteful"
2045 :else
2046 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
2047 :endif
2048< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
2049 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
2050 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
2051 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
2052 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
2053 the horizontal layout is always used.
2054
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002055 *copy()*
2056copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2057 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002058 When {expr} is a |List| a shallow copy is created. This means
2059 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002060 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002061 changing an item changes the contents of both |Lists|. Also
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002062 see |deepcopy()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002063
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002064count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002065 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002066 in |List| or |Dictionary| {comp}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002067 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002068 {start} can only be used with a |List|.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002069 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
2070
2071
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002072 *cscope_connection()*
2073cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
2074 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
2075 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
2076 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
2077 if there are no cscope connections;
2078 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
2079
2080 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
2081 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
2082
2083 {num} Description of existence check
2084 ----- ------------------------------
2085 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
2086 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
2087 {dbpath}.
2088 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
2089 {dbpath}.
2090 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
2091 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2092 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2093 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2094
2095 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2096
2097 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2098
2099 # pid database name prepend path
2100 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2101<
2102 Invocation Return Val ~
2103 ---------- ---------- >
2104 cscope_connection() 1
2105 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2106 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2107 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2108 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2109 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2110 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2111 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2112<
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002113cursor({lnum}, {col} [, {off}]) *cursor()*
2114cursor({list})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002115 Positions the cursor at the column {col} in the line {lnum}.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002116 The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002117 When there is one argument {list} this is used as a |List|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002118 with two or three items {lnum}, {col} and {off}. This is like
2119 the return value of |getpos()|, but without the first item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002120 Does not change the jumplist.
2121 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2122 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2123 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002124 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002125 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2126 line.
2127 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002128 When 'virtualedit' is used {off} specifies the offset in
2129 screen columns from the start of the character. E.g., a
2130 position within a Tab or after the last character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002131
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002132
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002133deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002134 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2135 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002136 When {expr} is a |List| a full copy is created. This means
2137 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
2138 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a |List|, a copy for it
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002139 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002140 not change the contents of the original |List|.
2141 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained |List| or
2142 |Dictionary| is only copied once. All references point to
2143 this single copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a
2144 |List| or |Dictionary| results in a new copy. This also means
2145 that a cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002146 *E724*
2147 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002148 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2149 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002150 Also see |copy()|.
2151
2152delete({fname}) *delete()*
2153 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002154 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2155 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002156 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002157
2158 *did_filetype()*
2159did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2160 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2161 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2162 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2163 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2164 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2165 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2166 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2167 file.
2168
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002169diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2170 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2171 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2172 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2173 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2174 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2175 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2176 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2177
2178diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2179 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2180 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2181 diff change zero is returned.
2182 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2183 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2184 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2185 line.
2186 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2187 syntax information about the highlighting.
2188
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002189empty({expr}) *empty()*
2190 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002191 A |List| or |Dictionary| is empty when it does not have any
2192 items. A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2193 For a long |List| this is much faster then comparing the
2194 length with zero.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002195
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002196escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2197 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2198 backslash. Example: >
2199 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2200< results in: >
2201 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002202
2203< *eval()*
2204eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2205 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2206 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002207 Also works for |Funcref|s that refer to existing functions.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002208
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002209eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2210 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2211 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2212 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2213 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2214
2215executable({expr}) *executable()*
2216 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2217 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002218 arguments.
2219 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2220 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2221 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2222 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2223 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2224 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2225 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2226 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2227 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2228 extension.
2229 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2230 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002231 The result is a Number:
2232 1 exists
2233 0 does not exist
2234 -1 not implemented on this system
2235
2236 *exists()*
2237exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2238 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2239 which contains one of these:
2240 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2241 not if it really works)
2242 +option-name Vim option that works.
2243 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2244 done by comparing with an empty
2245 string)
2246 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2247 or user defined function (see
2248 |user-functions|).
2249 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002250 |internal-variables|). Also works
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002251 for |curly-braces-names|, |Dictionary|
2252 entries, |List| items, etc. Beware
2253 that this may cause functions to be
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002254 invoked cause an error message for an
2255 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002256 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2257 command or command modifier |:command|.
2258 Returns:
2259 1 for match with start of a command
2260 2 full match with a command
2261 3 matches several user commands
2262 To check for a supported command
2263 always check the return value to be 2.
2264 #event autocommand defined for this event
2265 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2266 pattern (the pattern is taken
2267 literally and compared to the
2268 autocommand patterns character by
2269 character)
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002270 #group autocommand group exists
2271 #group#event autocommand defined for this group and
2272 event.
2273 #group#event#pattern
2274 autocommand defined for this group,
2275 event and pattern.
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002276 ##event autocommand for this event is
2277 supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002278 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2279
2280 Examples: >
2281 exists("&shortname")
2282 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2283 exists("*strftime")
2284 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2285 exists("bufcount")
2286 exists(":Make")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002287 exists("#CursorHold")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002288 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002289 exists("#filetypeindent")
2290 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType")
2291 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType#*")
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002292 exists("##ColorScheme")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002293< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2294 name.
2295 Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2296 variable itself! For example: >
2297 exists(bufcount)
2298< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
2299 but gets the contents of "bufcount", and checks if that
2300 exists.
2301
2302expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2303 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2304 The result is a String.
2305
2306 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2307 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2308 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2309
2310 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2311 for a non-existing file is not included.
2312
2313 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2314 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2315 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2316
2317 % current file name
2318 # alternate file name
2319 #n alternate file name n
2320 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2321 <afile> autocmd file name
2322 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2323 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2324 <sfile> sourced script file name
2325 <cword> word under the cursor
2326 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2327 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2328 message |server2client()|
2329 Modifiers:
2330 :p expand to full path
2331 :h head (last path component removed)
2332 :t tail (last path component only)
2333 :r root (one extension removed)
2334 :e extension only
2335
2336 Example: >
2337 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2338< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2339 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2340 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2341< Use this: >
2342 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2343< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2344 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2345 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2346 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2347 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2348<
2349 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2350 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2351 to modify normal file names.
2352
2353 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2354 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2355 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2356 '/' added.
2357
2358 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2359 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2360 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2361 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002362 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2363 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2364 files in the current directory and below: >
2365 :echo expand("**/README")
2366<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002367 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2368 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2369 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2370 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2371 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2372 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2373 "$FOOBAR".
2374
2375 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2376 getting the raw output of an external command.
2377
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002378extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002379 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both |Lists| or both
2380 |Dictionaries|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002381
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002382 If they are |Lists|: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002383 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2384 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2385 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2386 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002387 Examples: >
2388 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2389 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002390< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2391 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002392 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002393<
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002394 If they are |Dictionaries|:
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002395 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2396 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2397 used to decide what to do:
2398 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2399 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00002400 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002401 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2402
2403 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2404 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2405 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2406 Returns {expr1}.
2407
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002408
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002409filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2410 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2411 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2412 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2413 expression, which is used as a String.
2414 *file_readable()*
2415 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2416
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002417
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002418filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002419 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002420 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002421 is zero remove the item from the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002422 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002423 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002424 Examples: >
2425 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2426< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2427 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2428< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2429 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002430< Removes all the items, thus clears the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002431
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002432 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2433 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2434 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2435
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002436 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
2437 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +00002438 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), 'v:val =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002439
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002440< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002441 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
2442 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002443
2444
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002445finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
2446 Find directory {name} in {path}.
2447 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2448 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
2449 {name} in {path}.
2450 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
2451 When the found directory is below the current directory a
2452 relative path is returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
2453 Example: >
2454 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
2455< Searches from the current directory upwards until it finds
2456 the file "tags.vim".
2457 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2458
2459findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2460 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
2461
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002462filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2463 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2464 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2465 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2466 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2467
2468fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2469 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2470 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2471 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2472 Example: >
2473 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2474< results in: >
2475 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2476< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2477 |expand()| first then.
2478
2479foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2480 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2481 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2482 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2483
2484foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2485 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2486 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2487 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2488
2489foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2490 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2491 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2492 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2493 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2494 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2495 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2496 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2497 previous line is usually available.
2498
2499 *foldtext()*
2500foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2501 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2502 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2503 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2504 The returned string looks like this: >
2505 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2506< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2507 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2508 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2509 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2510 options is removed.
2511 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2512
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002513foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2514 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2515 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2516 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2517 returned.
2518 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2519 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2520 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2521 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2522
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002523 *foreground()*
2524foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2525 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2526 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2527 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2528 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2529 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2530 Win32 console version}
2531
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002532
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002533function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002534 Return a |Funcref| variable that refers to function {name}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002535 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2536
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002537
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002538garbagecollect() *garbagecollect()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002539 Cleanup unused |Lists| and |Dictionaries| that have circular
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002540 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2541 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2542 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2543 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2544 freed when they become unused.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002545 This is useful if you have deleted a very big |List| and/or
2546 |Dictionary| with circular references in a script that runs
2547 for a long time.
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002548
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002549get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002550 Get item {idx} from |List| {list}. When this item is not
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002551 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2552 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002553get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002554 Get item with key {key} from |Dictionary| {dict}. When this
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002555 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2556 {default} is omitted.
2557
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002558 *getbufline()*
2559getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002560 Return a |List| with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
2561 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a
2562 |List| with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002563
2564 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2565
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002566 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
2567 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002568
2569 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002570 lines in the buffer, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002571
2572 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2573 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002574 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002575 returned.
2576
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002577 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002578 non-existing buffers, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002579
2580 Example: >
2581 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002582
2583getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2584 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2585 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2586 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002587 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2588 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2589 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002590 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2591 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2592 returned, there is no error message.
2593 Examples: >
2594 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2595 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2596<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002597getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
2598 Get a single character from the user. If it is an 8-bit
2599 character, the result is a number. Otherwise a String is
2600 returned with the encoded character. For a special key it's a
2601 sequence of bytes starting with 0x80 (decimal: 128).
2602 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2603 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
2604 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
2605 not consumed. If a normal character is
2606 available, it is returned, otherwise a
2607 non-zero value is returned.
2608 If a normal character available, it is returned as a Number.
2609 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2610 The returned value is zero if no character is available.
2611 The returned value is a string of characters for special keys
2612 and when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used.
2613 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2614 user that a character has to be typed.
2615 There is no mapping for the character.
2616 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2617 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2618 sequence. Examples: >
2619 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2620 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2621< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2622 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2623 :function FindChar()
2624 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2625 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2626 : normal l
2627 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2628 : break
2629 : endif
2630 : endwhile
2631 :endfunction
2632
2633getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2634 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2635 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2636 These values are added together:
2637 2 shift
2638 4 control
2639 8 alt (meta)
2640 16 mouse double click
2641 32 mouse triple click
2642 64 mouse quadruple click
2643 128 Macintosh only: command
2644 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2645 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2646 with no modifier.
2647
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002648getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2649 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2650 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2651 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2652 Example: >
2653 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002654< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002655
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002656getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002657 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2658 byte count. The first column is 1.
2659 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2660 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002661 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2662
2663getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
2664 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
2665 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002666 : normal Ex command
2667 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
2668 / forward search command
2669 ? backward search command
2670 @ |input()| command
2671 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002672 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2673 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
2674 otherwise.
2675 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002676
2677 *getcwd()*
2678getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2679 working directory.
2680
2681getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2682 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2683 given file {fname}.
2684 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2685 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
2686
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002687getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2688 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2689 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2690 |hl-Normal|.
2691 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2692 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2693 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2694 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
2695 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not you your vimrc or
2696 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2697 for a valid name does not work.
2698 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2699 function just after the GUI has started.
2700
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002701getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2702 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2703 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2704 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2705 empty string is returned.
2706 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2707 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2708 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2709 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2710 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2711 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2712< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2713 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002714
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002715getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2716 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2717 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2718 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2719 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2720 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2721
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002722getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2723 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2724 file of the given file {fname}.
2725 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2726 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2727 results:
2728 Normal file "file"
2729 Directory "dir"
2730 Symbolic link "link"
2731 Block device "bdev"
2732 Character device "cdev"
2733 Socket "socket"
2734 FIFO "fifo"
2735 All other "other"
2736 Example: >
2737 getftype("/home")
2738< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2739 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2740 "file" are returned.
2741
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002742 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002743getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2744 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2745 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002746 getline(1)
2747< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2748 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2749 To get the line under the cursor: >
2750 getline(".")
2751< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2752 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2753
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002754 When {end} is given the result is a |List| where each item is
2755 a line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002756 including line {end}.
2757 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2758 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002759 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002760 Example: >
2761 :let start = line('.')
2762 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2763 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2764
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00002765getloclist({nr}) *getloclist()*
2766 Returns a list with all the entries in the location list for
2767 window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
2768 For a location list window, the displayed location list is
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002769 returned. For an invalid window number {nr}, an empty list is
2770 returned. Otherwise, same as getqflist().
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002771
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002772getqflist() *getqflist()*
2773 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2774 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2775 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2776 bufname() to get the name
2777 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2778 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002779 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2780 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002781 nr error number
2782 text description of the error
2783 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2784 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2785
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00002786 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
2787 returned.
2788
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002789 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2790 do something with them: >
2791 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2792 :for d in getqflist()
2793 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2794 :endfor
2795
2796
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002797getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002798 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002799 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002800 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2801< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002802 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002803 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
2804 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
2805 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002806 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2807
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002808
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002809getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2810 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2811 The value will be one of:
2812 "v" for |characterwise| text
2813 "V" for |linewise| text
2814 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2815 0 for an empty or unknown register
2816 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2817 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2818
2819 *getwinposx()*
2820getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2821 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2822 -1 if the information is not available.
2823
2824 *getwinposy()*
2825getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2826 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2827 information is not available.
2828
2829getwinvar({nr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2830 The result is the value of option or local window variable
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00002831 {varname} in window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current
2832 window is used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002833 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
2834 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
2835 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002836 Note that the name without "w:" must be used.
2837 Examples: >
2838 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
2839 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
2840<
2841 *glob()*
2842glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. The result is a String.
2843 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2844 characters.
2845 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
2846 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
2847
2848 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
2849 any external command. Example: >
2850 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
2851 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
2852< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
2853 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
2854
2855 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
2856 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
2857
2858globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
2859 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
2860 the results. Example: >
2861 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
2862< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
2863 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
2864 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
2865 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
2866 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
2867 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
2868 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
2869 error message.
2870 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
2871 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
2872
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002873 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
2874 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
2875 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
2876 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
2877<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002878 *has()*
2879has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
2880 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
2881 string. See |feature-list| below.
2882 Also see |exists()|.
2883
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002884
2885has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002886 The result is a Number, which is 1 if |Dictionary| {dict} has
2887 an entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002888
2889
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002890hasmapto({what} [, {mode}]) *hasmapto()*
2891 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
2892 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
2893 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
2894 {mode}.
2895 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
2896 buffer are checked for a match.
2897 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
2898 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
2899 n Normal mode
2900 v Visual mode
2901 o Operator-pending mode
2902 i Insert mode
2903 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
2904 c Command-line mode
2905 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
2906
2907 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
2908 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
2909 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
2910 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
2911 :endif
2912< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
2913 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
2914
2915histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
2916 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
2917 one of: *hist-names*
2918 "cmd" or ":" command line history
2919 "search" or "/" search pattern history
2920 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
2921 "input" or "@" input line history
2922 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
2923 shifted to become the newest entry.
2924 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
2925 otherwise 0 is returned.
2926
2927 Example: >
2928 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
2929 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
2930< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
2931
2932histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002933 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002934 for the possible values of {history}.
2935
2936 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
2937 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
2938 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
2939 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
2940 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
2941 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
2942 if it exists.
2943
2944 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
2945 otherwise 0 is returned.
2946
2947 Examples:
2948 Clear expression register history: >
2949 :call histdel("expr")
2950<
2951 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
2952 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
2953<
2954 The following three are equivalent: >
2955 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
2956 :call histdel("search", -1)
2957 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
2958<
2959 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
2960 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
2961 :call histdel("search", -1)
2962 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
2963
2964histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
2965 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
2966 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
2967 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
2968 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
2969 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
2970
2971 Examples:
2972 Redo the second last search from history. >
2973 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
2974
2975< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
2976 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
2977 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
2978<
2979histnr({history}) *histnr()*
2980 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
2981 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
2982 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
2983
2984 Example: >
2985 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
2986<
2987hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
2988 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
2989 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
2990 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
2991 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
2992 item.
2993 *highlight_exists()*
2994 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
2995
2996 *hlID()*
2997hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
2998 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
2999 zero is returned.
3000 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
3001 group. For example, to get the background color of the
3002 "Comment" group: >
3003 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
3004< *highlightID()*
3005 Obsolete name: highlightID().
3006
3007hostname() *hostname()*
3008 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003009 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003010 256 characters long are truncated.
3011
3012iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
3013 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
3014 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
3015 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
3016 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
3017 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
3018 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
3019 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
3020 can be done.
3021 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
3022 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
3023 UTF-8 and use: >
3024 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
3025< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
3026 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
3027 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
3028 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
3029
3030 *indent()*
3031indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
3032 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
3033 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
3034 |getline()|.
3035 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
3036
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003037
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003038index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003039 Return the lowest index in |List| {list} where the item has a
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003040 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003041 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
3042 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003043 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
3044 case must match.
3045 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
3046 Example: >
3047 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003048 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003049
3050
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003051input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003052 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
3053 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
3054 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003055 prompt to start a new line.
3056 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
3057 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
3058 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
3059 for lines typed for input().
3060 Example: >
3061 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
3062 : echo "Cheers!"
3063 :endif
3064<
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00003065 If the optional {text} is present and not empty, this is used
3066 for the default reply, as if the user typed this. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003067 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
3068
3069< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
3070 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
3071 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
3072 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
3073 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
3074 more information. Example: >
3075 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
3076<
3077 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
3078 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003079 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
3080 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
3081 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
3082 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
3083 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
3084 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
3085 |:execute| or |:normal|.
3086
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003087 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003088 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
3089 :function GetFoo()
3090 : call inputsave()
3091 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
3092 : call inputrestore()
3093 :endfunction
3094
3095inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
3096 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
3097 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
3098 Example: >
3099 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
3100 :if n != ""
3101 : let &sw = n
3102 :endif
3103< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
3104 omitted an empty string is returned.
3105 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
3106 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003107 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003108
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003109inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
3110 {textlist} must be a list of strings. This list is displayed,
3111 one string per line. The user will be prompted to enter a
3112 number, which is returned.
3113 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
3114 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
3115 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
3116 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
3117 is returned.
3118 Make sure {textlist} has less then 'lines' entries, otherwise
3119 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
3120 the start of the string. Example: >
3121 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3122 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3123
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003124inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
3125 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
3126 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3127 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3128 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3129
3130inputsave() *inputsave()*
3131 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3132 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3133 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3134 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3135 many inputrestore() calls.
3136 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3137
3138inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3139 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3140 two exceptions:
3141 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3142 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3143 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3144 |history| stack.
3145 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3146 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003147 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003148
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003149insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003150 Insert {item} at the start of |List| {list}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003151 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
3152 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
3153 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3154 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003155 Returns the resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003156 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3157 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3158 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003159< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003160 Note that when {item} is a |List| it is inserted as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003161 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003162
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003163isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3164 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3165 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3166 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3167 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3168
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003169islocked({expr}) *islocked()*
3170 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3171 name of a locked variable.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003172 {expr} must be the name of a variable, |List| item or
3173 |Dictionary| entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003174 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3175 :lockvar 1 alist
3176 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3177 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3178
3179< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
3180 message. Use |exists()| to check for existance.
3181
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003182items({dict}) *items()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003183 Return a |List| with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3184 |List| item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict}
3185 entry and the value of this entry. The |List| is in arbitrary
3186 order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003187
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003188
3189join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3190 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3191 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3192 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3193 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3194 add it there too: >
3195 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003196< String items are used as-is. |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003197 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3198 The opposite function is |split()|.
3199
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003200keys({dict}) *keys()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003201 Return a |List| with all the keys of {dict}. The |List| is in
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003202 arbitrary order.
3203
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003204 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003205len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3206 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3207 used, as with |strlen()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003208 When {expr} is a |List| the number of items in the |List| is
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003209 returned.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003210 When {expr} is a |Dictionary| the number of entries in the
3211 |Dictionary| is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003212 Otherwise an error is given.
3213
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003214 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3215libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3216 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3217 with single argument {argument}.
3218 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3219 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3220 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3221 limited.
3222 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3223 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3224 to Vim.
3225 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3226 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3227 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3228 null-terminated string.
3229 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3230
3231 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3232 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3233 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3234 very probably crash.
3235
3236 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3237 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3238 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3239 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3240 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3241 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3242 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3243 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3244 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3245 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3246
3247 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
3248 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
3249 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3250 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3251 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3252 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3253 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3254 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3255 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3256 feature is present}
3257 Examples: >
3258 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
3259 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
3260<
3261 *libcallnr()*
3262libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3263 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3264 int instead of a string.
3265 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3266 feature is present}
3267 Example (not very useful...): >
3268 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3269 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3270<
3271 *line()*
3272line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3273 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3274 . the cursor position
3275 $ the last line in the current buffer
3276 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3277 returned)
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00003278 w0 first line visible in current window
3279 w$ last line visible in current window
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003280 Note that a mark in another file can be used.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003281 To get the column number use |col()|. To get both use
3282 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003283 Examples: >
3284 line(".") line number of the cursor
3285 line("'t") line number of mark t
3286 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3287< *last-position-jump*
3288 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3289 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3290 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003291
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003292line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3293 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3294 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3295 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3296 line returns 1.
3297 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3298 below the last line: >
3299 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3300< This is the file size plus one.
3301 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3302 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3303 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3304
3305lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3306 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3307 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3308 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3309 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3310 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3311 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3312
3313localtime() *localtime()*
3314 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3315 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3316
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003317
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003318map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003319 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003320 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3321 {string}.
3322 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003323 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003324 Example: >
3325 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003326< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003327
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003328 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003329 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003330 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3331 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003332
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003333 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
3334 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003335 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003336
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003337< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003338 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
3339 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003340
3341
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003342maparg({name}[, {mode}]) *maparg()*
3343 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3344 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003345 {mode} can be one of these strings:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003346 "n" Normal
3347 "v" Visual
3348 "o" Operator-pending
3349 "i" Insert
3350 "c" Cmd-line
3351 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3352 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003353 When {mode} is omitted, the modes for "" are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003354 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3355 command. The returned String has special characters
3356 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3357 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3358 then the global mappings.
Bram Moolenaara40ceaf2006-01-13 22:35:40 +00003359 This function can be used to map a key even when it's already
3360 mapped, and have it do the original mapping too. Sketch: >
3361 exe 'nnoremap <Tab> ==' . maparg('<Tab>', 'n')
3362
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003363
3364mapcheck({name}[, {mode}]) *mapcheck()*
3365 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3366 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3367 {name}.
3368 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3369 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3370
3371 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3372 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3373 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3374 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3375 mapcheck("b") no no no
3376
3377 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3378 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3379 mapping for {name} exactly.
3380 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3381 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3382 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3383 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3384 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3385 then the global mappings.
3386 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3387 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3388 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3389 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3390 :endif
3391< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3392 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3393
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003394match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003395 When {expr} is a |List| then this returns the index of the
3396 first item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003397 String, |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are used as echoed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003398 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3399 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3400 {pat} matches.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003401 A match at the first character or |List| item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003402 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3403 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003404 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003405 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 1
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003406< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003407 *strpbrk()*
3408 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3409 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3410< *strcasestr()*
3411 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3412 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3413 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3414<
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003415 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003416 {start} in a String or item {start} in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003417 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003418 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003419 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3420< result is again "4". >
3421 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3422< result is again "4". >
3423 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3424< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003425 For a String, if {start} > 0 then it is like the string starts
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003426 {start} bytes later, thus "^" will match at {start}. Except
3427 when {count} is given, then it's like matches before the
3428 {start} byte are ignored (this is a bit complicated to keep it
3429 backwards compatible).
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003430 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3431 the index is counted from the end.
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003432 If {start} is out of range ({start} > strlen({expr}) for a
3433 String or {start} > len({expr}) for a |List|) -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003434
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003435 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003436 is found in a String the search for the next one starts one
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003437 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
3438 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
3439< In a |List| the search continues in the next item.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003440 Note that when {count} is added the way {start} works changes,
3441 see above.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003442
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003443 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3444 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3445 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3446 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3447
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003448matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003449 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3450 the match. Example: >
3451 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3452< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003453 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3454 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3455 do it with matchend(): >
3456 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3457 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3458< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3459
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003460 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3461 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3462< results in "7". >
3463 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3464< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003465 When {expr} is a |List| the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003466
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003467matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003468 Same as match(), but return a |List|. The first item in the
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003469 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3470 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
3471 in |:substitute|.
3472 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3473
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003474matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003475 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3476 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3477< results in "ing".
3478 When there is no match "" is returned.
3479 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3480 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3481< results in "ing". >
3482 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3483< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003484 When {expr} is a |List| then the matching item is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003485 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003486
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003487 *max()*
3488max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3489 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3490 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003491 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003492
3493 *min()*
3494min({list}) Return the minumum value of all items in {list}.
3495 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3496 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003497 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003498
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003499 *mkdir()* *E749*
3500mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3501 Create directory {name}.
3502 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3503 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3504 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3505 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3506 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3507 for others.
3508 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3509 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3510 :if exists("*mkdir")
3511<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003512 *mode()*
3513mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3514 n Normal
3515 v Visual by character
3516 V Visual by line
3517 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3518 s Select by character
3519 S Select by line
3520 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3521 i Insert
3522 R Replace
3523 c Command-line
3524 r Hit-enter prompt
3525 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3526 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3527
3528nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3529 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3530 that is not blank. Example: >
3531 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3532< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3533 below it, zero is returned.
3534 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3535
3536nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3537 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3538 value {expr}. Examples: >
3539 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3540 nr2char(32) returns " "
3541< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3542 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3543< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3544 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3545 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003546 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003547
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003548 *getpos()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003549getpos({expr}) Get the position for {expr}. For possible values of {expr}
3550 see |line()|.
3551 The result is a |List| with four numbers:
3552 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
3553 "bufnum" is zero, unless a mark like '0 or 'A is used, then it
3554 is the buffer number of the mark.
3555 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
3556 column is 1.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003557 The "off" number is zero, unless 'virtualedit' is used. Then
3558 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
3559 character. E.g., a position within a Tab or after the last
3560 character.
3561 This can be used to save and restore the cursor position: >
3562 let save_cursor = getpos(".")
3563 MoveTheCursorAround
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003564 call setpos(save_cursor)
3565< Also see |setpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003566
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003567prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3568 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3569 that is not blank. Example: >
3570 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3571< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3572 above it, zero is returned.
3573 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3574
3575
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003576printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
3577 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
3578 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003579 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003580< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003581 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003582
3583 Often used items are:
3584 %s string
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003585 %6s string right-aligned in 6 bytes
3586 %.9s string truncated to 9 bytes
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003587 %c single byte
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003588 %d decimal number
3589 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
3590 %x hex number
3591 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
3592 %X hex number using upper case letters
3593 %o octal number
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003594 %% the % character itself
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003595
3596 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
3597 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
3598 the result.
3599
3600 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003601 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003602
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003603 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003604
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003605 flags
3606 Zero or more of the following flags:
3607
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003608 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
3609 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
3610 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
3611 of the number is increased to force the first
3612 character of the output string to a zero (except
3613 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
3614 precision of zero).
3615 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
3616 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
3617 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003618
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003619 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
3620 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
3621 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
3622 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
3623 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003624
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003625 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
3626 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
3627 The converted value is padded on the right with
3628 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
3629 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003630
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003631 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
3632 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003633
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003634 + A sign must always be placed before a number
3635 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
3636 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003637
3638 field-width
3639 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003640 field width. If the converted value has fewer bytes
3641 than the field width, it will be padded with spaces on
3642 the left (or right, if the left-adjustment flag has
3643 been given) to fill out the field width.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003644
3645 .precision
3646 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
3647 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
3648 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
3649 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
3650 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003651 bytes to be printed from a string for s conversions.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003652
3653 type
3654 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
3655 be applied, see below.
3656
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003657 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
3658 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
3659 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
3660 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
3661 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
3662 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003663 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003664< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003665 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003666
3667 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003668
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003669 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
3670 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
3671 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
3672 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003673 conversions.
3674 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
3675 digits that must appear; if the converted value
3676 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
3677 zeros.
3678 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
3679 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
3680 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
3681 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
3682
3683 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
3684 resulting character is written.
3685
3686 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
3687 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
3688 specified are used.
3689
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003690 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
3691 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003692
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003693 Each argument can be Number or String and is converted
3694 automatically to fit the conversion specifier. Any other
3695 argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003696
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00003697 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003698 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
3699 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003700 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003701
3702
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003703pumvisible() *pumvisible()*
3704 Returns non-zero when the popup menu is visible, zero
3705 otherwise. See |ins-completion-menu|.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003706 This can be used to avoid some things that would remove the
3707 popup menu.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003708
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003709 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003710range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003711 Returns a |List| with Numbers:
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003712 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3713 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3714 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3715 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3716 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003717 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
3718 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
3719 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003720 Examples: >
3721 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
3722 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3723 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
3724 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003725 range(0) " []
3726 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003727<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003728 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003729readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003730 Read file {fname} and return a |List|, each line of the file
3731 as an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003732 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3733 NL appears somewhere).
3734 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3735 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3736 added.
3737 - No CR characters are removed.
3738 Otherwise:
3739 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3740 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3741 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003742 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3743 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3744 lines of a file: >
3745 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3746 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3747 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003748< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
3749 are returned, or as many as there are.
3750 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003751 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3752 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3753 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003754 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3755 the result is an empty list.
3756 Also see |writefile()|.
3757
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003758 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3759remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3760 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3761 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003762 The result must be a String or a |List|. A |List| is turned
3763 into a String by joining the items with a line break in
3764 between (not at the end), like with join(expr, "\n").
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003765 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3766 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3767 remote_read() is stored there.
3768 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3769 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3770 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3771 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
3772 and the result will be the empty string.
3773 Examples: >
3774 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
3775 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
3776<
3777
3778remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
3779 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
3780 This works like: >
3781 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
3782< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
3783 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
3784 to bring itself to the foreground.
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00003785 Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
3786 like foreground() does.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003787 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3788 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3789 Win32 console version}
3790
3791
3792remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
3793 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
3794 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
3795 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
3796 name of a variable.
3797 Returns zero if none are available.
3798 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
3799 See also |clientserver|.
3800 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3801 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3802 Examples: >
3803 :let repl = ""
3804 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
3805
3806remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
3807 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
3808 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
3809 See also |clientserver|.
3810 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3811 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3812 Example: >
3813 :echo remote_read(id)
3814<
3815 *remote_send()* *E241*
3816remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003817 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
3818 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
3819 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003820 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a variable
3821 and a {serverid} for later use with remote_read() is stored
3822 there.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003823 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3824 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3825 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3826 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
3827 up the display.
3828 Examples: >
3829 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
3830 \ remote_read(serverid)
3831
3832 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
3833 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
3834 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
3835 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003836<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003837remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003838 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from |List| {list} and
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003839 return it.
3840 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
3841 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
3842 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
3843 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
3844 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003845 Example: >
3846 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003847 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003848remove({dict}, {key})
3849 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
3850 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
3851< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
3852
3853 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003854
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003855rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
3856 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
3857 should also work to move files across file systems. The
3858 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
3859 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
3860 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3861
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003862repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
3863 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
3864 result. Example: >
3865 :let seperator = repeat('-', 80)
3866< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003867 When {expr} is a |List| the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003868 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003869 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
3870< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003871
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003872
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003873resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
3874 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
3875 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
3876 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
3877 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
3878 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
3879 stopped after 100 iterations.
3880 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
3881 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
3882 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
3883 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
3884 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
3885
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003886 *reverse()*
3887reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
3888 {list}.
3889 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3890 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
3891
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003892search({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline}]]) *search()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003893 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003894 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003895
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003896 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
3897 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003898 'c' accept a match at the cursor position
3899 'e' move to the End of the match
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003900 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003901 'p' return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
3902 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003903 'w' wrap around the end of the file
3904 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
3905 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
3906
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003907 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
3908 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
3909 flag.
3910
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003911 When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
3912 after searching this line. This is useful to restrict the
3913 search to a range of lines. Examples: >
3914 let match = search('(', 'b', line("w0"))
3915 let end = search('END', '', line("w$"))
3916< When {stopline} is used and it is not zero this also implies
3917 that the search does not wrap around the end of the file.
3918
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003919 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
3920 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003921 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
3922 *search()-sub-match*
3923 With the 'p' flag the returned value is one more than the
3924 first sub-match in \(\). One if none of them matched but the
3925 whole pattern did match.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003926 To get the column number too use |searchpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003927
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003928 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
3929 flag is used.
3930
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003931 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
3932 :let n = 1
3933 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
3934 : exe "argument " . n
3935 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
3936 : " first search to find match at start of file
3937 : normal G$
3938 : let flags = "w"
3939 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
3940 : s/foo/bar/g
3941 : let flags = "W"
3942 : endwhile
3943 : update " write the file if modified
3944 : let n = n + 1
3945 :endwhile
3946<
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003947 Example for using some flags: >
3948 :echo search('\<if\|\(else\)\|\(endif\)', 'ncpe')
3949< This will search for the keywords "if", "else", and "endif"
3950 under or after the cursor. Because of the 'p' flag, it
3951 returns 1, 2, or 3 depending on which keyword is found, or 0
3952 if the search fails. With the cursor on the first word of the
3953 line:
3954 if (foo == 0) | let foo = foo + 1 | endif ~
3955 the function returns 1. Without the 'c' flag, the function
3956 finds the "endif" and returns 3. The same thing happens
3957 without the 'e' flag if the cursor is on the "f" of "if".
3958 The 'n' flag tells the function not to move the cursor.
3959
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003960
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00003961searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
3962 Search for the declaration of {name}.
3963
3964 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
3965 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
3966 first match in the function.
3967
3968 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
3969 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
3970 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
3971
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003972 Moves the cursor to the found match.
3973 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3974 Example: >
3975 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
3976 echo getline('.')
3977 endif
3978<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003979 *searchpair()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003980searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003981 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
3982 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
3983 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00003984 The search starts at the cursor. The default is to search
3985 forward, include 'b' in {flags} to search backward.
3986 If a match is found, the cursor is positioned at it and the
3987 line number is returned. If no match is found 0 or -1 is
3988 returned and the cursor doesn't move. No error message is
3989 given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003990
3991 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
3992 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
3993 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
3994 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
3995 typical use is: >
3996 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
3997< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
3998
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003999 {flags} 'b', 'c', 'n', 's', 'w' and 'W' are used like with
4000 |search()|. Additionally:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004001 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
4002 outer pair
4003 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004004 the match; will be > 1 when 'r' is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004005
4006 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
4007 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
4008 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
4009 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
4010 or a string.
4011 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
4012 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
4013 and -1 returned.
4014
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004015 For {stopline} see |search()|.
4016
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004017 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
4018 patterns are used like it's on.
4019
4020 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
4021 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
4022 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
4023 if 1
4024 if 2
4025 endif 2
4026 endif 1
4027< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
4028 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
4029 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
4030 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
4031 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
4032 "endif 2".
4033 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
4034 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
4035 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
4036 the matching start.
4037
4038 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
4039
4040 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
4041 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
4042
4043< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
4044 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
4045 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
4046 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
4047 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
4048 match.
4049 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
4050
4051 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
4052
4053< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
4054 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
4055 highlighting recognized as strings: >
4056
4057 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
4058 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
4059<
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004060 *searchpairpos()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004061searchpairpos({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004062 Same as searchpair(), but returns a |List| with the line and
4063 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4064 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004065 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4066 returns [0, 0].
4067>
4068 :let [lnum,col] = searchpairpos('{', '', '}', 'n')
4069<
4070 See |match-parens| for a bigger and more useful example.
4071
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004072searchpos({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline}]]) *searchpos()*
4073 Same as |search()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004074 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4075 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
4076 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4077 returns [0, 0].
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004078 Example: >
4079 :let [lnum, col] = searchpos('mypattern', 'n')
4080
4081< When the 'p' flag is given then there is an extra item with
4082 the sub-pattern match number |search()-sub-match|. Example: >
4083 :let [lnum, col, submatch] = searchpos('\(\l\)\|\(\u\)', 'np')
4084< In this example "submatch" is 2 when a lowercase letter is
4085 found |/\l|, 3 when an uppercase letter is found |/\u|.
4086
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004087server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
4088 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
4089 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
4090 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4091 Note:
4092 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004093 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004094 before calling any commands that waits for input.
4095 See also |clientserver|.
4096 Example: >
4097 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
4098<
4099serverlist() *serverlist()*
4100 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
4101 When there are no servers or the information is not available
4102 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
4103 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4104 Example: >
4105 :echo serverlist()
4106<
4107setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
4108 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
4109 {val}.
4110 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
4111 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
4112 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
4113 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
4114 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
4115 Examples: >
4116 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
4117 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
4118< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4119
4120setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
4121 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
4122 {pos}. The first position is 1.
4123 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
4124 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004125 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
4126 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
4127 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
4128 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
4129 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004130 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
4131 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
4132 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
4133 line.
4134
4135setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004136 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
4137 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004138 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {line} will be
4139 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004140 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
4141 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004142 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004143< When {line} is a |List| then line {lnum} and following lines
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004144 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
4145 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
4146< This is equivalent to: >
4147 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
4148 : call setline(n, l)
4149 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004150< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
4151
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004152setloclist({nr}, {list} [, {action}]) *setloclist()*
4153 Create or replace or add to the location list for window {nr}.
4154 When {nr} is zero the current window is used. For a location
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004155 list window, the displayed location list is modified. For an
4156 invalid window number {nr}, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004157 Otherwise, same as setqflist().
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004158
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004159 *setpos()*
4160setpos({expr}, {list})
4161 Set the position for {expr}. Possible values:
4162 . the cursor
4163 'x mark x
4164
4165 {list} must be a |List| with four numbers:
4166 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4167
4168 "bufnum" is the buffer number. Zero can be used for the
4169 current buffer. Setting the cursor is only possible for
4170 the current buffer. To set a mark in another buffer you can
4171 use the |bufnr()| function to turn a file name into a buffer
4172 number.
4173
4174 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
4175 column is 1. Use a zero "lnum" to delete a mark.
4176
4177 The "off" number is only used when 'virtualedit' is set. Then
4178 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
4179 character. E.g., a position within a Tab or after the last
4180 character.
4181
4182 Also see |getpos()|
4183
4184
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004185setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004186 Create or replace or add to the quickfix list using the items
4187 in {list}. Each item in {list} is a dictionary.
4188 Non-dictionary items in {list} are ignored. Each dictionary
4189 item can contain the following entries:
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004190
4191 filename name of a file
4192 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004193 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004194 col column number
4195 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
4196 when zero: "col" is byte index
4197 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004198 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004199 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004200
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004201 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
4202 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
4203 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004204 If the "filename" entry is not present or neither the "lnum"
4205 or "pattern" entries are present, then the item will not be
4206 handled as an error line.
4207 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
4208 be used.
4209
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004210 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
4211 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
4212 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
4213 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
4214 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
4215 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
4216
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004217 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
4218
4219 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
4220 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
4221 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
4222
4223
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004224 *setreg()*
4225setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
4226 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
4227 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
4228 then the value is appended.
4229 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
4230 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
4231 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
4232 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
4233 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
4234 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
4235 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
4236 in the longest line (counting a <TAB> as 1 character).
4237
4238 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
4239 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
4240 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
4241 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4242
4243 Examples: >
4244 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
4245 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
4246 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
4247
4248< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
4249 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004250 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004251 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
4252 ....
4253 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
4254
4255< You can also change the type of a register by appending
4256 nothing: >
4257 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
4258
4259setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
4260 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {nr} to
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004261 {val}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004262 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
4263 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
4264 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
4265 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
4266 Examples: >
4267 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
4268 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
4269< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4270
4271simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
4272 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
4273 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
4274 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
4275 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
4276 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
4277 not removed either.
4278 Example: >
4279 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
4280< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
4281 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
4282 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
4283 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
4284 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
4285
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004286
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004287sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004288 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
4289 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4290 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
4291< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004292 Numbers sort after Strings, |Lists| after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004293 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004294 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004295 When {func} is a |Funcref| or a function name, this function
4296 is called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004297 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
4298 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
4299 sorts before the second one. Example: >
4300 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
4301 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
4302 endfunc
4303 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004304<
4305
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004306 *soundfold()*
4307soundfold({word})
4308 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
4309 language in 'spellang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004310 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
4311 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004312 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
4313 the method can be quite slow.
4314
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004315 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00004316spellbadword([{sentence}])
4317 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
4318 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
4319 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
4320 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
4321
4322 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
4323 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
4324 result is an empty string.
4325
4326 The return value is a list with two items:
4327 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
4328 - The type of the spelling error:
4329 "bad" spelling mistake
4330 "rare" rare word
4331 "local" word only valid in another region
4332 "caps" word should start with Capital
4333 Example: >
4334 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
4335< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
4336
4337 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
4338 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
4339 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004340
4341 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004342spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004343 Return a |List| with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004344 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
4345 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
4346
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004347 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
4348 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
4349 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
4350
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004351 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
4352 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00004353 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
4354 replace a line.
4355
4356 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004357 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
4358 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004359
4360 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004361 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
4362 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004363
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004364
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004365split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004366 Make a |List| out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or
4367 empty each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an
4368 item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004369 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004370 removing the matched characters.
4371 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
4372 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00004373 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
4374 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004375 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004376 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004377< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004378 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00004379< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
4380 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
4381< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004382 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
4383 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
4384< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004385
4386
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004387strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
4388 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
4389 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
4390 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
4391 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
4392 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
4393 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
4394 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
4395 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
4396 Examples: >
4397 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
4398 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
4399 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
4400 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
4401 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
4402 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004403< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4404 :if exists("*strftime")
4405
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004406stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
4407 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4408 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004409 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
4410 This can be used to find a second match: >
4411 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
4412 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
4413< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004414 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004415 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004416 See also |strridx()|.
4417 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004418 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
4419 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
4420 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004421< *strstr()* *strchr()*
4422 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
4423 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
4424
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004425 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004426string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
4427 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
4428 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004429 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004430 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004431 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004432 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004433 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004434 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004435 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004436
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004437 *strlen()*
4438strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004439 {expr} in bytes.
4440 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
4441 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004442
4443 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004444<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004445 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
4446 For other types an error is given.
4447 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004448
4449strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
4450 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004451 byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004452 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
4453 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
4454 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
4455 end of the {src}. >
4456 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
4457 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
4458 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
4459 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
4460< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
4461 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
4462 strpart(getline(line(".")), col(".") - 1, 3)
4463<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004464strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
4465 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4466 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
4467 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
4468 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
4469 match: >
4470 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
4471 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
4472< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004473 For pattern searches use |match()|.
4474 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004475 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004476 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004477 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004478< *strrchr()*
4479 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
4480 function strrchr().
4481
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004482strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
4483 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
4484 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
4485 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
4486 echo strtrans(@a)
4487< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
4488 starting a new line.
4489
4490submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
4491 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
4492 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
4493 the whole matched text is returned.
4494 Example: >
4495 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
4496< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
4497 A line break is included as a newline character.
4498
4499substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
4500 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
4501 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
4502 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
4503 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
4504 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
4505 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
4506 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
4507 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
4508 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
4509 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
4510 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
4511 unmodified.
4512 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
4513 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
4514 Example: >
4515 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
4516< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
4517 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
4518< results in "TESTING".
4519
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004520synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004521 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004522 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004523 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
4524 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004525
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004526 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004527 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
4528
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004529 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
4530 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
4531 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
4532 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
4533 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
4534 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
4535 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
4536
4537 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
4538 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
4539<
4540synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
4541 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
4542 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
4543 about a syntax item.
4544 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
4545 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
4546 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
4547 used (GUI, cterm or term).
4548 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
4549 {what} result
4550 "name" the name of the syntax item
4551 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
4552 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
4553 term: empty string)
4554 "bg" background color (like "fg")
4555 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
4556 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
4557 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
4558 "bold" "1" if bold
4559 "italic" "1" if italic
4560 "reverse" "1" if reverse
4561 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
4562 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004563 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004564
4565 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
4566 cursor): >
4567 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
4568<
4569synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
4570 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
4571 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
4572 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
4573 ":highlight link" are followed.
4574
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004575system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
4576 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
4577 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
4578 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
4579 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004580 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004581 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
4582 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
4583 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004584 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
4585 The result is a String. Example: >
4586
4587 :let files = system("ls")
4588
4589< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
4590 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
4591 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
4592 The command executed is constructed using several options:
4593 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
4594 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
4595 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
4596 concatenated commands.
4597
4598 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
4599 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00004600
4601 Note that any wrong value in the options mentioned above may
4602 make the function fail. It has also been reported to fail
4603 when using a security agent application.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004604 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
4605 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
4606
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004607
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004608tabpagebuflist([{arg}]) *tabpagebuflist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004609 The result is a |List|, where each item is the number of the
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004610 buffer associated with each window in the current tab page.
4611 {arg} specifies the number of tab page to be used. When
4612 omitted the current tab page is used.
4613 When {arg} is invalid the number zero is returned.
4614 To get a list of all buffers in all tabs use this: >
4615 tablist = []
4616 for i in range(tabpagenr('$'))
4617 call extend(tablist, tabpagebuflist(i + 1))
4618 endfor
4619< Note that a buffer may appear in more than one window.
4620
4621
4622tabpagenr([{arg}]) *tabpagenr()*
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00004623 The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4624 tab page. The first tab page has number 1.
4625 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the last tab
4626 page is returned (the tab page count).
4627 The number can be used with the |:tab| command.
4628
4629
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004630tabpagewinnr({tabarg}, [{arg}]) *tabpagewinnr()*
4631 Like |winnr()| but for tab page {arg}.
4632 {tabarg} specifies the number of tab page to be used.
4633 {arg} is used like with |winnr()|:
4634 - When omitted the current window number is returned. This is
4635 the window which will be used when going to this tab page.
4636 - When "$" the number of windows is returned.
4637 - When "#" the previous window nr is returned.
4638 Useful examples: >
4639 tabpagewinnr(1) " current window of tab page 1
4640 tabpagewinnr(4, '$') " number of windows in tab page 4
4641< When {tabarg} is invalid zero is returned.
4642
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004643taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
4644 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00004645 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
4646 entries:
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004647 name Name of the tag.
4648 filename Name of the file where the tag is
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004649 defined.
4650 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
4651 the file.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004652 kind Type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004653 entry depends on the language specific
4654 kind values generated by the ctags
4655 tool.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004656 static A file specific tag. Refer to
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004657 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004658 The "kind" entry is only available when using Exuberant ctags
4659 generated tags file. More entries may be present, depending
4660 on the content of the tags file: access, implementation,
4661 inherits and signature. Refer to the ctags documentation for
4662 information about these fields. For C code the fields
4663 "struct", "class" and "enum" may appear, they give the name of
4664 the entity the tag is contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004665
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004666 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
4667 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004668
4669 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
4670
4671 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
4672 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
4673 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
4674
4675 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
4676 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
4677 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
4678
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00004679 *tagfiles()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004680tagfiles() Returns a |List| with the file names used to search for tags
4681 for the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00004682
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004683
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004684tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
4685 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
4686 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
4687 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
4688 :let tmpfile = tempname()
4689 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
4690< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
4691 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
4692 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
4693 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
4694 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
4695 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
4696
4697tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
4698 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
4699 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
4700 the string).
4701
4702toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
4703 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
4704 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
4705 the string).
4706
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00004707tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
4708 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
4709 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
4710 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
4711 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
4712 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
4713 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
4714
4715 Examples: >
4716 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
4717< returns "Hello THere" >
4718 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
4719< returns "{blob}"
4720
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004721 *type()*
4722type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004723 Number: 0
4724 String: 1
4725 Funcref: 2
4726 List: 3
4727 Dictionary: 4
4728 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004729 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
4730 :if type(myvar) == type("")
4731 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
4732 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004733 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004734
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004735values({dict}) *values()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004736 Return a |List| with all the values of {dict}. The |List| is
4737 in arbitrary order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004738
4739
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004740virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
4741 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
4742 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
4743 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
4744 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
4745 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
4746 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
4747 set to 8, it returns 8.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004748 For the use of {expr} see |col()|. Additionally you can use
Bram Moolenaar5c8837f2006-02-25 21:52:33 +00004749 [lnum, col]: a |List| with the line and column number. When
4750 "lnum" or "col" is out of range then virtcol() returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004751 When 'virtualedit' is used it can be [lnum, col, off], where
4752 "off" is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
4753 character. E.g., a position within a Tab or after the last
4754 character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004755 For the byte position use |col()|.
4756 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
4757 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
4758 The accepted positions are:
4759 . the cursor position
4760 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
4761 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
4762 plus one)
4763 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
4764 returned)
4765 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
4766 Examples: >
4767 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
4768 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
4769 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
4770< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
4771
4772visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
4773 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
4774 used. Initially it returns an empty string, but once Visual
4775 mode has been used, it returns "v", "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a
4776 single CTRL-V character) for character-wise, line-wise, or
4777 block-wise Visual mode respectively.
4778 Example: >
4779 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
4780< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
4781 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
4782 Visual mode that was used.
4783
4784 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
4785 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
4786 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
4787 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
4788
4789 *winbufnr()*
4790winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004791 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004792 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
4793 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4794 Example: >
4795 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
4796<
4797 *wincol()*
4798wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
4799 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
4800 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
4801
4802winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
4803 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
4804 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
4805 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4806 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
4807 Examples: >
4808 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
4809<
4810 *winline()*
4811winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
4812 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
4813 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00004814 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
4815 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004816
4817 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004818winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4819 window. The top window has number 1.
4820 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00004821 last window is returned (the window count).
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004822 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
4823 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
4824 If there is no previous window 0 is returned.
4825 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
4826 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004827
4828 *winrestcmd()*
4829winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
4830 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004831 are opened or closed and the current window and tab page is
4832 unchanged.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004833 Example: >
4834 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
4835 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
4836 :exe cmd
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004837<
4838 *winrestview()*
4839winrestview({dict})
4840 Uses the |Dictionary| returned by |winsaveview()| to restore
4841 the view of the current window.
4842 If you have changed the values the result is unpredictable.
4843 If the window size changed the result won't be the same.
4844
4845 *winsaveview()*
4846winsaveview() Returns a |Dictionary| that contains information to restore
4847 the view of the current window. Use |winrestview()| to
4848 restore the view.
4849 This is useful if you have a mapping that jumps around in the
4850 buffer and you want to go back to the original view.
4851 This does not save fold information. Use the 'foldenable'
4852 option to temporarily switch of folding, so that folds are not
4853 opened when moving around.
4854 The return value includes:
4855 lnum cursor line number
4856 col cursor column
4857 coladd cursor column offset for 'virtualedit'
4858 curswant column for vertical movement
4859 topline first line in the window
4860 topfill filler lines, only in diff mode
4861 leftcol first column displayed
4862 skipcol columns skipped
4863 Note that no option values are saved.
4864
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004865
4866winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
4867 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
4868 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
4869 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4870 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
4871 Examples: >
4872 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
4873 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
4874 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
4875 :endif
4876<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004877 *writefile()*
4878writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004879 Write |List| {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004880 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
4881 Number.
4882 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
4883 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
4884 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
4885 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
4886 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
4887 to writefile().
4888 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
4889 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
4890 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
4891 fails.
4892 Also see |readfile()|.
4893 To copy a file byte for byte: >
4894 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
4895 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
4896<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004897
4898 *feature-list*
4899There are three types of features:
49001. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
4901 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
4902 :if has("cindent")
49032. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
4904 Example: >
4905 :if has("gui_running")
4906< *has-patch*
49073. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
4908 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
4909 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
4910 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
4911
4912all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
4913amiga Amiga version of Vim.
4914arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
4915arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00004916autocmd Compiled with autocommand support. |autocommand|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004917balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00004918balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004919beos BeOS version of Vim.
4920browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
4921 work.
4922builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
4923byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
4924cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
4925clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
4926clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
4927cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
4928cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
4929cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
4930comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
4931cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
4932cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
4933compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
4934debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
4935dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
4936dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
4937diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
4938digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
4939dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
4940dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
4941dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
4942ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
4943emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
4944eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
4945 true, of course!
4946ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
4947extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
4948 |'hlsearch'|
4949farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
4950file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004951filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
4952 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004953find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
4954 |+find_in_path|.
4955fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
4956 Windows this is not present).
4957folding Compiled with |folding| support.
4958footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
4959fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
4960gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
4961gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
4962gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004963gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
4964gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00004965gui_kde Compiled with KDE GUI |KVim|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004966gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
4967gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
4968gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
4969gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
4970gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
4971gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
4972hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
4973iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
4974insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
4975 Insert mode.
4976jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
4977keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
4978langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
4979libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
4980linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
4981 support.
4982lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
4983listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
4984 and the argument list |arglist|.
4985localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
4986mac Macintosh version of Vim.
4987macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
4988menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
4989mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
4990modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
4991mouse Compiled with support mouse.
4992mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
4993mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
4994mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
4995mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
4996mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
4997mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
4998multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
4999multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
5000multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00005001mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005002netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00005003netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005004ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
5005os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
5006osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
5007path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
5008perl Compiled with Perl interface.
5009postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
5010printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005011profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005012python Compiled with Python interface.
5013qnx QNX version of Vim.
5014quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
5015rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
5016ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
5017scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
5018showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
5019signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
5020smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00005021sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005022statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
5023 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
5024sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00005025spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
5026syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005027syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
5028 current buffer.
5029system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
5030tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
5031 |tag-binary-search|.
5032tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
5033 |tag-old-static|.
5034tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
5035 files |tag-any-white|.
5036tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
5037terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
5038termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
5039textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
5040tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
5041 or terminfo file.
5042title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
5043toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
5044unix Unix version of Vim.
5045user_commands User-defined commands.
5046viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
5047vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
5048vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
5049virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
5050visual Compiled with Visual mode.
5051visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
5052 |blockwise-operators|.
5053vms VMS version of Vim.
5054vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
5055wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
5056wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
5057windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
5058winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
5059win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
5060win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
5061win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
5062win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
5063win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
5064writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
5065xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
5066xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
5067xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
5068xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
5069xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
5070xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
5071 xterm screen.
5072x11 Compiled with X11 support.
5073
5074 *string-match*
5075Matching a pattern in a String
5076
5077A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
5078the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
5079everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
5080like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
5081line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
5082with ".". Example: >
5083 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
5084 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
5085 aa
5086 xx
5087 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
5088 a
5089 x
5090
5091Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
5092"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
5093"\n".
5094
5095==============================================================================
50965. Defining functions *user-functions*
5097
5098New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
5099functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
5100commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
5101
5102The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
5103builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
5104avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
5105the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
5106
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005107It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
5108|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005109
5110 *local-function*
5111A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
5112can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
5113and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
5114function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
5115instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
5116
5117 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
5118:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
5119
5120:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005121 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5122 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005123 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005124
5125:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
5126 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
5127 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005128<
5129 *:function-verbose*
5130When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
5131last defined. Example: >
5132
5133 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
5134 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
5135 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
5136<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00005137See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005138
5139 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005140:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005141 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
5142 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
5143 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005144
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005145 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5146 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005147 :function dict.init(arg)
5148< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
5149 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
5150 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
5151 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
5152 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
5153 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005154 *E127* *E122*
5155 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
5156 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
5157 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
5158 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005159
5160 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
5161
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005162 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
5163 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
5164 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
5165 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
5166 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
5167 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
5168 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005169
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005170 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
5171 abort as soon as an error is detected.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005172
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005173 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005174 be invoked through an entry in a |Dictionary|. The
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005175 local variable "self" will then be set to the
5176 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005177
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00005178 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
5179 will not be changed by the function.
5180
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005181 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
5182:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
5183 by its own, without other commands.
5184
5185 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
5186:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005187 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5188 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005189 :delfunc dict.init
5190< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
5191 function is deleted if there are no more references to
5192 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005193 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
5194:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
5195 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
5196 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
5197 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
5198 the number 0 is returned.
5199 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
5200 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
5201
5202 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
5203 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
5204 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
5205 are executed first. This process applies to all
5206 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
5207 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
5208
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005209 *function-argument* *a:var*
5210An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
5211be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
5212 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740*
5213Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
5214arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
5215may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
5216as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005217can be 0). "a:000" is set to a |List| that contains these arguments. Note
5218that "a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005219 *E742*
5220The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005221However, if a |List| or |Dictionary| is used, you can changes their contents.
5222Thus you can pass a |List| to a function and have the function add an item to
5223it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a |List| or
5224|Dictionary| use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005225
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005226When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
5227to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
5228may be larger.
5229
5230It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
5231still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
5232until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
5233inside a function body.
5234
5235 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005236Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
5237will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
5238accessed with "g:".
5239
5240Example: >
5241 :function Table(title, ...)
5242 : echohl Title
5243 : echo a:title
5244 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005245 : echo a:0 . " items:"
5246 : for s in a:000
5247 : echon ' ' . s
5248 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005249 :endfunction
5250
5251This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005252 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
5253 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005254
5255To return more than one value, pass the name of a global variable: >
5256 :function Compute(n1, n2, divname)
5257 : if a:n2 == 0
5258 : return "fail"
5259 : endif
5260 : let g:{a:divname} = a:n1 / a:n2
5261 : return "ok"
5262 :endfunction
5263
5264This function can then be called with: >
5265 :let success = Compute(13, 1324, "div")
5266 :if success == "ok"
5267 : echo div
5268 :endif
5269
5270An alternative is to return a command that can be executed. This also works
5271with local variables in a calling function. Example: >
5272 :function Foo()
5273 : execute Bar()
5274 : echo "line " . lnum . " column " . col
5275 :endfunction
5276
5277 :function Bar()
5278 : return "let lnum = " . line(".") . " | let col = " . col(".")
5279 :endfunction
5280
5281The names "lnum" and "col" could also be passed as argument to Bar(), to allow
5282the caller to set the names.
5283
5284 *:cal* *:call* *E107*
5285:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
5286 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
5287 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
5288 used.
5289 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
5290 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
5291 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
5292 function.
5293 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
5294 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
5295 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
5296 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
5297 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
5298 this works:
5299 *function-range-example* >
5300 :function Mynumber(arg)
5301 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
5302 :endfunction
5303 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
5304<
5305 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
5306 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
5307 the range.
5308
5309 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
5310
5311 :function Cont() range
5312 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
5313 :endfunction
5314 :4,8call Cont()
5315<
5316 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
5317 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
5318
5319 *E132*
5320The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
5321option.
5322
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005323
5324AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005325 *autoload-functions*
5326When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005327only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
5328the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
5329
5330
5331Using an autocommand ~
5332
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005333This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
5334
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005335The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
5336You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
5337That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
5338again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
5339
5340Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
5341function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005342
5343 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
5344
5345The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
5346"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
5347
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005348
5349Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005350 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005351This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
5352
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005353Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
5354exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
5355like this: >
5356
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005357 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005358
5359When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
5360"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
5361"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
5362then define the function like this: >
5363
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005364 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005365 echo "Done!"
5366 endfunction
5367
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00005368The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005369exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
5370called.
5371
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005372It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
5373a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005374
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005375 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005376
5377Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
5378
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005379This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
5380
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005381 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005382
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00005383However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
5384for an unknown variable.
5385
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005386When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
5387be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
5388
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005389 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
5390 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005391
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00005392Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
5393defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
5394function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005395And you will get an error message every time.
5396
5397Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
5398other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
5399Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005400
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005401==============================================================================
54026. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
5403
5404Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
5405This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
5406{} like this: >
5407 my_{adjective}_variable
5408
5409When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
5410that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
5411name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
5412"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
5413"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
5414
5415One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
5416value. For example, the statement >
5417 echo my_{&background}_message
5418
5419would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
5420on the current value of 'background'.
5421
5422You can use multiple brace pairs: >
5423 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
5424..or even nest them: >
5425 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
5426where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
5427
5428However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005429variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005430 :let foo='a + b'
5431 :echo c{foo}d
5432.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
5433
5434 *curly-braces-function-names*
5435You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
5436Example: >
5437 :let func_end='whizz'
5438 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
5439
5440This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
5441
5442==============================================================================
54437. Commands *expression-commands*
5444
5445:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
5446 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
5447 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
5448 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
5449 is created.
5450
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005451:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
5452 Set a list item to the result of the expression
5453 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
5454 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
5455 the index can be repeated.
5456 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
5457
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005458 *E711* *E719*
5459:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005460 Set a sequence of items in a |List| to the result of
5461 the expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005462 correct number of items.
5463 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
5464 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
5465 When the selected range of items is partly past the
5466 end of the list, items will be added.
5467
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005468 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005469:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
5470:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
5471:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
5472 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
5473 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
5474
5475
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005476:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
5477 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
5478 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005479:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
5480 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
5481 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
5482 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005483
5484:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
5485 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
5486 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
5487 must be the name of a writable register (see
5488 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
5489 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
5490 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
5491 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
5492 characterwise.
5493 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
5494 :let @/ = ""
5495< This is different from searching for an empty string,
5496 that would match everywhere.
5497
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005498:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
5499 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
5500 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
5501
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005502:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-star*
5503 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005504 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
5505 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005506 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
5507 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
Bram Moolenaara5fac542005-10-12 20:58:49 +00005508 value and the global value are changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005509 Example: >
5510 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005511
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005512:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
5513 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
5514 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
5515
5516:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
5517:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
5518 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
5519 {expr1}.
5520
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005521:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005522:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5523:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
5524:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005525 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
5526 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
5527
5528:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005529:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5530:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
5531:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005532 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
5533 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
5534
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005535:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005536 {expr1} must evaluate to a |List|. The first item in
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005537 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
5538 {name2}, etc.
5539 The number of names must match the number of items in
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005540 the |List|.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005541 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
5542 command as mentioned above.
5543 Example: >
5544 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005545< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
5546 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
5547 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
5548 :let x = [0, 1]
5549 :let i = 0
5550 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
5551 :echo x
5552< The result is [0, 2].
5553
5554:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
5555:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
5556:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
5557 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005558 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005559
5560:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005561 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the |List| may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005562 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
5563 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
5564 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005565 Example: >
5566 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
5567<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005568:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
5569:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
5570:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
5571 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005572 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005573 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005574:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005575 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
5576 here: *E738*
5577 g: global variables.
5578 b: local buffer variables.
5579 w: local window variables.
5580 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005581
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005582:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
5583 variable is indicated before the value:
5584 <nothing> String
5585 # Number
5586 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005587
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005588
5589:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108*
5590 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
5591 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005592 may also be a |List| or |Dictionary| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005593 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
5594 variables.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005595 One or more items from a |List| can be removed: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005596 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
5597 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005598< One item from a |Dictionary| can be removed at a time: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005599 :unlet dict['two']
5600 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005601
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005602:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
5603 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
5604 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
5605 A locked variable can be deleted: >
5606 :lockvar v
5607 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
5608 :unlet v
5609< *E741*
5610 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
5611 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
5612
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005613 [depth] is relevant when locking a |List| or
5614 |Dictionary|. It specifies how deep the locking goes:
5615 1 Lock the |List| or |Dictionary| itself,
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005616 cannot add or remove items, but can
5617 still change their values.
5618 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005619 the items. If an item is a |List| or
5620 |Dictionary|, cannot add or remove
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005621 items, but can still change the
5622 values.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005623 3 Like 2 but for the |List| /
5624 |Dictionary| in the |List| /
5625 |Dictionary|, one level deeper.
5626 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a |List|
5627 or |Dictionary| the values cannot be changed.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005628 *E743*
5629 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
5630 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
5631 loops.
5632
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005633 Note that when two variables refer to the same |List|
5634 and you lock one of them, the |List| will also be
5635 locked when used through the other variable. Example:
5636 >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005637 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
5638 :let cl = l
5639 :lockvar l
5640 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
5641< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
5642 See |deepcopy()|.
5643
5644
5645:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
5646 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
5647 opposite of |:lockvar|.
5648
5649
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005650:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
5651:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5652 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5653
5654 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
5655 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
5656 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
5657 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
5658 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
5659 part was not executed either.
5660
5661 You can use this to remain compatible with older
5662 versions: >
5663 :if version >= 500
5664 : version-5-specific-commands
5665 :endif
5666< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
5667 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
5668 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
5669 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
5670 avoid problems: >
5671 :if version >= 600
5672 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
5673 :endif
5674<
5675 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
5676 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
5677
5678 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
5679:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5680 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
5681 executed.
5682
5683 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
5684:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
5685 is no extra ":endif".
5686
5687:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005688 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005689:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
5690 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5691 When an error is detected from a command inside the
5692 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005693 Example: >
5694 :let lnum = 1
5695 :while lnum <= line("$")
5696 :call FixLine(lnum)
5697 :let lnum = lnum + 1
5698 :endwhile
5699<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005700 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005701 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005702
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005703:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005704:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
5705 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005706 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005707 value of each item.
5708 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005709 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00005710 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
5711 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005712 :for item in copy(mylist)
5713< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
5714 next item in the list, before executing the commands
5715 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
5716 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
5717 it will not be found. Thus the following example
5718 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
5719 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005720 :call remove(mylist, 0)
5721 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005722< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
5723 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
5724 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005725 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
5726 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
5727 to allow multiple item types.
5728
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005729:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
5730:endfo[r]
5731 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
5732 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
5733 {var2}, etc. Example: >
5734 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
5735 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
5736 :endfor
5737<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005738 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005739:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
5740 to the start of the loop.
5741 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5742 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5743 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5744 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5745 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5746 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005747
5748 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005749:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
5750 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
5751 ":endfor".
5752 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5753 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5754 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5755 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5756 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5757 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005758
5759:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
5760:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
5761 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
5762 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
5763 or autocommand invocations.
5764
5765 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
5766 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
5767 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
5768 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
5769 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
5770 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
5771 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
5772 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
5773 Example: >
5774 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
5775 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
5776<
5777 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
5778 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
5779 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
5780 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
5781 processing is not terminated.
5782
5783 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
5784 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
5785 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
5786 other errors are converted to a value of the form
5787 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
5788 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
5789 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
5790 the error number.
5791 Examples: >
5792 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
5793 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
5794<
5795 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
5796:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
5797 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
5798 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
5799 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
5800 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
5801 commands are skipped.
5802 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
5803 Examples: >
5804 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
5805 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
5806 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
5807 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
5808 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
5809 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
5810 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
5811 :catch " same as /.*/
5812<
5813 Another character can be used instead of / around the
5814 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
5815 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
5816 {pattern}.
5817 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
5818 an error message because it may vary in different
5819 locales.
5820
5821 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
5822:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
5823 are executed whenever the part between the matching
5824 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
5825 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
5826 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
5827 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
5828
5829 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
5830:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
5831 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
5832 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
5833 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
5834 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
5835 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
5836 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
5837 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
5838 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
5839 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
5840 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
5841 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
5842 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
5843 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
5844 is terminated.
5845 Example: >
5846 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
5847<
5848
5849 *:ec* *:echo*
5850:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
5851 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
5852 Also see |:comment|.
5853 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
5854 cursor to the first column.
5855 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5856 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5857 Example: >
5858 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
5859< A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
5860 To avoid that a command from before the ":echo" causes
5861 a redraw afterwards (redraws are often postponed until
5862 you type something), force a redraw with the |:redraw|
5863 command. Example: >
5864 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
5865<
5866 *:echon*
5867:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
5868 |:comment|.
5869 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5870 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5871 Example: >
5872 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
5873<
5874 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
5875 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
5876 command: >
5877 :!echo % --> filename
5878< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
5879 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
5880< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
5881 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
5882 :echo % --> nothing
5883< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
5884 :echo "%" --> %
5885< This just echoes the '%' character. >
5886 :echo expand("%") --> filename
5887< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
5888
5889 *:echoh* *:echohl*
5890:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
5891 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
5892 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
5893 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
5894< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
5895 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
5896
5897 *:echom* *:echomsg*
5898:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
5899 message in the |message-history|.
5900 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5901 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
5902 displayed, not interpreted.
5903 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5904 Example: >
5905 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
5906<
5907 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
5908:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
5909 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
5910 script or function the line number will be added.
5911 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5912 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
5913 the message is raised as an error exception instead
5914 (see |try-echoerr|).
5915 Example: >
5916 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
5917< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
5918 And to get a beep: >
5919 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
5920<
5921 *:exe* *:execute*
5922:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
5923 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
5924 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
5925 used as the processed command, command line editing
5926 keys are not recognized.
5927 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5928 Examples: >
5929 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
5930 :execute "normal " count . "w"
5931<
5932 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
5933 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
5934 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
5935
5936< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
5937 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
5938 command: >
5939 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
5940< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
5941
5942 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005943 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
5944 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005945 :execute 'while i > 5'
5946 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
5947<
5948 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
5949 completely in the executed string: >
5950 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
5951<
5952
5953 *:comment*
5954 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
5955 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
5956 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
5957 comment. Example: >
5958 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
5959
5960==============================================================================
59618. Exception handling *exception-handling*
5962
5963The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
5964explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
5965
5966Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
5967|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
5968exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
5969
5970
5971TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
5972
5973Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
5974use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
5975a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
5976 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
5977|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
5978a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
5979be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
5980which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
5981clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
5982
5983 :try
5984 : ...
5985 : ... TRY BLOCK
5986 : ...
5987 :catch /{pattern}/
5988 : ...
5989 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5990 : ...
5991 :catch /{pattern}/
5992 : ...
5993 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5994 : ...
5995 :finally
5996 : ...
5997 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
5998 : ...
5999 :endtry
6000
6001The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
6002appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
6003from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
6004 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
6005is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
6006script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
6007 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
6008lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
6009patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
6010after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
6011executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
6012":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
6013(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
6014continues in the following line as usual.
6015 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
6016":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
6017that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
6018finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
6019the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
6020the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
6021see |try-nesting|.
6022 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
6023remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
6024not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
6025try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
6026a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
6027execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
6028exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6029 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
6030thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
6031clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
6032catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
6033following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
6034clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6035
6036The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
6037a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
6038try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
6039from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
6040sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
6041":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
6042":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
6043from the finally clause.
6044 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
6045try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
6046clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
6047":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
6048clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
6049":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
6050this pending exception or command is discarded.
6051
6052For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
6053
6054
6055NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
6056
6057Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
6058conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
6059clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
6060catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
6061of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
6062checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
6063try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
6064otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
6065nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
6066one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
6067the inner try conditional.
6068
6069When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
6070finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
6071An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
6072thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
6073implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
6074as usual.
6075
6076For examples see |throw-catch|.
6077
6078
6079EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
6080
6081Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
6082'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
6083script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
6084finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
6085a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
6086(see |debug-scripts|).
6087
6088
6089THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
6090
6091You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
6092and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
6093 :throw 4711
6094 :throw "string"
6095< *throw-expression*
6096You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
6097first, and the result is thrown: >
6098 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
6099 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
6100
6101An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
6102command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
6103The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
6104 Example: >
6105
6106 :function! Foo(arg)
6107 : try
6108 : throw a:arg
6109 : catch /foo/
6110 : endtry
6111 : return 1
6112 :endfunction
6113 :
6114 :function! Bar()
6115 : echo "in Bar"
6116 : return 4710
6117 :endfunction
6118 :
6119 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
6120
6121This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
6122executed. >
6123 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
6124however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
6125
6126Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
6127abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
6128exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
6129 Example: >
6130
6131 :if Foo("arrgh")
6132 : echo "then"
6133 :else
6134 : echo "else"
6135 :endif
6136
6137Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
6138
6139 *catch-order*
6140Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
6141commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
6142command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
6143gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
6144 Example: >
6145
6146 :function! Foo(value)
6147 : try
6148 : throw a:value
6149 : catch /^\d\+$/
6150 : echo "Number thrown"
6151 : catch /.*/
6152 : echo "String thrown"
6153 : endtry
6154 :endfunction
6155 :
6156 :call Foo(0x1267)
6157 :call Foo('string')
6158
6159The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
6160An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
6161specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
6162specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
6163
6164 : catch /.*/
6165 : echo "String thrown"
6166 : catch /^\d\+$/
6167 : echo "Number thrown"
6168
6169The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
6170never taken.
6171
6172 *throw-variables*
6173If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
6174in the variable |v:exception|: >
6175
6176 : catch /^\d\+$/
6177 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
6178
6179You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
6180|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
6181exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
6182 Example: >
6183
6184 :function! Caught()
6185 : if v:exception != ""
6186 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
6187 : else
6188 : echo 'Nothing caught'
6189 : endif
6190 :endfunction
6191 :
6192 :function! Foo()
6193 : try
6194 : try
6195 : try
6196 : throw 4711
6197 : finally
6198 : call Caught()
6199 : endtry
6200 : catch /.*/
6201 : call Caught()
6202 : throw "oops"
6203 : endtry
6204 : catch /.*/
6205 : call Caught()
6206 : finally
6207 : call Caught()
6208 : endtry
6209 :endfunction
6210 :
6211 :call Foo()
6212
6213This displays >
6214
6215 Nothing caught
6216 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
6217 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
6218 Nothing caught
6219
6220A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
6221number in the script or function where it has been used: >
6222
6223 :function! LineNumber()
6224 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
6225 :endfunction
6226 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
6227<
6228 *try-nested*
6229An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
6230a surrounding try conditional: >
6231
6232 :try
6233 : try
6234 : throw "foo"
6235 : catch /foobar/
6236 : echo "foobar"
6237 : finally
6238 : echo "inner finally"
6239 : endtry
6240 :catch /foo/
6241 : echo "foo"
6242 :endtry
6243
6244The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
6245clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
6246conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
6247
6248 *throw-from-catch*
6249You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
6250catch clause: >
6251
6252 :function! Foo()
6253 : throw "foo"
6254 :endfunction
6255 :
6256 :function! Bar()
6257 : try
6258 : call Foo()
6259 : catch /foo/
6260 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
6261 : throw "bar"
6262 : endtry
6263 :endfunction
6264 :
6265 :try
6266 : call Bar()
6267 :catch /.*/
6268 : echo "Caught" v:exception
6269 :endtry
6270
6271This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
6272
6273 *rethrow*
6274There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
6275"v:exception" instead: >
6276
6277 :function! Bar()
6278 : try
6279 : call Foo()
6280 : catch /.*/
6281 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
6282 : throw v:exception
6283 : endtry
6284 :endfunction
6285< *try-echoerr*
6286Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
6287exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
6288Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
6289denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
6290the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
6291
6292 :try
6293 : try
6294 : asdf
6295 : catch /.*/
6296 : echoerr v:exception
6297 : endtry
6298 :catch /.*/
6299 : echo v:exception
6300 :endtry
6301
6302This code displays
6303
6304 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
6305
6306
6307CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
6308
6309Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
6310user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
6311an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
6312a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
6313catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
6314a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
6315normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
6316(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
6317to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
6318clause has been executed.)
6319Example: >
6320
6321 :try
6322 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
6323 : set ts=17
6324 :
6325 : " Do the hard work here.
6326 :
6327 :finally
6328 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
6329 : unlet s:saved_ts
6330 :endtry
6331
6332This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
6333changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
6334that function or script part.
6335
6336 *break-finally*
6337Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
6338a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
6339 Example: >
6340
6341 :let first = 1
6342 :while 1
6343 : try
6344 : if first
6345 : echo "first"
6346 : let first = 0
6347 : continue
6348 : else
6349 : throw "second"
6350 : endif
6351 : catch /.*/
6352 : echo v:exception
6353 : break
6354 : finally
6355 : echo "cleanup"
6356 : endtry
6357 : echo "still in while"
6358 :endwhile
6359 :echo "end"
6360
6361This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
6362
6363 :function! Foo()
6364 : try
6365 : return 4711
6366 : finally
6367 : echo "cleanup\n"
6368 : endtry
6369 : echo "Foo still active"
6370 :endfunction
6371 :
6372 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
6373
6374This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
6375extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
6376return value.)
6377
6378 *except-from-finally*
6379Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
6380a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
6381cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
6382exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
6383 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
6384working correctly: >
6385
6386 :try
6387 : try
6388 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
6389 : while 1
6390 : endwhile
6391 : finally
6392 : unlet novar
6393 : endtry
6394 :catch /novar/
6395 :endtry
6396 :echo "Script still running"
6397 :sleep 1
6398
6399If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
6400think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
6401|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
6402
6403
6404CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
6405
6406If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
6407watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
6408presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
6409exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
6410the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
6411the error exception is.
6412 Error exceptions have the following format: >
6413
6414 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
6415or >
6416 Vim:{errmsg}
6417
6418{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
6419the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
6420when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
6421a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
6422a space.
6423
6424Examples:
6425
6426The command >
6427 :unlet novar
6428normally produces the error message >
6429 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6430which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6431 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
6432
6433The command >
6434 :dwim
6435normally produces the error message >
6436 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6437which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6438 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6439
6440You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
6441 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
6442or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
6443 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
6444
6445Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
6446 :function nofunc
6447and >
6448 :delfunction nofunc
6449both produce the error message >
6450 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6451which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6452 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6453or >
6454 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6455respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
6456command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
6457 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
6458
6459Some commands like >
6460 :let x = novar
6461produce multiple error messages, here: >
6462 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6463 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6464Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
6465one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
6466 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
6467
6468You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
6469 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
6470
6471You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
6472 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
6473
6474You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
6475 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
6476<
6477 *catch-text*
6478NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
6479 :catch /No such variable/
6480only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
6481a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
6482cite the message text in a comment: >
6483 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
6484
6485
6486IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
6487
6488You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
6489
6490 :try
6491 : write
6492 :catch
6493 :endtry
6494
6495But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
6496catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
6497be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
6498
6499 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
6500
6501There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
6502writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
6503then hide the error from the user.
6504 It is much better to use >
6505
6506 :try
6507 : write
6508 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6509 :endtry
6510
6511which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
6512intentionally.
6513
6514For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
6515even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
6516command: >
6517 :silent! nunmap k
6518This works also when a try conditional is active.
6519
6520
6521CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
6522
6523When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
6524the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
6525script is not terminated, then.
6526 Example: >
6527
6528 :function! TASK1()
6529 : sleep 10
6530 :endfunction
6531
6532 :function! TASK2()
6533 : sleep 20
6534 :endfunction
6535
6536 :while 1
6537 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
6538 : try
6539 : if command == ""
6540 : continue
6541 : elseif command == "END"
6542 : break
6543 : elseif command == "TASK1"
6544 : call TASK1()
6545 : elseif command == "TASK2"
6546 : call TASK2()
6547 : else
6548 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
6549 : continue
6550 : endif
6551 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6552 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
6553 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
6554 : endtry
6555 :endwhile
6556
6557You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
6558a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
6559
6560For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
6561your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
6562command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
6563
6564
6565CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
6566
6567The commands >
6568
6569 :catch /.*/
6570 :catch //
6571 :catch
6572
6573catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
6574explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
6575a script in order to catch unexpected things.
6576 Example: >
6577
6578 :try
6579 :
6580 : " do the hard work here
6581 :
6582 :catch /MyException/
6583 :
6584 : " handle known problem
6585 :
6586 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6587 : echo "Script interrupted"
6588 :catch /.*/
6589 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
6590 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
6591 :endtry
6592 :" end of script
6593
6594Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
6595strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
6596specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
6597 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
6598by pressing CTRL-C: >
6599
6600 :while 1
6601 : try
6602 : sleep 1
6603 : catch
6604 : endtry
6605 :endwhile
6606
6607
6608EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
6609
6610Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
6611
6612 :autocmd User x try
6613 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
6614 :autocmd User x catch
6615 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
6616 :autocmd User x endtry
6617 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
6618 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
6619 :
6620 :try
6621 : doautocmd User x
6622 :catch
6623 : echo v:exception
6624 :endtry
6625
6626This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
6627
6628 *except-autocmd-Pre*
6629For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
6630command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
6631of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
6632abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
6633 Example: >
6634
6635 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
6636 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
6637 :
6638 :try
6639 : write
6640 :catch
6641 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
6642 :endtry
6643
6644Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
6645you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
6646autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
6647script displays: >
6648
6649 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
6650<
6651 *except-autocmd-Post*
6652For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
6653command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
6654an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
6655is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
6656 Example: >
6657
6658 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
6659 :
6660 :try
6661 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6662 :catch
6663 : echo v:exception
6664 :endtry
6665
6666This just displays: >
6667
6668 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
6669
6670If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
6671fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
6672 Example: >
6673
6674 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
6675 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
6676 :
6677 :try
6678 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6679 :catch
6680 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6681 :endtry
6682<
6683You can also use ":silent!": >
6684
6685 :let x = "ok"
6686 :let v:errmsg = ""
6687 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
6688 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
6689 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
6690 :try
6691 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6692 :catch
6693 :endtry
6694 :echo x
6695
6696This displays "after fail".
6697
6698If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
6699autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
6700
6701 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
6702 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
6703 :
6704 :try
6705 : write
6706 :catch
6707 : echo v:exception
6708 :endtry
6709<
6710 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
6711For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
6712autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
6713of the command.
6714 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
6715had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
6716some way. >
6717
6718 :if !exists("cnt")
6719 : let cnt = 0
6720 :
6721 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
6722 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
6723 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
6724 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6725 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6726 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
6727 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
6728 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6729 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6730 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
6731 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6732 :endif
6733 :
6734 :try
6735 : write
6736 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
6737 : if &modified
6738 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
6739 : else
6740 : echo "Error after writing"
6741 : endif
6742 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6743 : echo "Error on writing"
6744 :endtry
6745
6746When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
6747first >
6748 File successfully written!
6749then >
6750 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
6751then >
6752 Error after writing
6753etc.
6754
6755 *except-autocmd-ill*
6756You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
6757The following code is ill-formed: >
6758
6759 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
6760 :
6761 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
6762 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
6763 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
6764 :
6765 :write
6766
6767
6768EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
6769
6770Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
6771pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
6772similar things in Vim.
6773 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
6774class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
6775string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
6776 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
6777it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
6778for an error when writing "myfile".
6779 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
6780base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
6781parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
6782 Example: >
6783
6784 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
6785 : if a:a < 0
6786 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
6787 : endif
6788 :endfunction
6789 :
6790 :function! Add(a, b)
6791 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
6792 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
6793 : let c = a:a + a:b
6794 : if c < 0
6795 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
6796 : endif
6797 : return c
6798 :endfunction
6799 :
6800 :function! Div(a, b)
6801 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
6802 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
6803 : if (a:b == 0)
6804 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
6805 : endif
6806 : return a:a / a:b
6807 :endfunction
6808 :
6809 :function! Write(file)
6810 : try
6811 : execute "write" a:file
6812 : catch /^Vim(write):/
6813 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
6814 : endtry
6815 :endfunction
6816 :
6817 :try
6818 :
6819 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
6820 :
6821 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
6822 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6823 : echo "Range error in" function
6824 :
6825 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
6826 : echo "Math error"
6827 :
6828 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
6829 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
6830 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6831 : if file !~ '^/'
6832 : let file = dir . "/" . file
6833 : endif
6834 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
6835 :
6836 :catch /^EXCEPT/
6837 : echo "Unspecified error"
6838 :
6839 :endtry
6840
6841The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
6842a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
6843exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
6844 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
6845failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
6846
6847
6848PECULIARITIES
6849 *except-compat*
6850The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
6851exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
6852and/or a catch clause.
6853
6854In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
6855continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
6856after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
6857functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
6858or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
6859(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
6860
6861This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
6862immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
6863conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
6864be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
6865termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
6866catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
6867by specifying a finally clause.)
6868
6869When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
6870behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
6871scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
6872
6873However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
6874commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
6875conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
6876script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
6877error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
6878messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
6879|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
6880not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
6881where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
6882error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
6883scripts.
6884
6885 *except-syntax-err*
6886Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
6887the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
6888clauses, however, is executed.
6889 Example: >
6890
6891 :try
6892 : try
6893 : throw 4711
6894 : catch /\(/
6895 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
6896 : catch
6897 : echo "inner catch-all"
6898 : finally
6899 : echo "inner finally"
6900 : endtry
6901 :catch
6902 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
6903 : finally
6904 : echo "outer finally"
6905 :endtry
6906
6907This displays: >
6908 inner finally
6909 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
6910 outer finally
6911The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
6912
6913 *except-single-line*
6914The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
6915a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
6916"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
6917 Example: >
6918 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
6919raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
6920argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
6921error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
6922displayed.
6923
6924 *except-several-errors*
6925When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
6926usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
6927 Example: >
6928 echo novar
6929causes >
6930 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6931 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6932The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6933 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
6934< *except-syntax-error*
6935But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
6936the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
6937 Example: >
6938 unlet novar #
6939causes >
6940 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6941 E488: Trailing characters
6942The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6943 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
6944This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
6945not intended by the user. Example: >
6946 try
6947 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
6948 catch /.*/
6949 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
6950 endtry
6951This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
6952a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
6953
6954==============================================================================
69559. Examples *eval-examples*
6956
6957Printing in Hex ~
6958>
6959 :" The function Nr2Hex() returns the Hex string of a number.
6960 :func Nr2Hex(nr)
6961 : let n = a:nr
6962 : let r = ""
6963 : while n
6964 : let r = '0123456789ABCDEF'[n % 16] . r
6965 : let n = n / 16
6966 : endwhile
6967 : return r
6968 :endfunc
6969
6970 :" The function String2Hex() converts each character in a string to a two
6971 :" character Hex string.
6972 :func String2Hex(str)
6973 : let out = ''
6974 : let ix = 0
6975 : while ix < strlen(a:str)
6976 : let out = out . Nr2Hex(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
6977 : let ix = ix + 1
6978 : endwhile
6979 : return out
6980 :endfunc
6981
6982Example of its use: >
6983 :echo Nr2Hex(32)
6984result: "20" >
6985 :echo String2Hex("32")
6986result: "3332"
6987
6988
6989Sorting lines (by Robert Webb) ~
6990
6991Here is a Vim script to sort lines. Highlight the lines in Vim and type
6992":Sort". This doesn't call any external programs so it'll work on any
6993platform. The function Sort() actually takes the name of a comparison
6994function as its argument, like qsort() does in C. So you could supply it
6995with different comparison functions in order to sort according to date etc.
6996>
6997 :" Function for use with Sort(), to compare two strings.
6998 :func! Strcmp(str1, str2)
6999 : if (a:str1 < a:str2)
7000 : return -1
7001 : elseif (a:str1 > a:str2)
7002 : return 1
7003 : else
7004 : return 0
7005 : endif
7006 :endfunction
7007
7008 :" Sort lines. SortR() is called recursively.
7009 :func! SortR(start, end, cmp)
7010 : if (a:start >= a:end)
7011 : return
7012 : endif
7013 : let partition = a:start - 1
7014 : let middle = partition
7015 : let partStr = getline((a:start + a:end) / 2)
7016 : let i = a:start
7017 : while (i <= a:end)
7018 : let str = getline(i)
7019 : exec "let result = " . a:cmp . "(str, partStr)"
7020 : if (result <= 0)
7021 : " Need to put it before the partition. Swap lines i and partition.
7022 : let partition = partition + 1
7023 : if (result == 0)
7024 : let middle = partition
7025 : endif
7026 : if (i != partition)
7027 : let str2 = getline(partition)
7028 : call setline(i, str2)
7029 : call setline(partition, str)
7030 : endif
7031 : endif
7032 : let i = i + 1
7033 : endwhile
7034
7035 : " Now we have a pointer to the "middle" element, as far as partitioning
7036 : " goes, which could be anywhere before the partition. Make sure it is at
7037 : " the end of the partition.
7038 : if (middle != partition)
7039 : let str = getline(middle)
7040 : let str2 = getline(partition)
7041 : call setline(middle, str2)
7042 : call setline(partition, str)
7043 : endif
7044 : call SortR(a:start, partition - 1, a:cmp)
7045 : call SortR(partition + 1, a:end, a:cmp)
7046 :endfunc
7047
7048 :" To Sort a range of lines, pass the range to Sort() along with the name of a
7049 :" function that will compare two lines.
7050 :func! Sort(cmp) range
7051 : call SortR(a:firstline, a:lastline, a:cmp)
7052 :endfunc
7053
7054 :" :Sort takes a range of lines and sorts them.
7055 :command! -nargs=0 -range Sort <line1>,<line2>call Sort("Strcmp")
7056<
7057 *sscanf*
7058There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
7059line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
7060how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
7061"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
7062 :" Set up the match bit
7063 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
7064 :"get the part matching the whole expression
7065 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
7066 :"get each item out of the match
7067 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
7068 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
7069 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
7070
7071The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
7072"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
7073
7074==============================================================================
707510. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
7076
7077When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
7078evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
7079to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
7080recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
7081and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
7082only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
7083recognized.
7084
7085Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
7086missing: >
7087
7088 :if 1
7089 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
7090 :else
7091 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
7092 :endif
7093
7094==============================================================================
709511. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
7096
7097The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
7098options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
7099these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
7100these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00007101a tags file is executed and for CTRL-R = in the command line.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007102The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007103
7104These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
7105 - changing the buffer text
7106 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
7107 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
7108 - executing a shell command
7109 - reading or writing a file
7110 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00007111 - executing Python, Perl, etc. commands
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007112This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
7113
7114 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00007115:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007116 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
7117 'foldexpr'.
7118
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007119 *sandbox-option*
7120A few options contain an expression. When this expression is evaluated it may
Bram Moolenaard1f56e62006-02-22 21:25:37 +00007121have to be done in the sandbox to avoid a security risc. But the sandbox is
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007122restrictive, thus this only happens when the option was set from an insecure
7123location. Insecure in this context are:
7124- sourcing a .vimrc or .exrc in the current directlry
7125- while executing in the sandbox
7126- value coming from a modeline
7127
7128Note that when in the sandbox and saving an option value and restoring it, the
7129option will still be marked as it was set in the sandbox.
7130
7131==============================================================================
713212. Textlock *textlock*
7133
7134In a few situations it is not allowed to change the text in the buffer, jump
7135to another window and some other things that might confuse or break what Vim
7136is currently doing. This mostly applies to things that happen when Vim is
7137actually doing something else. For example, evaluating the 'balloonexpr' may
7138happen any moment the mouse cursor is resting at some position.
7139
7140This is not allowed when the textlock is active:
7141 - changing the buffer text
7142 - jumping to another buffer or window
7143 - editing another file
7144 - closing a window or quitting Vim
7145 - etc.
7146
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007147
7148 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: