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Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2005 Jun 17
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7Expression evaluation *expression* *expr* *E15* *eval*
8
9Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual |usr_41.txt|.
10
11Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000031
32{Vi does not have any of these commands}
33
34==============================================================================
351. Variables *variables*
36
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000371.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000038 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000039There are four types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000040
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000041Number A 32 bit signed number.
42 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
43
44String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
45 Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
46
47Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
48 Example: function("strlen")
49
50List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
51 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000052
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000053The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
54are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000055
56Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
57the Number. Examples: >
58 Number 123 --> String "123"
59 Number 0 --> String "0"
60 Number -1 --> String "-1"
61
62Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
63to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
64the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
65 String "456" --> Number 456
66 String "6bar" --> Number 6
67 String "foo" --> Number 0
68 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
69 String "0100" --> Number 64
70 String "-8" --> Number -8
71 String "+8" --> Number 0
72
73To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
74 :echo "0100" + 0
75
76For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
77
78Note that in the command >
79 :if "foo"
80"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
81use strlen(): >
82 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000083< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
84List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000085
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000086 *E706*
87You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
88to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000089equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000090 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000091 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000092 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000093
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000094
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000951.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000096 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000097A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000098in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
99around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000100
101 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
102 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000103< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000104A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:" or "b:". You cannot
105have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000106
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000107A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
108Dictionary entry. Example: >
109 :function dict.init() dict
110 : let self.val = 0
111 :endfunction
112
113The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
114function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
115
116A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
117 :call Fn()
118 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000119
120The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000121 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000122
123You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
124arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000125 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000126
127
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001281.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000129 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000130A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
131can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
132position in the sequence.
133
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000134
135List creation ~
136 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000137A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000138Examples: >
139 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
140 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000141
142An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143nested List: >
144 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000145
146An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
147
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000148
149List index ~
150 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000151An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000152after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
153 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000154 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000155
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000156When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000157 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
160the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000161 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
162
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000163To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000164is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000165 :echo get(mylist, idx)
166 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
167
168
169List concatenation ~
170
171Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
172 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000173 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000174
175To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
176it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
177
178
179Sublist ~
180
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000181A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
182separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000183 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000184
185Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
186similar to -1. The difference is that there is no error if the items are not
187available. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000188 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
189 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
190 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000191
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000192The second index can be just before the first index. In that case the result
193is an empty list. If the second index is lower, this results in an error. >
194 :echo mylist[2:1] " result: []
195 :echo mylist[2:0] " error!
196
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000197NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
198using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
199mylist[s : e].
200
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000201
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000202List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000203 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000204When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
205variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
206change "bb": >
207 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
208 :let bb = aa
209 :call add(aa, 4)
210 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000211< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212
213Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
214works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000215a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000216 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
217 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000218 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000219 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
220 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000221< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000222 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000223< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000224
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000225To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000226copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000227
228The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000229List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000230the same value. >
231 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
232 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
233 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000234< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000235 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000236< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000237
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000238Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
239same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
240exception: When comparing a number with a string and the string contains extra
241characters beside the number they are not equal. Example: >
242 echo 4 == "4x"
243< 1 >
244 echo [4] == ["4x"]
245< 0
246
247This is to fix the odd behavior of == that can't be changed for backward
248compatibility reasons.
249
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000250
251List unpack ~
252
253To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
254square brackets, like list items: >
255 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
256
257When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
258this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
259and a variable name: >
260 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
261
262This works like: >
263 :let var1 = mylist[0]
264 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000265 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000266
267Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
268empty list then.
269
270
271List modification ~
272 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000273To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000274 :let list[4] = "four"
275 :let listlist[0][3] = item
276
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000277To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000278modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000279 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
280
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000281Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
282examples: >
283 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
284 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
285 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000286 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000287 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
288 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000289 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000290 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000291 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000292 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000293
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000294Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000295 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
296 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
297
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000298
299For loop ~
300
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000301The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
302to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000303 :for item in mylist
304 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000305 :endfor
306
307This works like: >
308 :let index = 0
309 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000310 : let item = mylist[index]
311 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000312 : let index = index + 1
313 :endwhile
314
315Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000316results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000317the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000318
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000319If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000320function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000321
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000322Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
323requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
324 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
325 : call Doit(lnum, col)
326 :endfor
327
328This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
329must remain the same to avoid an error.
330
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000331It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000332 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
333 : call Doit(i, j)
334 : if !empty(rest)
335 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
336 : endif
337 :endfor
338
339
340List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000341 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000342Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000343 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000344 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000345 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
346 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
347 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000348 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
349 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000350 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
351 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000352 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
353 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000354 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
355 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000356
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000357Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
358example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
359 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
360
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000361
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003621.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000363 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000364A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000365entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
366ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000367
368
369Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000370 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000371A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000372braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
373only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000374 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
375 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000376< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000377A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
378String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000379entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
380Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000381
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000382A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000383nested Dictionary: >
384 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
385
386An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
387
388
389Accessing entries ~
390
391The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
392 :let val = mydict["one"]
393 :let mydict["four"] = 4
394
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000395You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000396
397For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
398form can be used |expr-entry|: >
399 :let val = mydict.one
400 :let mydict.four = 4
401
402Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
403key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000404 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000405
406
407Dictionary to List conversion ~
408
409You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
410turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
411
412Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
413 :for key in keys(mydict)
414 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
415 :endfor
416
417The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
418 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
419
420To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
421 :for v in values(mydict)
422 : echo "value: " . v
423 :endfor
424
425If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000426a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000427 :for entry in items(mydict)
428 : echo entry[0] . ': ' . entry[1]
429 :endfor
430
431
432Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000433 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000434Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
435Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
436Dictionary: >
437 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
438 :let adict = onedict
439 :let adict['a'] = 11
440 :echo onedict['a']
441 11
442
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000443Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
444more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000445
446
447Dictionary modification ~
448 *dict-modification*
449To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
450use |:let| this way: >
451 :let dict[4] = "four"
452 :let dict['one'] = item
453
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000454Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
455Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
456 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
457 :unlet dict.aaa
458 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000459
460Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000461 :call extend(adict, bdict)
462This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
463in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000464Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
465expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
466adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000467
468Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +0000469 :call filter(dict 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000470This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000471
472
473Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000474 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000475When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
476special way with a dictionary. Example: >
477 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000478 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000479 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000480 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
481 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000482
483This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
484Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
485the function was invoked from.
486
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000487It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
488Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
489
490 *numbered-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000491To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
492assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000493 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
494 :function mydict.len() dict
495 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000496 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000497 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000498
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000499The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
500that references this function. The function can only be used through a
501|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
502remaining that refers to it.
503
504It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000505
506
507Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000508 *E715*
509Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000510 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
511 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
512 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
513 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
514 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
515 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
516 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
517 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000518
519
5201.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000521 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000522If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
523function.
524
525When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
526start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
527stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
528
529When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
530start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
531stored in the session file |session-file|.
532
533variable name can be stored where ~
534my_var_6 not
535My_Var_6 session file
536MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
537
538
539It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
540|curly-braces-names|.
541
542==============================================================================
5432. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
544
545Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
546
547|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
548
549|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
550
551|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
552
553|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
554 expr5 != expr5 not equal
555 expr5 > expr5 greater than
556 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
557 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
558 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
559 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
560 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
561
562 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
563 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
564 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
565 matching case
566
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000567 expr5 is expr5 same List instance
568 expr5 isnot expr5 different List instance
569
570|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000571 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
572 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
573
574|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
575 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
576 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
577
578|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
579 - expr7 unary minus
580 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000581
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000582
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000583|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a List
584 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a List
585 expr8.name entry in a Dictionary
586 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with Funcref variable
587
588|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000589 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000590 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000591 [expr1, ...] List
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000592 {expr1: expr1, ...} Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000593 &option option value
594 (expr1) nested expression
595 variable internal variable
596 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
597 $VAR environment variable
598 @r contents of register 'r'
599 function(expr1, ...) function call
600 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
601
602
603".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
604Example: >
605 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
606
607All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
608
609
610expr1 *expr1* *E109*
611-----
612
613expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
614
615The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
616non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
617otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
618Example: >
619 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
620
621Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
622other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
623Example: >
624 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
625
626To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
627 :echo lnum == 1
628 :\ ? "top"
629 :\ : lnum == 1000
630 :\ ? "last"
631 :\ : lnum
632
633
634expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
635---------------
636
637 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
638The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
639are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
640
641 input output ~
642n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
643zero zero zero zero
644zero non-zero non-zero zero
645non-zero zero non-zero zero
646non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
647
648The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
649
650 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
651
652Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
653
654 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
655
656Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
657arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
658
659 let a = 1
660 echo a || b
661
662This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
663so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
664
665 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
666
667This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
668only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
669
670
671expr4 *expr4*
672-----
673
674expr5 {cmp} expr5
675
676Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
677if it evaluates to true.
678
679 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
680 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
681 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
682 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
683 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
684 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000685 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000686 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
687equal == ==# ==?
688not equal != !=# !=?
689greater than > ># >?
690greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
691smaller than < <# <?
692smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
693regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
694regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000695same instance is
696different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000697
698Examples:
699"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
700"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
701"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
702
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000703 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000704A List can only be compared with a List and only "equal", "not equal" and "is"
705can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively. Ignoring
706case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
707
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000708 *E735* *E736*
709A Dictionary can only be compared with a Dictionary and only "equal", "not
710equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the Dictionary,
711recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
712
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000713 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000714A Funcref can only be compared with a Funcref and only "equal" and "not equal"
715can be used. Case is never ignored.
716
717When using "is" or "isnot" with a List this checks if the expressions are
718referring to the same List instance. A copy of a List is different from the
719original List. When using "is" without a List it is equivalent to using
720"equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
721different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
722is false.
723
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000724When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
725and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
726because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
727
728When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
729results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
730necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
731
732When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
733'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp().
734
735When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
736'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp().
737
738The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
739argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
740This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
741matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
742portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
743single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
744Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
745(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
746can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
747 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
748 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
749
750
751expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
752---------------
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000753expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or List concatenation *expr-+*
754expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
755expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000756
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000757For Lists only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The result
758is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
759
760expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
761expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
762expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000763
764For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
765
766Note the difference between "+" and ".":
767 "123" + "456" = 579
768 "123" . "456" = "123456"
769
770When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
771When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
772
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000773None of these work for Funcrefs.
774
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000775
776expr7 *expr7*
777-----
778! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
779- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
780+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
781
782For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
783For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
784For '+' the number is unchanged.
785
786A String will be converted to a Number first.
787
788These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
789 !-1 == 0
790 !!8 == 1
791 --9 == 9
792
793
794expr8 *expr8*
795-----
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000796expr8[expr1] item of String or List *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000797
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000798If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
799expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000800Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000801
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000802Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
803text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
804cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000805 :let c = getline(line("."))[col(".") - 1]
806
807If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000808String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
809compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
810
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000811If expr8 is a List then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000812for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
813error. Example: >
814 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
815
816Generally, if a List index is equal to or higher than the length of the List,
817or more negative than the length of the List, this results in an error.
818
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000819
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000820expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000821
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000822If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
823from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000824expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
825encodings.
826
827If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
828string minus one is used.
829
830A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
831the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
832
833If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
834expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
835
836Examples: >
837 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
838 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
839 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
840 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
841
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000842If expr8 is a List this results in a new List with the items indicated by the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000843indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained just
844above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
845 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
846 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
847 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
848
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000849Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a Funcref results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000850
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000851
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000852expr8.name entry in a Dictionary *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000853
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000854If expr8 is a Dictionary and it is followed by a dot, then the following name
855will be used as a key in the Dictionary. This is just like: expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000856
857The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
858but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
859
860There must not be white space before or after the dot.
861
862Examples: >
863 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
864 :echo dict.one
865 :echo dict .2
866
867Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
868always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
869
870
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000871expr8(expr1, ...) Funcref function call
872
873When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
874
875
876
877 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000878number
879------
880number number constant *expr-number*
881
882Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
883
884
885string *expr-string* *E114*
886------
887"string" string constant *expr-quote*
888
889Note that double quotes are used.
890
891A string constant accepts these special characters:
892\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
893\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
894\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
895\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
896\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
897\X.. same as \x..
898\X. same as \x.
899\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
900 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
901\U.... same as \u....
902\b backspace <BS>
903\e escape <Esc>
904\f formfeed <FF>
905\n newline <NL>
906\r return <CR>
907\t tab <Tab>
908\\ backslash
909\" double quote
910\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
911
912Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
913
914
915literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
916---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000917'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000918
919Note that single quotes are used.
920
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000921This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000922meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000923
924Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
925to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
926 if a =~ "\\s*"
927 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000928
929
930option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
931------
932&option option value, local value if possible
933&g:option global option value
934&l:option local option value
935
936Examples: >
937 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
938 if &insertmode
939
940Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
941and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
942anyway.
943
944
945register *expr-register*
946--------
947@r contents of register 'r'
948
949The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
950Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +0000951register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
952registers.
953
954When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
955evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000956
957
958nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
959-------
960(expr1) nested expression
961
962
963environment variable *expr-env*
964--------------------
965$VAR environment variable
966
967The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
968result is an empty string.
969 *expr-env-expand*
970Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
971expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
972are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
973the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
974fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
975does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
976 :echo $version
977 :echo expand("$version")
978The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
979variable (if your shell supports it).
980
981
982internal variable *expr-variable*
983-----------------
984variable internal variable
985See below |internal-variables|.
986
987
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000988function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000989-------------
990function(expr1, ...) function call
991See below |functions|.
992
993
994==============================================================================
9953. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
996 *E461*
997An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
998cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
999|curly-braces-names|.
1000
1001An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001002An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1003|:unlet|.
1004Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1005been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001006
1007There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1008specified by what is prepended:
1009
1010 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1011|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1012|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
1013|global-variable| g: Global.
1014|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1015|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1016|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
1017|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
1018
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001019The scope name by itself can be used as a Dictionary. For example, to delete
1020all script-local variables: >
1021 :for k in keys(s:)
1022 : unlet s:[k]
1023 :endfor
1024<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001025 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1026A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1027Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1028This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1029|:bdelete|.
1030
1031One local buffer variable is predefined:
1032 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1033b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1034 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1035 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1036 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1037 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1038 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1039 : call My_Update()
1040 :endif
1041<
1042 *window-variable* *w:var*
1043A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1044is deleted when the window is closed.
1045
1046 *global-variable* *g:var*
1047Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1048access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1049place if you like.
1050
1051 *local-variable* *l:var*
1052Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
1053But you can also prepend "l:" if you like.
1054
1055 *script-variable* *s:var*
1056In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1057accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1058
1059They can be used in:
1060- commands executed while the script is sourced
1061- functions defined in the script
1062- autocommands defined in the script
1063- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1064 defined in the script (recursively)
1065- user defined commands defined in the script
1066Thus not in:
1067- other scripts sourced from this one
1068- mappings
1069- etc.
1070
1071script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1072Take this example:
1073
1074 let s:counter = 0
1075 function MyCounter()
1076 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1077 echo s:counter
1078 endfunction
1079 command Tick call MyCounter()
1080
1081You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1082that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1083"Tick" was defined is used.
1084
1085Another example that does the same: >
1086
1087 let s:counter = 0
1088 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1089
1090When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001091script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001092defined.
1093
1094The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1095function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1096
1097 let s:counter = 0
1098 function StartCounting(incr)
1099 if a:incr
1100 function MyCounter()
1101 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1102 endfunction
1103 else
1104 function MyCounter()
1105 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1106 endfunction
1107 endif
1108 endfunction
1109
1110This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1111when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1112called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1113
1114When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1115They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1116maintain a counter: >
1117
1118 if !exists("s:counter")
1119 let s:counter = 1
1120 echo "script executed for the first time"
1121 else
1122 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1123 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1124 endif
1125
1126Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1127variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1128
1129
1130Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1131
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001132 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1133v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1134 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1135 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1136
1137 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1138v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1139 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1140
1141 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1142v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1143 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1144
1145 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
1146v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as it is
1147 useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies, but a
1148 dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a ']'
1149 the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
1150 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1151 highlighted text is used.
1152 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1153
1154 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1155v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1156 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1157
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001158 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1159v:charconvert_from
1160 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1161 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1162
1163 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1164v:charconvert_to
1165 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1166 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1167
1168 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1169v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1170 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1171 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1172 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1173 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1174 possible to append this variable directly after the
1175 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1176 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1177 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1178 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1179 in 'printexpr'.
1180
1181 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1182v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1183 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1184 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1185 can be used.
1186
1187 *v:count* *count-variable*
1188v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1189 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1190 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1191< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1192 get when typing ':' after a count.
1193 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1194
1195 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1196v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1197 used.
1198
1199 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1200v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1201 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1202 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1203 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1204 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1205 command.
1206 See |multi-lang|.
1207
1208 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1209v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1210 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1211 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1212 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1213 Example: >
1214 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1215<
1216 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1217v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1218 Example: >
1219 :let v:errmsg = ""
1220 :silent! next
1221 :if v:errmsg != ""
1222 : ... handle error
1223< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1224
1225 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1226v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1227 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1228 Example: >
1229 :try
1230 : throw "oops"
1231 :catch /.*/
1232 : echo "caught" v:exception
1233 :endtry
1234< Output: "caught oops".
1235
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001236 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1237v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1238 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1239 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1240 deleted file no longer exists
1241 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1242 changed and buffer is modified
1243 changed file contents has changed
1244 mode mode of file changed
1245 time only file timestamp changed
1246
1247 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1248v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1249 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1250 do with the affected buffer:
1251 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1252 the file was deleted).
1253 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1254 was no autocommand. Except that when
1255 only the timestamp changed nothing
1256 will happen.
1257 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1258 everything that needs to be done.
1259 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1260 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1261
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001262 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
1263v:fname_in The name of the input file. Only valid while evaluating:
1264 option used for ~
1265 'charconvert' file to be converted
1266 'diffexpr' original file
1267 'patchexpr' original file
1268 'printexpr' file to be printed
1269
1270 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1271v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1272 evaluating:
1273 option used for ~
1274 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1275 'diffexpr' output of diff
1276 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1277 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1278 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1279 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1280 file and different from v:fname_in.
1281
1282 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1283v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1284 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1285
1286 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1287v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1288 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1289
1290 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1291v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1292 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001293 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001294
1295 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1296v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001297 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001298
1299 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1300v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001301 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001302
1303 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1304v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001305 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001306
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001307 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1308v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1309 events. Values:
1310 i Insert mode
1311 r Replace mode
1312 v Virtual Replace mode
1313
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001314 *v:key* *key-variable*
1315v:key Key of the current item of a Dictionary. Only valid while
1316 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1317 Read-only.
1318
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001319 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1320v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1321 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1322 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1323 The value is system dependent.
1324 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1325 command.
1326 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1327 in a different language than what is used for character
1328 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1329
1330 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1331v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1332 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1333 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1334 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1335 command. See |multi-lang|.
1336
1337 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001338v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
1339 expressions. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1340 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001341
1342 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1343v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1344 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1345 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1346 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1347< Read-only.
1348
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001349 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1350v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1351 See |profiling|.
1352
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001353 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1354v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1355 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1356 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1357 Read-only.
1358
1359 *v:register* *register-variable*
1360v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1361 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1362
1363 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1364v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1365 Read-only.
1366
1367 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1368v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1369 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1370 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1371 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1372 executed. Read-only.
1373 Example: >
1374 :!mv foo bar
1375 :if v:shell_error
1376 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1377 :endif
1378< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1379
1380 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1381v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1382
1383 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1384v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1385 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1386 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1387 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1388 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1389 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1390 terminal.
1391 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1392 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1393 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1394 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1395 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1396
1397 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1398v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1399 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1400 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1401 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1402
1403 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1404v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1405 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1406 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1407 Example: >
1408 :try
1409 : throw "oops"
1410 :catch /.*/
1411 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1412 :endtry
1413< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1414
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001415 *v:val* *val-variable*
1416v:val Value of the current item of a List or Dictionary. Only valid
1417 while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
1418 |filter()|. Read-only.
1419
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001420 *v:version* *version-variable*
1421v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1422 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1423 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1424 compatibility.
1425 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1426 if has("patch123")
1427< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1428 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1429 completely different.
1430
1431 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1432v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1433
1434==============================================================================
14354. Builtin Functions *functions*
1436
1437See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1438
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001439(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001440
1441USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1442
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001443add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to List {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001444append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001445append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001446argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001447argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001448argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
1449browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1450 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001451browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001452bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001453buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1454bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001455bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1456bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1457bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1458byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001459byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001460call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1461 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001462char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001463cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001464col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
1465confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1466 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001467copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001468count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1469 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001470cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1471 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001472cursor( {lnum}, {col}) Number position cursor at {lnum}, {col}
1473deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001474delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1475did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001476diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1477diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001478empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001479escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001480eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001481eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001482executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1483exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
1484expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
1485filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001486filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1487 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001488finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
1489 String Find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001490findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001491 String Find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001492filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
1493fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001494foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1495foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001496foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001497foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001498foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001499function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001500get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001501get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001502getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1503getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001504getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
1505getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1506getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
1507getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001508getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1509getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001510getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001511getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001512getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001513getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1514getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001515getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001516getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001517getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001518getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1519getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1520getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in window {nr}
1521glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1522globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1523has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001524has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001525hasmapto( {what} [, {mode}]) Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
1526histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1527histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1528histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1529histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1530hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1531hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1532hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001533iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1534indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001535index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1536 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001537input( {prompt} [, {text}]) String get input from the user
1538inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001539inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1540inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001541inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001542insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001543isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001544islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001545items( {dict}) List List of key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001546join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001547keys( {dict}) List List of keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001548len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1549libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001550libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1551line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1552line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001553lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001554localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001555map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001556maparg( {name}[, {mode}]) String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1557mapcheck( {name}[, {mode}]) String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001558match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001559 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001560matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001561 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001562matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1563 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001564matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1565 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001566max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1567min({list}) Number minumum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001568mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1569 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001570mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001571nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1572nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
1573prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001574range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1575 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001576readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1577 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001578remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1579 String send expression
1580remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1581remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1582 Number check for reply string
1583remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1584remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1585 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001586remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001587remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001588rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1589repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1590resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001591reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001592search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001593searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001594 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001595server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1596 Number send reply string
1597serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1598setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1599setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1600setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00001601setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number set list of quickfix items using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001602setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001603setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001604simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001605sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001606split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
1607 List make List from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001608strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001609stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1610 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001611string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001612strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1613strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1614 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001615strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1616 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001617strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001618submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001619substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1620 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001621synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001622synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1623 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1624synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001625system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001626taglist({expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001627tempname() String name for a temporary file
1628tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1629toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001630tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1631 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001632type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001633values( {dict}) List List of values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001634virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1635visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1636winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1637wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1638winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1639winline() Number window line of the cursor
1640winnr() Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001641winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001642winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001643writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1644 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001645
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001646add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
1647 Append the item {expr} to List {list}. Returns the resulting
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001648 List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001649 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1650 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
1651< Note that when {expr} is a List it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001652 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001653 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001654
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001655
1656append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001657 When {expr} is a List: Append each item of the List as a text
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001658 line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001659 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1660 the current buffer.
1661 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001662 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1663 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001664 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001665 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001666<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001667 *argc()*
1668argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1669 current window. See |arglist|.
1670
1671 *argidx()*
1672argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1673 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1674
1675 *argv()*
1676argv({nr}) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
1677 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1678 Example: >
1679 :let i = 0
1680 :while i < argc()
1681 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1682 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1683 : let i = i + 1
1684 :endwhile
1685<
1686 *browse()*
1687browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1688 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1689 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1690 The input fields are:
1691 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1692 {title} title for the requester
1693 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1694 {default} default file name
1695 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1696 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1697
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001698 *browsedir()*
1699browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1700 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1701 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1702 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1703 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1704 to be used.
1705 The input fields are:
1706 {title} title for the requester
1707 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1708 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1709 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1710
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001711bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1712 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1713 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001714 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001715 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001716 exactly. The name can be:
1717 - Relative to the current directory.
1718 - A full path.
1719 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1720 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001721 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1722 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1723 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1724 long name to be able to find them.
1725 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1726 file name.
1727 *buffer_exists()*
1728 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1729
1730buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1731 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1732 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001733 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001734
1735bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1736 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1737 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001738 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001739
1740bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1741 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1742 ":ls" command.
1743 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1744 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1745 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1746 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1747 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1748 match an empty string is returned.
1749 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1750 alternate buffer.
1751 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
1752 or middle of the buffer name is accepted.
1753 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1754 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1755 buffers are searched for.
1756 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1757 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1758 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1759< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1760 string is returned. >
1761 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1762 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1763 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1764 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1765< *buffer_name()*
1766 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1767
1768 *bufnr()*
1769bufnr({expr}) The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
1770 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
1771 above. If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
1772 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1773 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1774< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1775 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1776 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1777 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1778 *buffer_number()*
1779 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1780 *last_buffer_nr()*
1781 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1782
1783bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1784 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1785 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1786 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1787 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1788
1789 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1790
1791< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1792 |:wincmd|.
1793
1794
1795byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1796 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1797 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1798 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1799 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1800 one.
1801 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1802 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1803 feature}
1804
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001805byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1806 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1807 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1808 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1809 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1810 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1811 Example : >
1812 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1813< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1814 same: >
1815 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1816 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1817< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1818 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1819 is returned.
1820
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001821call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001822 Call function {func} with the items in List {arglist} as
1823 arguments.
1824 {func} can either be a Funcref or the name of a function.
1825 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1826 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001827 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1828 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001829
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001830char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1831 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1832 char2nr(" ") returns 32
1833 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
1834< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
1835 char2nr("á") returns 225
1836 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001837< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001838
1839cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
1840 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
1841 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
1842 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
1843 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
1844 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
1845 feature, -1 is returned.
1846
1847 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001848col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001849 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
1850 . the cursor position
1851 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
1852 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
1853 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
1854 returned)
1855 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
1856 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
1857 Examples: >
1858 col(".") column of cursor
1859 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
1860 col("'t") column of mark t
1861 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
1862< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
1863 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
1864 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
1865 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
1866 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
1867 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
1868 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
1869 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
1870<
1871 *confirm()*
1872confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1873 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
1874 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
1875 choice this is 1.
1876 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
1877 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
1878 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
1879 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
1880 used (and translated).
1881 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
1882 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
1883 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
1884 by '\n', e.g. >
1885 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
1886< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
1887 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
1888 not need to be the first letter: >
1889 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
1890< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
1891 the default shortcut key.
1892 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
1893 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
1894 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
1895 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
1896 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
1897 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
1898 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
1899 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
1900 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
1901 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
1902 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
1903
1904 An example: >
1905 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
1906 :if choice == 0
1907 : echo "make up your mind!"
1908 :elseif choice == 3
1909 : echo "tasteful"
1910 :else
1911 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
1912 :endif
1913< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
1914 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
1915 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
1916 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
1917 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
1918 the horizontal layout is always used.
1919
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001920 *copy()*
1921copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1922 different from using {expr} directly.
1923 When {expr} is a List a shallow copy is created. This means
1924 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1925 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
1926 changing an item changes the contents of both Lists. Also see
1927 |deepcopy()|.
1928
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001929count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001930 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001931 in List or Dictionary {comp}.
1932 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
1933 {start} can only be used with a List.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001934 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
1935
1936
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001937 *cscope_connection()*
1938cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1939 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
1940 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
1941 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
1942 if there are no cscope connections;
1943 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
1944
1945 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
1946 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
1947
1948 {num} Description of existence check
1949 ----- ------------------------------
1950 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
1951 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
1952 {dbpath}.
1953 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
1954 {dbpath}.
1955 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
1956 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1957 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
1958 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1959
1960 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
1961
1962 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
1963
1964 # pid database name prepend path
1965 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
1966<
1967 Invocation Return Val ~
1968 ---------- ---------- >
1969 cscope_connection() 1
1970 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
1971 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
1972 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
1973 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
1974 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
1975 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
1976 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
1977<
1978cursor({lnum}, {col}) *cursor()*
1979 Positions the cursor at the column {col} in the line {lnum}.
1980 Does not change the jumplist.
1981 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
1982 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
1983 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
1984 If {col} is greater than the number of characters in the line,
1985 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
1986 line.
1987 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
1988
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001989
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001990deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001991 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1992 different from using {expr} directly.
1993 When {expr} is a List a full copy is created. This means
1994 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1995 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a List, a copy for it
1996 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
1997 not change the contents of the original List.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001998 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained List or Dictionary
1999 is only copied once. All references point to this single
2000 copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a List or
2001 Dictionary results in a new copy. This also means that a
2002 cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002003 *E724*
2004 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002005 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2006 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002007 Also see |copy()|.
2008
2009delete({fname}) *delete()*
2010 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002011 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2012 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002013 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002014
2015 *did_filetype()*
2016did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2017 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2018 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2019 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2020 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2021 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2022 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2023 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2024 file.
2025
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002026diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2027 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2028 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2029 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2030 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2031 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2032 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2033 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2034
2035diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2036 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2037 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2038 diff change zero is returned.
2039 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2040 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2041 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2042 line.
2043 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2044 syntax information about the highlighting.
2045
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002046empty({expr}) *empty()*
2047 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002048 A List or Dictionary is empty when it does not have any items.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002049 A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2050 For a long List this is much faster then comparing the length
2051 with zero.
2052
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002053escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2054 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2055 backslash. Example: >
2056 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2057< results in: >
2058 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002059
2060< *eval()*
2061eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2062 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2063 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
2064 Also works for Funcrefs that refer to existing functions.
2065
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002066eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2067 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2068 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2069 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2070 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2071
2072executable({expr}) *executable()*
2073 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2074 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002075 arguments.
2076 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2077 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2078 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2079 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2080 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2081 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2082 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2083 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2084 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2085 extension.
2086 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2087 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002088 The result is a Number:
2089 1 exists
2090 0 does not exist
2091 -1 not implemented on this system
2092
2093 *exists()*
2094exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2095 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2096 which contains one of these:
2097 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2098 not if it really works)
2099 +option-name Vim option that works.
2100 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2101 done by comparing with an empty
2102 string)
2103 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2104 or user defined function (see
2105 |user-functions|).
2106 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002107 |internal-variables|). Also works
2108 for |curly-braces-names|, Dictionary
2109 entries, List items, etc. Beware that
2110 this may cause functions to be
2111 invoked cause an error message for an
2112 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002113 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2114 command or command modifier |:command|.
2115 Returns:
2116 1 for match with start of a command
2117 2 full match with a command
2118 3 matches several user commands
2119 To check for a supported command
2120 always check the return value to be 2.
2121 #event autocommand defined for this event
2122 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2123 pattern (the pattern is taken
2124 literally and compared to the
2125 autocommand patterns character by
2126 character)
2127 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2128
2129 Examples: >
2130 exists("&shortname")
2131 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2132 exists("*strftime")
2133 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2134 exists("bufcount")
2135 exists(":Make")
2136 exists("#CursorHold");
2137 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
2138< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2139 name.
2140 Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2141 variable itself! For example: >
2142 exists(bufcount)
2143< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
2144 but gets the contents of "bufcount", and checks if that
2145 exists.
2146
2147expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2148 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2149 The result is a String.
2150
2151 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2152 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2153 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2154
2155 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2156 for a non-existing file is not included.
2157
2158 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2159 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2160 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2161
2162 % current file name
2163 # alternate file name
2164 #n alternate file name n
2165 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2166 <afile> autocmd file name
2167 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2168 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2169 <sfile> sourced script file name
2170 <cword> word under the cursor
2171 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2172 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2173 message |server2client()|
2174 Modifiers:
2175 :p expand to full path
2176 :h head (last path component removed)
2177 :t tail (last path component only)
2178 :r root (one extension removed)
2179 :e extension only
2180
2181 Example: >
2182 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2183< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2184 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2185 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2186< Use this: >
2187 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2188< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2189 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2190 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2191 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2192 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2193<
2194 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2195 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2196 to modify normal file names.
2197
2198 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2199 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2200 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2201 '/' added.
2202
2203 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2204 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2205 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2206 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
2207 non-existing files are included.
2208
2209 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2210 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2211 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2212 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2213 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2214 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2215 "$FOOBAR".
2216
2217 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2218 getting the raw output of an external command.
2219
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002220extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
2221 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both Lists or both Dictionaries.
2222
2223 If they are Lists: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
2224 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2225 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2226 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2227 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002228 Examples: >
2229 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2230 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002231< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2232 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002233 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002234<
2235 If they are Dictionaries:
2236 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2237 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2238 used to decide what to do:
2239 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2240 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00002241 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002242 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2243
2244 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2245 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2246 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2247 Returns {expr1}.
2248
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002249
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002250filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2251 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2252 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2253 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2254 expression, which is used as a String.
2255 *file_readable()*
2256 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2257
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002258
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002259filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
2260 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
2261 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
2262 is zero remove the item from the List or Dictionary.
2263 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
2264 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
2265 Examples: >
2266 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2267< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2268 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2269< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2270 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002271< Removes all the items, thus clears the List or Dictionary.
2272
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002273 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2274 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2275 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2276
2277 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
2278 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002279 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), '& =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002280
2281< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002282
2283
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002284finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
2285 Find directory {name} in {path}.
2286 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2287 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
2288 {name} in {path}.
2289 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
2290 When the found directory is below the current directory a
2291 relative path is returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
2292 Example: >
2293 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
2294< Searches from the current directory upwards until it finds
2295 the file "tags.vim".
2296 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2297
2298findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2299 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
2300
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002301filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2302 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2303 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2304 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2305 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2306
2307fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2308 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2309 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2310 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2311 Example: >
2312 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2313< results in: >
2314 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2315< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2316 |expand()| first then.
2317
2318foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2319 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2320 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2321 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2322
2323foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2324 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2325 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2326 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2327
2328foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2329 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2330 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2331 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2332 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2333 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2334 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2335 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2336 previous line is usually available.
2337
2338 *foldtext()*
2339foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2340 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2341 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2342 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2343 The returned string looks like this: >
2344 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2345< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2346 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2347 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2348 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2349 options is removed.
2350 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2351
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002352foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2353 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2354 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2355 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2356 returned.
2357 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2358 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2359 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2360 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2361
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002362 *foreground()*
2363foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2364 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2365 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2366 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2367 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2368 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2369 Win32 console version}
2370
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002371
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002372function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002373 Return a Funcref variable that refers to function {name}.
2374 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2375
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002376
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002377get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002378 Get item {idx} from List {list}. When this item is not
2379 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2380 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002381get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
2382 Get item with key {key} from Dictionary {dict}. When this
2383 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2384 {default} is omitted.
2385
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002386
2387getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2388 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2389 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2390 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002391 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2392 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2393 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002394 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2395 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2396 returned, there is no error message.
2397 Examples: >
2398 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2399 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2400<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002401getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
2402 Get a single character from the user. If it is an 8-bit
2403 character, the result is a number. Otherwise a String is
2404 returned with the encoded character. For a special key it's a
2405 sequence of bytes starting with 0x80 (decimal: 128).
2406 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2407 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
2408 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
2409 not consumed. If a normal character is
2410 available, it is returned, otherwise a
2411 non-zero value is returned.
2412 If a normal character available, it is returned as a Number.
2413 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2414 The returned value is zero if no character is available.
2415 The returned value is a string of characters for special keys
2416 and when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used.
2417 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2418 user that a character has to be typed.
2419 There is no mapping for the character.
2420 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2421 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2422 sequence. Examples: >
2423 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2424 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2425< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2426 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2427 :function FindChar()
2428 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2429 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2430 : normal l
2431 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2432 : break
2433 : endif
2434 : endwhile
2435 :endfunction
2436
2437getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2438 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2439 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2440 These values are added together:
2441 2 shift
2442 4 control
2443 8 alt (meta)
2444 16 mouse double click
2445 32 mouse triple click
2446 64 mouse quadruple click
2447 128 Macintosh only: command
2448 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2449 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2450 with no modifier.
2451
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002452getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2453 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2454 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2455 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2456 Example: >
2457 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
2458< Also see |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
2459
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002460getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002461 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2462 byte count. The first column is 1.
2463 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2464 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
2465 Also see |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2466
2467 *getcwd()*
2468getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2469 working directory.
2470
2471getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2472 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2473 given file {fname}.
2474 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2475 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
2476
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002477getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2478 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2479 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2480 |hl-Normal|.
2481 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2482 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2483 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2484 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
2485 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not you your vimrc or
2486 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2487 for a valid name does not work.
2488 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2489 function just after the GUI has started.
2490
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002491getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2492 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2493 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2494 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2495 empty string is returned.
2496 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2497 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2498 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2499 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2500 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2501 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2502< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2503 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002504
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002505getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2506 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2507 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2508 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2509 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2510 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2511
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002512getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2513 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2514 file of the given file {fname}.
2515 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2516 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2517 results:
2518 Normal file "file"
2519 Directory "dir"
2520 Symbolic link "link"
2521 Block device "bdev"
2522 Character device "cdev"
2523 Socket "socket"
2524 FIFO "fifo"
2525 All other "other"
2526 Example: >
2527 getftype("/home")
2528< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2529 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2530 "file" are returned.
2531
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002532 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002533getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2534 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2535 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002536 getline(1)
2537< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2538 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2539 To get the line under the cursor: >
2540 getline(".")
2541< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2542 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2543
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002544 When {end} is given the result is a List where each item is a
2545 line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
2546 including line {end}.
2547 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2548 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
2549 When {end} is before {lnum} an error is given.
2550 Example: >
2551 :let start = line('.')
2552 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2553 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2554
2555
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002556getqflist() *getqflist()*
2557 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2558 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2559 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2560 bufname() to get the name
2561 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2562 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002563 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2564 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002565 nr error number
2566 text description of the error
2567 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2568 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2569
2570 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2571 do something with them: >
2572 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2573 :for d in getqflist()
2574 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2575 :endfor
2576
2577
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002578getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002579 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002580 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002581 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2582< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002583 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002584 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
2585 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
2586 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002587 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2588
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002589
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002590getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2591 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2592 The value will be one of:
2593 "v" for |characterwise| text
2594 "V" for |linewise| text
2595 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2596 0 for an empty or unknown register
2597 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2598 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2599
2600 *getwinposx()*
2601getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2602 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2603 -1 if the information is not available.
2604
2605 *getwinposy()*
2606getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2607 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2608 information is not available.
2609
2610getwinvar({nr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2611 The result is the value of option or local window variable
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00002612 {varname} in window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current
2613 window is used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002614 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
2615 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
2616 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002617 Note that the name without "w:" must be used.
2618 Examples: >
2619 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
2620 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
2621<
2622 *glob()*
2623glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. The result is a String.
2624 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2625 characters.
2626 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
2627 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
2628
2629 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
2630 any external command. Example: >
2631 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
2632 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
2633< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
2634 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
2635
2636 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
2637 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
2638
2639globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
2640 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
2641 the results. Example: >
2642 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
2643< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
2644 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
2645 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
2646 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
2647 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
2648 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
2649 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
2650 error message.
2651 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
2652 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
2653
2654 *has()*
2655has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
2656 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
2657 string. See |feature-list| below.
2658 Also see |exists()|.
2659
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002660
2661has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
2662 The result is a Number, which is 1 if Dictionary {dict} has an
2663 entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
2664
2665
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002666hasmapto({what} [, {mode}]) *hasmapto()*
2667 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
2668 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
2669 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
2670 {mode}.
2671 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
2672 buffer are checked for a match.
2673 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
2674 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
2675 n Normal mode
2676 v Visual mode
2677 o Operator-pending mode
2678 i Insert mode
2679 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
2680 c Command-line mode
2681 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
2682
2683 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
2684 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
2685 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
2686 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
2687 :endif
2688< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
2689 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
2690
2691histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
2692 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
2693 one of: *hist-names*
2694 "cmd" or ":" command line history
2695 "search" or "/" search pattern history
2696 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
2697 "input" or "@" input line history
2698 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
2699 shifted to become the newest entry.
2700 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
2701 otherwise 0 is returned.
2702
2703 Example: >
2704 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
2705 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
2706< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
2707
2708histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002709 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002710 for the possible values of {history}.
2711
2712 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
2713 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
2714 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
2715 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
2716 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
2717 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
2718 if it exists.
2719
2720 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
2721 otherwise 0 is returned.
2722
2723 Examples:
2724 Clear expression register history: >
2725 :call histdel("expr")
2726<
2727 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
2728 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
2729<
2730 The following three are equivalent: >
2731 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
2732 :call histdel("search", -1)
2733 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
2734<
2735 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
2736 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
2737 :call histdel("search", -1)
2738 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
2739
2740histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
2741 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
2742 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
2743 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
2744 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
2745 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
2746
2747 Examples:
2748 Redo the second last search from history. >
2749 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
2750
2751< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
2752 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
2753 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
2754<
2755histnr({history}) *histnr()*
2756 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
2757 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
2758 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
2759
2760 Example: >
2761 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
2762<
2763hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
2764 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
2765 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
2766 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
2767 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
2768 item.
2769 *highlight_exists()*
2770 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
2771
2772 *hlID()*
2773hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
2774 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
2775 zero is returned.
2776 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
2777 group. For example, to get the background color of the
2778 "Comment" group: >
2779 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
2780< *highlightID()*
2781 Obsolete name: highlightID().
2782
2783hostname() *hostname()*
2784 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002785 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002786 256 characters long are truncated.
2787
2788iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
2789 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
2790 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
2791 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
2792 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
2793 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
2794 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
2795 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
2796 can be done.
2797 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
2798 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
2799 UTF-8 and use: >
2800 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
2801< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
2802 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
2803 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
2804 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
2805
2806 *indent()*
2807indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
2808 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
2809 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
2810 |getline()|.
2811 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
2812
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002813
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002814index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002815 Return the lowest index in List {list} where the item has a
2816 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00002817 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
2818 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002819 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
2820 case must match.
2821 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
2822 Example: >
2823 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00002824 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002825
2826
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002827input({prompt} [, {text}]) *input()*
2828 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
2829 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
2830 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
2831 prompt to start a new line. The highlighting set with
2832 |:echohl| is used for the prompt. The input is entered just
2833 like a command-line, with the same editing commands and
2834 mappings. There is a separate history for lines typed for
2835 input().
2836 If the optional {text} is present, this is used for the
2837 default reply, as if the user typed this.
2838 NOTE: This must not be used in a startup file, for the
2839 versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
2840 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
2841 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
2842 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
2843 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
2844 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
2845 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
2846 |:execute| or |:normal|.
2847
2848 Example: >
2849 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
2850 : echo "Cheers!"
2851 :endif
2852< Example with default text: >
2853 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
2854< Example with a mapping: >
2855 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
2856 :function GetFoo()
2857 : call inputsave()
2858 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
2859 : call inputrestore()
2860 :endfunction
2861
2862inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
2863 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
2864 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
2865 Example: >
2866 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
2867 :if n != ""
2868 : let &sw = n
2869 :endif
2870< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
2871 omitted an empty string is returned.
2872 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
2873 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
2874
2875inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
2876 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
2877 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
2878 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
2879 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
2880
2881inputsave() *inputsave()*
2882 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
2883 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
2884 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
2885 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
2886 many inputrestore() calls.
2887 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
2888
2889inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
2890 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
2891 two exceptions:
2892 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
2893 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
2894 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
2895 |history| stack.
2896 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
2897 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
2898
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002899insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
2900 Insert {item} at the start of List {list}.
2901 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
2902 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
2903 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
2904 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002905 Returns the resulting List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002906 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
2907 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
2908 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002909< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002910 Note that when {item} is a List it is inserted as a single
2911 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
2912
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002913isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
2914 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
2915 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
2916 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
2917 is any expression, which is used as a String.
2918
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00002919islocked({expr}) *islocked()*
2920 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
2921 name of a locked variable.
2922 {expr} must be the name of a variable, List item or Dictionary
2923 entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
2924 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
2925 :lockvar 1 alist
2926 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
2927 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
2928
2929< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
2930 message. Use |exists()| to check for existance.
2931
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002932items({dict}) *items()*
2933 Return a List with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
2934 List item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict} entry
2935 and the value of this entry. The List is in arbitrary order.
2936
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002937
2938join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
2939 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
2940 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
2941 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
2942 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
2943 add it there too: >
2944 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
2945< String items are used as-is. Lists and Dictionaries are
2946 converted into a string like with |string()|.
2947 The opposite function is |split()|.
2948
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002949keys({dict}) *keys()*
2950 Return a List with all the keys of {dict}. The List is in
2951 arbitrary order.
2952
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002953 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002954len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
2955 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
2956 used, as with |strlen()|.
2957 When {expr} is a List the number of items in the List is
2958 returned.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002959 When {expr} is a Dictionary the number of entries in the
2960 Dictionary is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002961 Otherwise an error is given.
2962
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002963 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
2964libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
2965 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
2966 with single argument {argument}.
2967 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
2968 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
2969 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
2970 limited.
2971 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
2972 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
2973 to Vim.
2974 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
2975 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
2976 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
2977 null-terminated string.
2978 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
2979
2980 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
2981 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
2982 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
2983 very probably crash.
2984
2985 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
2986 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
2987 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
2988 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
2989 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
2990 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
2991 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
2992 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
2993 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
2994 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
2995
2996 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
2997 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
2998 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
2999 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3000 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3001 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3002 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3003 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3004 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3005 feature is present}
3006 Examples: >
3007 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
3008 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
3009<
3010 *libcallnr()*
3011libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3012 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3013 int instead of a string.
3014 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3015 feature is present}
3016 Example (not very useful...): >
3017 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3018 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3019<
3020 *line()*
3021line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3022 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3023 . the cursor position
3024 $ the last line in the current buffer
3025 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3026 returned)
3027 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
3028 Examples: >
3029 line(".") line number of the cursor
3030 line("'t") line number of mark t
3031 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3032< *last-position-jump*
3033 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3034 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3035 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003036
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003037line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3038 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3039 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3040 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3041 line returns 1.
3042 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3043 below the last line: >
3044 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3045< This is the file size plus one.
3046 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3047 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3048 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3049
3050lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3051 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3052 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3053 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3054 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3055 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3056 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3057
3058localtime() *localtime()*
3059 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3060 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3061
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003062
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003063map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
3064 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
3065 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3066 {string}.
3067 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
3068 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
3069 Example: >
3070 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003071< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003072
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003073 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003074 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003075 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3076 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003077
3078 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
3079 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003080 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003081
3082< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003083
3084
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003085maparg({name}[, {mode}]) *maparg()*
3086 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3087 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
3088 These characters can be used for {mode}:
3089 "n" Normal
3090 "v" Visual
3091 "o" Operator-pending
3092 "i" Insert
3093 "c" Cmd-line
3094 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3095 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
3096 When {mode} is omitted, the modes from "" are used.
3097 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3098 command. The returned String has special characters
3099 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3100 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3101 then the global mappings.
3102
3103mapcheck({name}[, {mode}]) *mapcheck()*
3104 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3105 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3106 {name}.
3107 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3108 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3109
3110 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3111 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3112 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3113 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3114 mapcheck("b") no no no
3115
3116 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3117 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3118 mapping for {name} exactly.
3119 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3120 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3121 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3122 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3123 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3124 then the global mappings.
3125 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3126 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3127 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3128 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3129 :endif
3130< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3131 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3132
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003133match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003134 When {expr} is a List then this returns the index of the first
3135 item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a String,
3136 Lists and Dictionaries are used as echoed.
3137 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3138 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3139 {pat} matches.
3140 A match at the first character or List item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003141 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3142 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003143 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
3144 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 2
3145< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003146 *strpbrk()*
3147 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3148 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3149< *strcasestr()*
3150 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3151 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3152 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3153<
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003154 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003155 is found in a String the search for the next one starts on
3156 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003157 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003158< In a List the search continues in the next item.
3159
3160 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
3161 {start} in a String or item {start} in a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003162 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003163 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003164 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3165< result is again "4". >
3166 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3167< result is again "4". >
3168 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3169< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003170 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3171 the index is counted from the end.
3172 If {start} is out of range (> strlen({expr} for a String or
3173 > len({expr} for a List) -1 is returned.
3174
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003175 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3176 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3177 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3178 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3179
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003180matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003181 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3182 the match. Example: >
3183 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3184< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003185 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3186 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3187 do it with matchend(): >
3188 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3189 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3190< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3191
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003192 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3193 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3194< results in "7". >
3195 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3196< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003197 When {expr} is a List the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003198
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003199matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
3200 Same as match(), but return a List. The first item in the
3201 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3202 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
3203 in |:substitute|.
3204 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3205
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003206matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003207 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3208 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3209< results in "ing".
3210 When there is no match "" is returned.
3211 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3212 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3213< results in "ing". >
3214 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3215< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003216 When {expr} is a List then the matching item is returned.
3217 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003218
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003219 *max()*
3220max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3221 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3222 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3223 An empty List results in zero.
3224
3225 *min()*
3226min({list}) Return the minumum value of all items in {list}.
3227 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3228 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3229 An empty List results in zero.
3230
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003231 *mkdir()* *E749*
3232mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3233 Create directory {name}.
3234 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3235 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3236 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3237 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3238 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3239 for others.
3240 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3241 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3242 :if exists("*mkdir")
3243<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003244 *mode()*
3245mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3246 n Normal
3247 v Visual by character
3248 V Visual by line
3249 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3250 s Select by character
3251 S Select by line
3252 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3253 i Insert
3254 R Replace
3255 c Command-line
3256 r Hit-enter prompt
3257 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3258 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3259
3260nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3261 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3262 that is not blank. Example: >
3263 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3264< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3265 below it, zero is returned.
3266 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3267
3268nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3269 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3270 value {expr}. Examples: >
3271 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3272 nr2char(32) returns " "
3273< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3274 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3275< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3276 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3277 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003278 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003279
3280prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3281 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3282 that is not blank. Example: >
3283 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3284< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3285 above it, zero is returned.
3286 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3287
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003288 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003289range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
3290 Returns a List with Numbers:
3291 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3292 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3293 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3294 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3295 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003296 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
3297 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
3298 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003299 Examples: >
3300 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
3301 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3302 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
3303 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003304 range(0) " []
3305 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003306<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003307 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003308readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003309 Read file {fname} and return a List, each line of the file as
3310 an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
3311 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3312 NL appears somewhere).
3313 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3314 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3315 added.
3316 - No CR characters are removed.
3317 Otherwise:
3318 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3319 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3320 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003321 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3322 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3323 lines of a file: >
3324 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3325 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3326 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003327< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
3328 are returned, or as many as there are.
3329 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003330 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3331 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3332 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003333 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3334 the result is an empty list.
3335 Also see |writefile()|.
3336
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003337 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3338remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3339 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3340 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
3341 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3342 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3343 remote_read() is stored there.
3344 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3345 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3346 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3347 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
3348 and the result will be the empty string.
3349 Examples: >
3350 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
3351 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
3352<
3353
3354remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
3355 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
3356 This works like: >
3357 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
3358< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
3359 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
3360 to bring itself to the foreground.
3361 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3362 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3363 Win32 console version}
3364
3365
3366remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
3367 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
3368 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
3369 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
3370 name of a variable.
3371 Returns zero if none are available.
3372 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
3373 See also |clientserver|.
3374 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3375 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3376 Examples: >
3377 :let repl = ""
3378 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
3379
3380remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
3381 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
3382 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
3383 See also |clientserver|.
3384 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3385 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3386 Example: >
3387 :echo remote_read(id)
3388<
3389 *remote_send()* *E241*
3390remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003391 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
3392 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
3393 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003394 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3395 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3396 remote_read() is stored there.
3397 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3398 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3399 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3400 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
3401 up the display.
3402 Examples: >
3403 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
3404 \ remote_read(serverid)
3405
3406 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
3407 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
3408 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
3409 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003410<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003411remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
3412 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from List {list} and
3413 return it.
3414 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
3415 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
3416 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
3417 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
3418 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003419 Example: >
3420 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003421 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003422remove({dict}, {key})
3423 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
3424 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
3425< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
3426
3427 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003428
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003429rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
3430 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
3431 should also work to move files across file systems. The
3432 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
3433 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
3434 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3435
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003436repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
3437 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
3438 result. Example: >
3439 :let seperator = repeat('-', 80)
3440< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003441 When {expr} is a List the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003442 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003443 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
3444< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003445
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003446
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003447resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
3448 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
3449 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
3450 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
3451 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
3452 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
3453 stopped after 100 iterations.
3454 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
3455 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
3456 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
3457 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
3458 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
3459
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003460 *reverse()*
3461reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
3462 {list}.
3463 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3464 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
3465
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003466search({pattern} [, {flags}]) *search()*
3467 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003468 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003469 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
3470 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003471 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003472 'w' wrap around the end of the file
3473 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
3474 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
3475
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003476 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
3477 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
3478 flag is used).
3479 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
3480 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003481
3482 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
3483 :let n = 1
3484 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
3485 : exe "argument " . n
3486 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
3487 : " first search to find match at start of file
3488 : normal G$
3489 : let flags = "w"
3490 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
3491 : s/foo/bar/g
3492 : let flags = "W"
3493 : endwhile
3494 : update " write the file if modified
3495 : let n = n + 1
3496 :endwhile
3497<
3498 *searchpair()*
3499searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
3500 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
3501 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
3502 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
3503 The search starts at the cursor. If a match is found, the
3504 cursor is positioned at it and the line number is returned.
3505 If no match is found 0 or -1 is returned and the cursor
3506 doesn't move. No error message is given.
3507
3508 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
3509 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
3510 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
3511 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
3512 typical use is: >
3513 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
3514< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
3515
3516 {flags} are used like with |search()|. Additionally:
3517 'n' do Not move the cursor
3518 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
3519 outer pair
3520 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
3521 the match; will only be > 1 when 'r' is used.
3522
3523 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
3524 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
3525 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
3526 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
3527 or a string.
3528 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
3529 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
3530 and -1 returned.
3531
3532 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
3533 patterns are used like it's on.
3534
3535 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
3536 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
3537 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
3538 if 1
3539 if 2
3540 endif 2
3541 endif 1
3542< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
3543 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
3544 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
3545 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
3546 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
3547 "endif 2".
3548 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
3549 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
3550 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
3551 the matching start.
3552
3553 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
3554
3555 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
3556 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
3557
3558< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
3559 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
3560 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
3561 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
3562 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
3563 match.
3564 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
3565
3566 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
3567
3568< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
3569 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
3570 highlighting recognized as strings: >
3571
3572 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
3573 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
3574<
3575server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
3576 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
3577 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
3578 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3579 Note:
3580 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003581 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003582 before calling any commands that waits for input.
3583 See also |clientserver|.
3584 Example: >
3585 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
3586<
3587serverlist() *serverlist()*
3588 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
3589 When there are no servers or the information is not available
3590 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
3591 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3592 Example: >
3593 :echo serverlist()
3594<
3595setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
3596 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
3597 {val}.
3598 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
3599 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
3600 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
3601 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3602 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
3603 Examples: >
3604 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
3605 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
3606< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3607
3608setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
3609 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
3610 {pos}. The first position is 1.
3611 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
3612 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003613 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
3614 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
3615 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
3616 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
3617 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003618 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
3619 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
3620 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
3621 line.
3622
3623setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003624 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
3625 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003626 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {line} will be
3627 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003628 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
3629 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003630 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003631< When {line} is a List then line {lnum} and following lines
3632 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
3633 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
3634< This is equivalent to: >
3635 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
3636 : call setline(n, l)
3637 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003638< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
3639
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003640
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003641setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003642 Creates a quickfix list using the items in {list}. Each item
3643 in {list} is a dictionary. Non-dictionary items in {list} are
3644 ignored. Each dictionary item can contain the following
3645 entries:
3646
3647 filename name of a file
3648 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003649 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003650 col column number
3651 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
3652 when zero: "col" is byte index
3653 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003654 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003655 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003656
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003657 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
3658 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
3659 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003660 If the "filename" entry is not present or neither the "lnum"
3661 or "pattern" entries are present, then the item will not be
3662 handled as an error line.
3663 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
3664 be used.
3665
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003666 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
3667 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
3668 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
3669 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
3670 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
3671 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
3672
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003673 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
3674
3675 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
3676 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
3677 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
3678
3679
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003680 *setreg()*
3681setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
3682 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
3683 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
3684 then the value is appended.
3685 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
3686 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
3687 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
3688 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
3689 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
3690 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
3691 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
3692 in the longest line (counting a <TAB> as 1 character).
3693
3694 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
3695 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
3696 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
3697 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3698
3699 Examples: >
3700 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
3701 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
3702 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
3703
3704< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
3705 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003706 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003707 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
3708 ....
3709 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
3710
3711< You can also change the type of a register by appending
3712 nothing: >
3713 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
3714
3715setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
3716 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {nr} to
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00003717 {val}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003718 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
3719 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
3720 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
3721 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
3722 Examples: >
3723 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
3724 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
3725< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3726
3727simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
3728 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
3729 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
3730 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
3731 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
3732 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
3733 not removed either.
3734 Example: >
3735 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
3736< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
3737 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
3738 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
3739 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
3740 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
3741
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003742
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003743sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003744 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
3745 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3746 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
3747< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003748 Numbers sort after Strings, Lists after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003749 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003750 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
3751 When {func} is a Funcref or a function name, this function is
3752 called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
3753 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
3754 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
3755 sorts before the second one. Example: >
3756 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
3757 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
3758 endfunc
3759 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
3760
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003761split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
3762 Make a List out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or empty
3763 each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003764 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003765 removing the matched characters.
3766 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
3767 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00003768 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
3769 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003770 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003771 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003772< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003773 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00003774< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
3775 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
3776< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003777 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
3778 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
3779< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003780
3781
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003782strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
3783 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
3784 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
3785 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
3786 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
3787 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
3788 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
3789 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
3790 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
3791 Examples: >
3792 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
3793 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
3794 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
3795 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
3796 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
3797 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003798< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3799 :if exists("*strftime")
3800
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003801stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
3802 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
3803 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003804 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
3805 This can be used to find a second match: >
3806 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
3807 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
3808< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003809 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003810 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003811 See also |strridx()|.
3812 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003813 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
3814 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
3815 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003816< *strstr()* *strchr()*
3817 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
3818 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
3819
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003820 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003821string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
3822 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
3823 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003824 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003825 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003826 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003827 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003828 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00003829 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003830 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003831
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003832 *strlen()*
3833strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
3834 {expr} in bytes. If you want to count the number of
3835 multi-byte characters use something like this: >
3836
3837 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
3838
3839< Composing characters are not counted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003840 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
3841 For other types an error is given.
3842 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003843
3844strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
3845 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
3846 byte {start}, with the length {len}.
3847 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
3848 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
3849 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
3850 end of the {src}. >
3851 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
3852 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
3853 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
3854 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
3855< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
3856 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
3857 strpart(getline(line(".")), col(".") - 1, 3)
3858<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003859strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
3860 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
3861 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
3862 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
3863 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
3864 match: >
3865 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
3866 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
3867< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003868 For pattern searches use |match()|.
3869 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003870 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003871 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003872 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003873< *strrchr()*
3874 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
3875 function strrchr().
3876
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003877strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
3878 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
3879 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
3880 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
3881 echo strtrans(@a)
3882< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
3883 starting a new line.
3884
3885submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
3886 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
3887 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
3888 the whole matched text is returned.
3889 Example: >
3890 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
3891< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
3892 A line break is included as a newline character.
3893
3894substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
3895 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
3896 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
3897 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
3898 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
3899 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
3900 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
3901 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
3902 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
3903 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
3904 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
3905 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
3906 unmodified.
3907 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
3908 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
3909 Example: >
3910 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
3911< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
3912 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
3913< results in "TESTING".
3914
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00003915synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003916 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00003917 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003918 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
3919 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00003920 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003921 line.
3922 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
3923 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
3924 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
3925 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
3926 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
3927 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
3928 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
3929
3930 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
3931 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
3932<
3933synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
3934 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
3935 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
3936 about a syntax item.
3937 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
3938 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
3939 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
3940 used (GUI, cterm or term).
3941 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
3942 {what} result
3943 "name" the name of the syntax item
3944 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
3945 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
3946 term: empty string)
3947 "bg" background color (like "fg")
3948 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
3949 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
3950 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
3951 "bold" "1" if bold
3952 "italic" "1" if italic
3953 "reverse" "1" if reverse
3954 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
3955 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003956 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003957
3958 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
3959 cursor): >
3960 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
3961<
3962synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
3963 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
3964 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
3965 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
3966 ":highlight link" are followed.
3967
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00003968system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
3969 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
3970 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
3971 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
3972 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003973 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00003974 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
3975 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
3976 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003977 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
3978 The result is a String. Example: >
3979
3980 :let files = system("ls")
3981
3982< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
3983 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
3984 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
3985 The command executed is constructed using several options:
3986 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
3987 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
3988 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
3989 concatenated commands.
3990
3991 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
3992 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3993 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
3994 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
3995
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003996
3997taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
3998 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
3999 Each list item is a dictionary with the following entries:
4000 name name of the tag.
4001 filename name of the file where the tag is
4002 defined.
4003 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
4004 the file.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004005 kind type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004006 entry depends on the language specific
4007 kind values generated by the ctags
4008 tool.
4009 static a file specific tag. Refer to
4010 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004011 The "kind" entry is only available when using Exuberant ctags
4012 generated tags file. More entries may be present, depending
4013 on the content of the tags file: access, implementation,
4014 inherits and signature. Refer to the ctags documentation for
4015 information about these fields. For C code the fields
4016 "struct", "class" and "enum" may appear, they give the name of
4017 the entity the tag is contained in.
4018
4019 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
4020 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004021
4022 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
4023
4024 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
4025 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
4026 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
4027
4028 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
4029 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
4030 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
4031
4032
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004033tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
4034 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
4035 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
4036 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
4037 :let tmpfile = tempname()
4038 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
4039< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
4040 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
4041 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
4042 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
4043 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
4044 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
4045
4046tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
4047 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
4048 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
4049 the string).
4050
4051toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
4052 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
4053 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
4054 the string).
4055
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00004056tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
4057 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
4058 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
4059 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
4060 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
4061 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
4062 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
4063
4064 Examples: >
4065 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
4066< returns "Hello THere" >
4067 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
4068< returns "{blob}"
4069
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004070 *type()*
4071type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004072 Number: 0
4073 String: 1
4074 Funcref: 2
4075 List: 3
4076 Dictionary: 4
4077 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004078 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
4079 :if type(myvar) == type("")
4080 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
4081 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004082 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004083
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004084values({dict}) *values()*
4085 Return a List with all the values of {dict}. The List is in
4086 arbitrary order.
4087
4088
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004089virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
4090 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
4091 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
4092 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
4093 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
4094 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
4095 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
4096 set to 8, it returns 8.
4097 For the byte position use |col()|.
4098 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
4099 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
4100 The accepted positions are:
4101 . the cursor position
4102 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
4103 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
4104 plus one)
4105 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
4106 returned)
4107 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
4108 Examples: >
4109 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
4110 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
4111 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
4112< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
4113
4114visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
4115 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
4116 used. Initially it returns an empty string, but once Visual
4117 mode has been used, it returns "v", "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a
4118 single CTRL-V character) for character-wise, line-wise, or
4119 block-wise Visual mode respectively.
4120 Example: >
4121 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
4122< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
4123 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
4124 Visual mode that was used.
4125
4126 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
4127 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
4128 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
4129 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
4130
4131 *winbufnr()*
4132winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004133 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004134 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
4135 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4136 Example: >
4137 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
4138<
4139 *wincol()*
4140wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
4141 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
4142 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
4143
4144winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
4145 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
4146 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
4147 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4148 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
4149 Examples: >
4150 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
4151<
4152 *winline()*
4153winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
4154 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
4155 the window. The first line is one.
4156
4157 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004158winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4159 window. The top window has number 1.
4160 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
4161 last window is returnd (the window count).
4162 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
4163 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
4164 If there is no previous window 0 is returned.
4165 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
4166 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004167
4168 *winrestcmd()*
4169winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
4170 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
4171 are opened or closed and the current window is unchanged.
4172 Example: >
4173 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
4174 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
4175 :exe cmd
4176
4177winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
4178 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
4179 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
4180 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4181 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
4182 Examples: >
4183 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
4184 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
4185 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
4186 :endif
4187<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004188 *writefile()*
4189writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
4190 Write List {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
4191 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
4192 Number.
4193 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
4194 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
4195 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
4196 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
4197 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
4198 to writefile().
4199 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
4200 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
4201 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
4202 fails.
4203 Also see |readfile()|.
4204 To copy a file byte for byte: >
4205 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
4206 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
4207<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004208
4209 *feature-list*
4210There are three types of features:
42111. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
4212 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
4213 :if has("cindent")
42142. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
4215 Example: >
4216 :if has("gui_running")
4217< *has-patch*
42183. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
4219 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
4220 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
4221 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
4222
4223all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
4224amiga Amiga version of Vim.
4225arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
4226arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
4227autocmd Compiled with autocommands support.
4228balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
4229beos BeOS version of Vim.
4230browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
4231 work.
4232builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
4233byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
4234cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
4235clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
4236clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
4237cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
4238cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
4239cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
4240comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
4241cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
4242cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
4243compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
4244debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
4245dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
4246dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
4247diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
4248digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
4249dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
4250dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
4251dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
4252ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
4253emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
4254eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
4255 true, of course!
4256ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
4257extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
4258 |'hlsearch'|
4259farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
4260file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004261filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
4262 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004263find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
4264 |+find_in_path|.
4265fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
4266 Windows this is not present).
4267folding Compiled with |folding| support.
4268footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
4269fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
4270gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
4271gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
4272gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004273gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
4274gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00004275gui_kde Compiled with KDE GUI |KVim|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004276gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
4277gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
4278gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
4279gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
4280gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
4281gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
4282hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
4283iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
4284insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
4285 Insert mode.
4286jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
4287keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
4288langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
4289libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
4290linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
4291 support.
4292lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
4293listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
4294 and the argument list |arglist|.
4295localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
4296mac Macintosh version of Vim.
4297macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
4298menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
4299mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
4300modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
4301mouse Compiled with support mouse.
4302mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
4303mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
4304mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
4305mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
4306mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
4307mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
4308multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
4309multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
4310multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00004311mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004312netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00004313netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004314ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
4315os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
4316osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
4317path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
4318perl Compiled with Perl interface.
4319postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
4320printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004321profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004322python Compiled with Python interface.
4323qnx QNX version of Vim.
4324quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
4325rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
4326ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
4327scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
4328showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
4329signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
4330smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00004331sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004332statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
4333 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
4334sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00004335spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
4336syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004337syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
4338 current buffer.
4339system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
4340tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
4341 |tag-binary-search|.
4342tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
4343 |tag-old-static|.
4344tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
4345 files |tag-any-white|.
4346tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
4347terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
4348termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
4349textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
4350tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
4351 or terminfo file.
4352title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
4353toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
4354unix Unix version of Vim.
4355user_commands User-defined commands.
4356viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
4357vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
4358vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
4359virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
4360visual Compiled with Visual mode.
4361visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
4362 |blockwise-operators|.
4363vms VMS version of Vim.
4364vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
4365wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
4366wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
4367windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
4368winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
4369win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
4370win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
4371win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
4372win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
4373win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
4374writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
4375xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
4376xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
4377xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
4378xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
4379xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
4380xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
4381 xterm screen.
4382x11 Compiled with X11 support.
4383
4384 *string-match*
4385Matching a pattern in a String
4386
4387A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
4388the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
4389everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
4390like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
4391line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
4392with ".". Example: >
4393 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
4394 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
4395 aa
4396 xx
4397 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
4398 a
4399 x
4400
4401Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
4402"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
4403"\n".
4404
4405==============================================================================
44065. Defining functions *user-functions*
4407
4408New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
4409functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
4410commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
4411
4412The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
4413builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
4414avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
4415the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
4416
4417It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|.
4418
4419 *local-function*
4420A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
4421can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
4422and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
4423function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
4424instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
4425
4426 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
4427:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
4428
4429:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004430 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4431 Funcref: >
4432 :function dict.init
4433< *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004434:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004435 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
4436 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
4437 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004438
4439 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4440 Funcref: >
4441 :function dict.init(arg)
4442< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
4443 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
4444 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
4445 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
4446 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
4447 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004448 *E127* *E122*
4449 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
4450 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
4451 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
4452 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004453
4454 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
4455
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004456 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
4457 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
4458 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
4459 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
4460 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
4461 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
4462 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004463
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004464 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
4465 abort as soon as an error is detected.
4466 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
4467 will not be changed by the function.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004468
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004469 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
4470 be invoked through an entry in a Dictionary. The
4471 local variable "self" will then be set to the
4472 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004473
4474 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
4475:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
4476 by its own, without other commands.
4477
4478 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
4479:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004480 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4481 Funcref: >
4482 :delfunc dict.init
4483< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
4484 function is deleted if there are no more references to
4485 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004486 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
4487:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
4488 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
4489 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
4490 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
4491 the number 0 is returned.
4492 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
4493 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
4494
4495 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
4496 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
4497 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
4498 are executed first. This process applies to all
4499 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
4500 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
4501
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004502 *function-argument* *a:var*
4503An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
4504be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
4505 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740*
4506Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
4507arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
4508may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
4509as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004510can be 0). "a:000" is set to a List that contains these arguments. Note that
4511"a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
4512 *E742*
4513The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
4514However, if a List or Dictionary is used, you can changes their contents.
4515Thus you can pass a List to a function and have the function add an item to
4516it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a List or Dictionary
4517use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004518
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004519When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
4520to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
4521may be larger.
4522
4523It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
4524still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
4525until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
4526inside a function body.
4527
4528 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004529Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
4530will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
4531accessed with "g:".
4532
4533Example: >
4534 :function Table(title, ...)
4535 : echohl Title
4536 : echo a:title
4537 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004538 : echo a:0 . " items:"
4539 : for s in a:000
4540 : echon ' ' . s
4541 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004542 :endfunction
4543
4544This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004545 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
4546 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004547
4548To return more than one value, pass the name of a global variable: >
4549 :function Compute(n1, n2, divname)
4550 : if a:n2 == 0
4551 : return "fail"
4552 : endif
4553 : let g:{a:divname} = a:n1 / a:n2
4554 : return "ok"
4555 :endfunction
4556
4557This function can then be called with: >
4558 :let success = Compute(13, 1324, "div")
4559 :if success == "ok"
4560 : echo div
4561 :endif
4562
4563An alternative is to return a command that can be executed. This also works
4564with local variables in a calling function. Example: >
4565 :function Foo()
4566 : execute Bar()
4567 : echo "line " . lnum . " column " . col
4568 :endfunction
4569
4570 :function Bar()
4571 : return "let lnum = " . line(".") . " | let col = " . col(".")
4572 :endfunction
4573
4574The names "lnum" and "col" could also be passed as argument to Bar(), to allow
4575the caller to set the names.
4576
4577 *:cal* *:call* *E107*
4578:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
4579 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
4580 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
4581 used.
4582 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
4583 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
4584 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
4585 function.
4586 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
4587 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
4588 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
4589 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
4590 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
4591 this works:
4592 *function-range-example* >
4593 :function Mynumber(arg)
4594 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
4595 :endfunction
4596 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
4597<
4598 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
4599 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
4600 the range.
4601
4602 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
4603
4604 :function Cont() range
4605 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
4606 :endfunction
4607 :4,8call Cont()
4608<
4609 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
4610 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
4611
4612 *E132*
4613The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
4614option.
4615
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004616
4617AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004618 *autoload-functions*
4619When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004620only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
4621the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
4622
4623
4624Using an autocommand ~
4625
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004626This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
4627
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004628The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
4629You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
4630That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
4631again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
4632
4633Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
4634function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004635
4636 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
4637
4638The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
4639"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
4640
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004641
4642Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004643 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004644This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
4645
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004646Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
4647exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
4648like this: >
4649
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004650 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004651
4652When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
4653"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
4654"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
4655then define the function like this: >
4656
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004657 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004658 echo "Done!"
4659 endfunction
4660
4661The file name and the name used before the colon in the function must match
4662exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
4663called.
4664
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004665It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
4666a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004667
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004668 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004669
4670Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
4671
4672The name before the first colon must be at least two characters long,
4673otherwise it looks like a scope, such as "s:".
4674
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004675This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
4676
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004677 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004678
4679When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
4680be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
4681
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004682 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
4683 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004684
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00004685Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
4686defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
4687function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004688And you will get an error message every time.
4689
4690Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
4691other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
4692Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004693
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004694==============================================================================
46956. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
4696
4697Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
4698This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
4699{} like this: >
4700 my_{adjective}_variable
4701
4702When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
4703that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
4704name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
4705"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
4706"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
4707
4708One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
4709value. For example, the statement >
4710 echo my_{&background}_message
4711
4712would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
4713on the current value of 'background'.
4714
4715You can use multiple brace pairs: >
4716 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
4717..or even nest them: >
4718 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
4719where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
4720
4721However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004722variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004723 :let foo='a + b'
4724 :echo c{foo}d
4725.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
4726
4727 *curly-braces-function-names*
4728You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
4729Example: >
4730 :let func_end='whizz'
4731 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
4732
4733This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
4734
4735==============================================================================
47367. Commands *expression-commands*
4737
4738:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
4739 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
4740 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
4741 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
4742 is created.
4743
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004744:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
4745 Set a list item to the result of the expression
4746 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
4747 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
4748 the index can be repeated.
4749 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
4750
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004751 *E711* *E719*
4752:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004753 Set a sequence of items in a List to the result of the
4754 expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
4755 correct number of items.
4756 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
4757 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
4758 When the selected range of items is partly past the
4759 end of the list, items will be added.
4760
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004761 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004762:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
4763:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
4764:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
4765 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
4766 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
4767
4768
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004769:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
4770 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
4771 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004772:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
4773 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
4774 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
4775 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004776
4777:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
4778 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
4779 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
4780 must be the name of a writable register (see
4781 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
4782 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
4783 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
4784 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
4785 characterwise.
4786 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
4787 :let @/ = ""
4788< This is different from searching for an empty string,
4789 that would match everywhere.
4790
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004791:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
4792 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
4793 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
4794
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004795:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-star*
4796 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004797 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
4798 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004799 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
4800 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
4801 value and the global value is changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004802 Example: >
4803 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004804
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004805:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
4806 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
4807 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
4808
4809:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
4810:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
4811 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
4812 {expr1}.
4813
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004814:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004815:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
4816:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
4817:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004818 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
4819 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
4820
4821:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004822:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
4823:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
4824:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004825 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
4826 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
4827
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004828:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004829 {expr1} must evaluate to a List. The first item in
4830 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
4831 {name2}, etc.
4832 The number of names must match the number of items in
4833 the List.
4834 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
4835 command as mentioned above.
4836 Example: >
4837 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004838< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
4839 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
4840 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
4841 :let x = [0, 1]
4842 :let i = 0
4843 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
4844 :echo x
4845< The result is [0, 2].
4846
4847:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
4848:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
4849:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
4850 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
4851 List item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004852
4853:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004854 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the List may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004855 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
4856 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
4857 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004858 Example: >
4859 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
4860<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004861:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
4862:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
4863:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
4864 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
4865 List item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004866 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004867:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00004868 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
4869 here: *E738*
4870 g: global variables.
4871 b: local buffer variables.
4872 w: local window variables.
4873 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004874
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004875:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
4876 variable is indicated before the value:
4877 <nothing> String
4878 # Number
4879 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004880
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004881
4882:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108*
4883 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
4884 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
4885 may also be a List or Dictionary item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004886 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
4887 variables.
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00004888 One or more items from a List can be removed: >
4889 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
4890 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
4891< One item from a Dictionary can be removed at a time: >
4892 :unlet dict['two']
4893 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004894
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004895:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
4896 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
4897 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
4898 A locked variable can be deleted: >
4899 :lockvar v
4900 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
4901 :unlet v
4902< *E741*
4903 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
4904 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
4905
4906 [depth] is relevant when locking a List or Dictionary.
4907 It specifies how deep the locking goes:
4908 1 Lock the List or Dictionary itself,
4909 cannot add or remove items, but can
4910 still change their values.
4911 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
4912 the items. If an item is a List or
4913 Dictionary, cannot add or remove
4914 items, but can still change the
4915 values.
4916 3 Like 2 but for the List/Dictionary in
4917 the List/Dictionary, one level deeper.
4918 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a List
4919 or Dictionary the values cannot be changed.
4920 *E743*
4921 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
4922 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
4923 loops.
4924
4925 Note that when two variables refer to the same List
4926 and you lock one of them, the List will also be locked
4927 when used through the other variable. Example: >
4928 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
4929 :let cl = l
4930 :lockvar l
4931 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
4932< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
4933 See |deepcopy()|.
4934
4935
4936:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
4937 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
4938 opposite of |:lockvar|.
4939
4940
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004941:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
4942:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
4943 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
4944
4945 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
4946 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
4947 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
4948 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
4949 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
4950 part was not executed either.
4951
4952 You can use this to remain compatible with older
4953 versions: >
4954 :if version >= 500
4955 : version-5-specific-commands
4956 :endif
4957< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
4958 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
4959 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
4960 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
4961 avoid problems: >
4962 :if version >= 600
4963 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
4964 :endif
4965<
4966 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
4967 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
4968
4969 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
4970:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
4971 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
4972 executed.
4973
4974 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
4975:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
4976 is no extra ":endif".
4977
4978:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004979 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004980:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
4981 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
4982 When an error is detected from a command inside the
4983 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004984 Example: >
4985 :let lnum = 1
4986 :while lnum <= line("$")
4987 :call FixLine(lnum)
4988 :let lnum = lnum + 1
4989 :endwhile
4990<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004991 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004992 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004993
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004994:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004995:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
4996 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004997 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004998 value of each item.
4999 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005000 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005001 Changing {list} affects what items are used. Make a
5002 copy if this is unwanted: >
5003 :for item in copy(mylist)
5004< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
5005 next item in the list, before executing the commands
5006 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
5007 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
5008 it will not be found. Thus the following example
5009 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
5010 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005011 :call remove(mylist, 0)
5012 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005013< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
5014 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
5015 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005016 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
5017 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
5018 to allow multiple item types.
5019
5020:for {var} in {string}
5021:endfo[r] Like ":for" above, but use each character in {string}
5022 as a list item.
5023 Composing characters are used as separate characters.
5024 A Number is first converted to a String.
5025
5026:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
5027:endfo[r]
5028 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
5029 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
5030 {var2}, etc. Example: >
5031 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
5032 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
5033 :endfor
5034<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005035 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005036:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
5037 to the start of the loop.
5038 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5039 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5040 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5041 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5042 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5043 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005044
5045 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005046:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
5047 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
5048 ":endfor".
5049 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5050 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5051 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5052 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5053 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5054 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005055
5056:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
5057:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
5058 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
5059 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
5060 or autocommand invocations.
5061
5062 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
5063 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
5064 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
5065 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
5066 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
5067 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
5068 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
5069 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
5070 Example: >
5071 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
5072 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
5073<
5074 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
5075 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
5076 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
5077 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
5078 processing is not terminated.
5079
5080 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
5081 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
5082 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
5083 other errors are converted to a value of the form
5084 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
5085 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
5086 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
5087 the error number.
5088 Examples: >
5089 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
5090 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
5091<
5092 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
5093:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
5094 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
5095 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
5096 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
5097 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
5098 commands are skipped.
5099 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
5100 Examples: >
5101 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
5102 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
5103 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
5104 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
5105 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
5106 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
5107 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
5108 :catch " same as /.*/
5109<
5110 Another character can be used instead of / around the
5111 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
5112 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
5113 {pattern}.
5114 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
5115 an error message because it may vary in different
5116 locales.
5117
5118 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
5119:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
5120 are executed whenever the part between the matching
5121 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
5122 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
5123 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
5124 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
5125
5126 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
5127:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
5128 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
5129 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
5130 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
5131 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
5132 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
5133 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
5134 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
5135 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
5136 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
5137 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
5138 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
5139 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
5140 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
5141 is terminated.
5142 Example: >
5143 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
5144<
5145
5146 *:ec* *:echo*
5147:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
5148 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
5149 Also see |:comment|.
5150 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
5151 cursor to the first column.
5152 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5153 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5154 Example: >
5155 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
5156< A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
5157 To avoid that a command from before the ":echo" causes
5158 a redraw afterwards (redraws are often postponed until
5159 you type something), force a redraw with the |:redraw|
5160 command. Example: >
5161 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
5162<
5163 *:echon*
5164:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
5165 |:comment|.
5166 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5167 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5168 Example: >
5169 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
5170<
5171 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
5172 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
5173 command: >
5174 :!echo % --> filename
5175< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
5176 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
5177< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
5178 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
5179 :echo % --> nothing
5180< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
5181 :echo "%" --> %
5182< This just echoes the '%' character. >
5183 :echo expand("%") --> filename
5184< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
5185
5186 *:echoh* *:echohl*
5187:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
5188 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
5189 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
5190 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
5191< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
5192 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
5193
5194 *:echom* *:echomsg*
5195:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
5196 message in the |message-history|.
5197 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5198 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
5199 displayed, not interpreted.
5200 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5201 Example: >
5202 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
5203<
5204 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
5205:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
5206 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
5207 script or function the line number will be added.
5208 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5209 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
5210 the message is raised as an error exception instead
5211 (see |try-echoerr|).
5212 Example: >
5213 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
5214< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
5215 And to get a beep: >
5216 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
5217<
5218 *:exe* *:execute*
5219:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
5220 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
5221 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
5222 used as the processed command, command line editing
5223 keys are not recognized.
5224 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5225 Examples: >
5226 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
5227 :execute "normal " count . "w"
5228<
5229 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
5230 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
5231 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
5232
5233< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
5234 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
5235 command: >
5236 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
5237< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
5238
5239 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005240 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
5241 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005242 :execute 'while i > 5'
5243 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
5244<
5245 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
5246 completely in the executed string: >
5247 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
5248<
5249
5250 *:comment*
5251 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
5252 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
5253 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
5254 comment. Example: >
5255 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
5256
5257==============================================================================
52588. Exception handling *exception-handling*
5259
5260The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
5261explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
5262
5263Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
5264|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
5265exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
5266
5267
5268TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
5269
5270Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
5271use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
5272a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
5273 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
5274|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
5275a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
5276be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
5277which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
5278clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
5279
5280 :try
5281 : ...
5282 : ... TRY BLOCK
5283 : ...
5284 :catch /{pattern}/
5285 : ...
5286 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5287 : ...
5288 :catch /{pattern}/
5289 : ...
5290 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5291 : ...
5292 :finally
5293 : ...
5294 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
5295 : ...
5296 :endtry
5297
5298The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
5299appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
5300from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
5301 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
5302is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
5303script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
5304 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
5305lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
5306patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
5307after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
5308executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
5309":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
5310(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
5311continues in the following line as usual.
5312 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
5313":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
5314that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
5315finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
5316the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
5317the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
5318see |try-nesting|.
5319 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
5320remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
5321not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
5322try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
5323a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
5324execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
5325exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5326 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
5327thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
5328clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
5329catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
5330following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
5331clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5332
5333The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
5334a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
5335try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
5336from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
5337sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
5338":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
5339":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
5340from the finally clause.
5341 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
5342try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
5343clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
5344":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
5345clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
5346":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
5347this pending exception or command is discarded.
5348
5349For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
5350
5351
5352NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
5353
5354Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
5355conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
5356clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
5357catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
5358of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
5359checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
5360try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
5361otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
5362nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
5363one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
5364the inner try conditional.
5365
5366When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
5367finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
5368An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
5369thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
5370implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
5371as usual.
5372
5373For examples see |throw-catch|.
5374
5375
5376EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
5377
5378Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
5379'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
5380script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
5381finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
5382a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
5383(see |debug-scripts|).
5384
5385
5386THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
5387
5388You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
5389and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
5390 :throw 4711
5391 :throw "string"
5392< *throw-expression*
5393You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
5394first, and the result is thrown: >
5395 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
5396 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
5397
5398An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
5399command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
5400The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
5401 Example: >
5402
5403 :function! Foo(arg)
5404 : try
5405 : throw a:arg
5406 : catch /foo/
5407 : endtry
5408 : return 1
5409 :endfunction
5410 :
5411 :function! Bar()
5412 : echo "in Bar"
5413 : return 4710
5414 :endfunction
5415 :
5416 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
5417
5418This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
5419executed. >
5420 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
5421however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
5422
5423Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
5424abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
5425exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
5426 Example: >
5427
5428 :if Foo("arrgh")
5429 : echo "then"
5430 :else
5431 : echo "else"
5432 :endif
5433
5434Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
5435
5436 *catch-order*
5437Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
5438commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
5439command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
5440gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
5441 Example: >
5442
5443 :function! Foo(value)
5444 : try
5445 : throw a:value
5446 : catch /^\d\+$/
5447 : echo "Number thrown"
5448 : catch /.*/
5449 : echo "String thrown"
5450 : endtry
5451 :endfunction
5452 :
5453 :call Foo(0x1267)
5454 :call Foo('string')
5455
5456The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
5457An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
5458specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
5459specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
5460
5461 : catch /.*/
5462 : echo "String thrown"
5463 : catch /^\d\+$/
5464 : echo "Number thrown"
5465
5466The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
5467never taken.
5468
5469 *throw-variables*
5470If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
5471in the variable |v:exception|: >
5472
5473 : catch /^\d\+$/
5474 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
5475
5476You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
5477|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
5478exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
5479 Example: >
5480
5481 :function! Caught()
5482 : if v:exception != ""
5483 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
5484 : else
5485 : echo 'Nothing caught'
5486 : endif
5487 :endfunction
5488 :
5489 :function! Foo()
5490 : try
5491 : try
5492 : try
5493 : throw 4711
5494 : finally
5495 : call Caught()
5496 : endtry
5497 : catch /.*/
5498 : call Caught()
5499 : throw "oops"
5500 : endtry
5501 : catch /.*/
5502 : call Caught()
5503 : finally
5504 : call Caught()
5505 : endtry
5506 :endfunction
5507 :
5508 :call Foo()
5509
5510This displays >
5511
5512 Nothing caught
5513 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
5514 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
5515 Nothing caught
5516
5517A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
5518number in the script or function where it has been used: >
5519
5520 :function! LineNumber()
5521 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
5522 :endfunction
5523 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
5524<
5525 *try-nested*
5526An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
5527a surrounding try conditional: >
5528
5529 :try
5530 : try
5531 : throw "foo"
5532 : catch /foobar/
5533 : echo "foobar"
5534 : finally
5535 : echo "inner finally"
5536 : endtry
5537 :catch /foo/
5538 : echo "foo"
5539 :endtry
5540
5541The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
5542clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
5543conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
5544
5545 *throw-from-catch*
5546You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
5547catch clause: >
5548
5549 :function! Foo()
5550 : throw "foo"
5551 :endfunction
5552 :
5553 :function! Bar()
5554 : try
5555 : call Foo()
5556 : catch /foo/
5557 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
5558 : throw "bar"
5559 : endtry
5560 :endfunction
5561 :
5562 :try
5563 : call Bar()
5564 :catch /.*/
5565 : echo "Caught" v:exception
5566 :endtry
5567
5568This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
5569
5570 *rethrow*
5571There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
5572"v:exception" instead: >
5573
5574 :function! Bar()
5575 : try
5576 : call Foo()
5577 : catch /.*/
5578 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
5579 : throw v:exception
5580 : endtry
5581 :endfunction
5582< *try-echoerr*
5583Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
5584exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
5585Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
5586denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
5587the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
5588
5589 :try
5590 : try
5591 : asdf
5592 : catch /.*/
5593 : echoerr v:exception
5594 : endtry
5595 :catch /.*/
5596 : echo v:exception
5597 :endtry
5598
5599This code displays
5600
5601 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
5602
5603
5604CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
5605
5606Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
5607user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
5608an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
5609a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
5610catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
5611a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
5612normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
5613(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
5614to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
5615clause has been executed.)
5616Example: >
5617
5618 :try
5619 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
5620 : set ts=17
5621 :
5622 : " Do the hard work here.
5623 :
5624 :finally
5625 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
5626 : unlet s:saved_ts
5627 :endtry
5628
5629This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
5630changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
5631that function or script part.
5632
5633 *break-finally*
5634Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
5635a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
5636 Example: >
5637
5638 :let first = 1
5639 :while 1
5640 : try
5641 : if first
5642 : echo "first"
5643 : let first = 0
5644 : continue
5645 : else
5646 : throw "second"
5647 : endif
5648 : catch /.*/
5649 : echo v:exception
5650 : break
5651 : finally
5652 : echo "cleanup"
5653 : endtry
5654 : echo "still in while"
5655 :endwhile
5656 :echo "end"
5657
5658This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
5659
5660 :function! Foo()
5661 : try
5662 : return 4711
5663 : finally
5664 : echo "cleanup\n"
5665 : endtry
5666 : echo "Foo still active"
5667 :endfunction
5668 :
5669 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
5670
5671This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
5672extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
5673return value.)
5674
5675 *except-from-finally*
5676Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
5677a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
5678cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
5679exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
5680 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
5681working correctly: >
5682
5683 :try
5684 : try
5685 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
5686 : while 1
5687 : endwhile
5688 : finally
5689 : unlet novar
5690 : endtry
5691 :catch /novar/
5692 :endtry
5693 :echo "Script still running"
5694 :sleep 1
5695
5696If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
5697think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
5698|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
5699
5700
5701CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
5702
5703If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
5704watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
5705presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
5706exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
5707the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
5708the error exception is.
5709 Error exceptions have the following format: >
5710
5711 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
5712or >
5713 Vim:{errmsg}
5714
5715{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
5716the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
5717when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
5718a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
5719a space.
5720
5721Examples:
5722
5723The command >
5724 :unlet novar
5725normally produces the error message >
5726 E108: No such variable: "novar"
5727which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5728 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
5729
5730The command >
5731 :dwim
5732normally produces the error message >
5733 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
5734which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5735 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
5736
5737You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
5738 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
5739or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
5740 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
5741
5742Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
5743 :function nofunc
5744and >
5745 :delfunction nofunc
5746both produce the error message >
5747 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5748which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5749 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5750or >
5751 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5752respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
5753command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
5754 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
5755
5756Some commands like >
5757 :let x = novar
5758produce multiple error messages, here: >
5759 E121: Undefined variable: novar
5760 E15: Invalid expression: novar
5761Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
5762one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
5763 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
5764
5765You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
5766 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
5767
5768You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
5769 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
5770
5771You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
5772 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
5773<
5774 *catch-text*
5775NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
5776 :catch /No such variable/
5777only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
5778a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
5779cite the message text in a comment: >
5780 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
5781
5782
5783IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
5784
5785You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
5786
5787 :try
5788 : write
5789 :catch
5790 :endtry
5791
5792But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
5793catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
5794be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
5795
5796 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
5797
5798There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
5799writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
5800then hide the error from the user.
5801 It is much better to use >
5802
5803 :try
5804 : write
5805 :catch /^Vim(write):/
5806 :endtry
5807
5808which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
5809intentionally.
5810
5811For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
5812even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
5813command: >
5814 :silent! nunmap k
5815This works also when a try conditional is active.
5816
5817
5818CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
5819
5820When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
5821the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
5822script is not terminated, then.
5823 Example: >
5824
5825 :function! TASK1()
5826 : sleep 10
5827 :endfunction
5828
5829 :function! TASK2()
5830 : sleep 20
5831 :endfunction
5832
5833 :while 1
5834 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
5835 : try
5836 : if command == ""
5837 : continue
5838 : elseif command == "END"
5839 : break
5840 : elseif command == "TASK1"
5841 : call TASK1()
5842 : elseif command == "TASK2"
5843 : call TASK2()
5844 : else
5845 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
5846 : continue
5847 : endif
5848 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
5849 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
5850 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
5851 : endtry
5852 :endwhile
5853
5854You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
5855a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
5856
5857For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
5858your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
5859command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
5860
5861
5862CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
5863
5864The commands >
5865
5866 :catch /.*/
5867 :catch //
5868 :catch
5869
5870catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
5871explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
5872a script in order to catch unexpected things.
5873 Example: >
5874
5875 :try
5876 :
5877 : " do the hard work here
5878 :
5879 :catch /MyException/
5880 :
5881 : " handle known problem
5882 :
5883 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
5884 : echo "Script interrupted"
5885 :catch /.*/
5886 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
5887 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
5888 :endtry
5889 :" end of script
5890
5891Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
5892strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
5893specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
5894 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
5895by pressing CTRL-C: >
5896
5897 :while 1
5898 : try
5899 : sleep 1
5900 : catch
5901 : endtry
5902 :endwhile
5903
5904
5905EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
5906
5907Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
5908
5909 :autocmd User x try
5910 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
5911 :autocmd User x catch
5912 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
5913 :autocmd User x endtry
5914 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
5915 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
5916 :
5917 :try
5918 : doautocmd User x
5919 :catch
5920 : echo v:exception
5921 :endtry
5922
5923This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
5924
5925 *except-autocmd-Pre*
5926For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
5927command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
5928of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
5929abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
5930 Example: >
5931
5932 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
5933 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
5934 :
5935 :try
5936 : write
5937 :catch
5938 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
5939 :endtry
5940
5941Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
5942you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
5943autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
5944script displays: >
5945
5946 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
5947<
5948 *except-autocmd-Post*
5949For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
5950command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
5951an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
5952is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
5953 Example: >
5954
5955 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
5956 :
5957 :try
5958 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5959 :catch
5960 : echo v:exception
5961 :endtry
5962
5963This just displays: >
5964
5965 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
5966
5967If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
5968fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
5969 Example: >
5970
5971 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
5972 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
5973 :
5974 :try
5975 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5976 :catch
5977 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5978 :endtry
5979<
5980You can also use ":silent!": >
5981
5982 :let x = "ok"
5983 :let v:errmsg = ""
5984 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
5985 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
5986 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
5987 :try
5988 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5989 :catch
5990 :endtry
5991 :echo x
5992
5993This displays "after fail".
5994
5995If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
5996autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
5997
5998 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
5999 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
6000 :
6001 :try
6002 : write
6003 :catch
6004 : echo v:exception
6005 :endtry
6006<
6007 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
6008For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
6009autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
6010of the command.
6011 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
6012had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
6013some way. >
6014
6015 :if !exists("cnt")
6016 : let cnt = 0
6017 :
6018 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
6019 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
6020 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
6021 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6022 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6023 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
6024 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
6025 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6026 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6027 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
6028 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6029 :endif
6030 :
6031 :try
6032 : write
6033 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
6034 : if &modified
6035 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
6036 : else
6037 : echo "Error after writing"
6038 : endif
6039 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6040 : echo "Error on writing"
6041 :endtry
6042
6043When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
6044first >
6045 File successfully written!
6046then >
6047 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
6048then >
6049 Error after writing
6050etc.
6051
6052 *except-autocmd-ill*
6053You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
6054The following code is ill-formed: >
6055
6056 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
6057 :
6058 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
6059 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
6060 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
6061 :
6062 :write
6063
6064
6065EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
6066
6067Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
6068pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
6069similar things in Vim.
6070 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
6071class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
6072string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
6073 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
6074it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
6075for an error when writing "myfile".
6076 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
6077base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
6078parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
6079 Example: >
6080
6081 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
6082 : if a:a < 0
6083 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
6084 : endif
6085 :endfunction
6086 :
6087 :function! Add(a, b)
6088 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
6089 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
6090 : let c = a:a + a:b
6091 : if c < 0
6092 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
6093 : endif
6094 : return c
6095 :endfunction
6096 :
6097 :function! Div(a, b)
6098 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
6099 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
6100 : if (a:b == 0)
6101 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
6102 : endif
6103 : return a:a / a:b
6104 :endfunction
6105 :
6106 :function! Write(file)
6107 : try
6108 : execute "write" a:file
6109 : catch /^Vim(write):/
6110 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
6111 : endtry
6112 :endfunction
6113 :
6114 :try
6115 :
6116 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
6117 :
6118 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
6119 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6120 : echo "Range error in" function
6121 :
6122 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
6123 : echo "Math error"
6124 :
6125 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
6126 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
6127 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6128 : if file !~ '^/'
6129 : let file = dir . "/" . file
6130 : endif
6131 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
6132 :
6133 :catch /^EXCEPT/
6134 : echo "Unspecified error"
6135 :
6136 :endtry
6137
6138The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
6139a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
6140exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
6141 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
6142failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
6143
6144
6145PECULIARITIES
6146 *except-compat*
6147The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
6148exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
6149and/or a catch clause.
6150
6151In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
6152continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
6153after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
6154functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
6155or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
6156(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
6157
6158This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
6159immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
6160conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
6161be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
6162termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
6163catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
6164by specifying a finally clause.)
6165
6166When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
6167behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
6168scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
6169
6170However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
6171commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
6172conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
6173script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
6174error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
6175messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
6176|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
6177not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
6178where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
6179error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
6180scripts.
6181
6182 *except-syntax-err*
6183Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
6184the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
6185clauses, however, is executed.
6186 Example: >
6187
6188 :try
6189 : try
6190 : throw 4711
6191 : catch /\(/
6192 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
6193 : catch
6194 : echo "inner catch-all"
6195 : finally
6196 : echo "inner finally"
6197 : endtry
6198 :catch
6199 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
6200 : finally
6201 : echo "outer finally"
6202 :endtry
6203
6204This displays: >
6205 inner finally
6206 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
6207 outer finally
6208The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
6209
6210 *except-single-line*
6211The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
6212a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
6213"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
6214 Example: >
6215 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
6216raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
6217argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
6218error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
6219displayed.
6220
6221 *except-several-errors*
6222When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
6223usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
6224 Example: >
6225 echo novar
6226causes >
6227 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6228 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6229The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6230 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
6231< *except-syntax-error*
6232But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
6233the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
6234 Example: >
6235 unlet novar #
6236causes >
6237 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6238 E488: Trailing characters
6239The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6240 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
6241This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
6242not intended by the user. Example: >
6243 try
6244 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
6245 catch /.*/
6246 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
6247 endtry
6248This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
6249a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
6250
6251==============================================================================
62529. Examples *eval-examples*
6253
6254Printing in Hex ~
6255>
6256 :" The function Nr2Hex() returns the Hex string of a number.
6257 :func Nr2Hex(nr)
6258 : let n = a:nr
6259 : let r = ""
6260 : while n
6261 : let r = '0123456789ABCDEF'[n % 16] . r
6262 : let n = n / 16
6263 : endwhile
6264 : return r
6265 :endfunc
6266
6267 :" The function String2Hex() converts each character in a string to a two
6268 :" character Hex string.
6269 :func String2Hex(str)
6270 : let out = ''
6271 : let ix = 0
6272 : while ix < strlen(a:str)
6273 : let out = out . Nr2Hex(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
6274 : let ix = ix + 1
6275 : endwhile
6276 : return out
6277 :endfunc
6278
6279Example of its use: >
6280 :echo Nr2Hex(32)
6281result: "20" >
6282 :echo String2Hex("32")
6283result: "3332"
6284
6285
6286Sorting lines (by Robert Webb) ~
6287
6288Here is a Vim script to sort lines. Highlight the lines in Vim and type
6289":Sort". This doesn't call any external programs so it'll work on any
6290platform. The function Sort() actually takes the name of a comparison
6291function as its argument, like qsort() does in C. So you could supply it
6292with different comparison functions in order to sort according to date etc.
6293>
6294 :" Function for use with Sort(), to compare two strings.
6295 :func! Strcmp(str1, str2)
6296 : if (a:str1 < a:str2)
6297 : return -1
6298 : elseif (a:str1 > a:str2)
6299 : return 1
6300 : else
6301 : return 0
6302 : endif
6303 :endfunction
6304
6305 :" Sort lines. SortR() is called recursively.
6306 :func! SortR(start, end, cmp)
6307 : if (a:start >= a:end)
6308 : return
6309 : endif
6310 : let partition = a:start - 1
6311 : let middle = partition
6312 : let partStr = getline((a:start + a:end) / 2)
6313 : let i = a:start
6314 : while (i <= a:end)
6315 : let str = getline(i)
6316 : exec "let result = " . a:cmp . "(str, partStr)"
6317 : if (result <= 0)
6318 : " Need to put it before the partition. Swap lines i and partition.
6319 : let partition = partition + 1
6320 : if (result == 0)
6321 : let middle = partition
6322 : endif
6323 : if (i != partition)
6324 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6325 : call setline(i, str2)
6326 : call setline(partition, str)
6327 : endif
6328 : endif
6329 : let i = i + 1
6330 : endwhile
6331
6332 : " Now we have a pointer to the "middle" element, as far as partitioning
6333 : " goes, which could be anywhere before the partition. Make sure it is at
6334 : " the end of the partition.
6335 : if (middle != partition)
6336 : let str = getline(middle)
6337 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6338 : call setline(middle, str2)
6339 : call setline(partition, str)
6340 : endif
6341 : call SortR(a:start, partition - 1, a:cmp)
6342 : call SortR(partition + 1, a:end, a:cmp)
6343 :endfunc
6344
6345 :" To Sort a range of lines, pass the range to Sort() along with the name of a
6346 :" function that will compare two lines.
6347 :func! Sort(cmp) range
6348 : call SortR(a:firstline, a:lastline, a:cmp)
6349 :endfunc
6350
6351 :" :Sort takes a range of lines and sorts them.
6352 :command! -nargs=0 -range Sort <line1>,<line2>call Sort("Strcmp")
6353<
6354 *sscanf*
6355There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
6356line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
6357how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
6358"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
6359 :" Set up the match bit
6360 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
6361 :"get the part matching the whole expression
6362 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
6363 :"get each item out of the match
6364 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
6365 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
6366 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
6367
6368The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
6369"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
6370
6371==============================================================================
637210. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
6373
6374When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
6375evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
6376to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
6377recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
6378and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
6379only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
6380recognized.
6381
6382Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
6383missing: >
6384
6385 :if 1
6386 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
6387 :else
6388 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
6389 :endif
6390
6391==============================================================================
639211. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
6393
6394The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
6395options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
6396these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
6397these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
6398a tags file is executed.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006399The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006400
6401These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
6402 - changing the buffer text
6403 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
6404 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
6405 - executing a shell command
6406 - reading or writing a file
6407 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006408This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
6409
6410 *:san* *:sandbox*
6411:sandbox {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
6412 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
6413 'foldexpr'.
6414
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006415
6416 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: