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Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.2b. Last change: 2008 Jul 09
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005
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 Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00003112. Textlock |textlock|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000032
33{Vi does not have any of these commands}
34
35==============================================================================
361. Variables *variables*
37
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000381.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000039 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000040There are six types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000041
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000042Number A 32 bit signed number. |expr-number| *Number*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000043 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
44
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000045Float A floating point number. |floating-point-format| *Float*
46 {only when compiled with the |+float| feature}
47 Examples: 123.456 1.15e-6 -1.1e3
48
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000049String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000050 |expr-string| Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000051
52Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
53 Example: function("strlen")
54
55List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
56 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000057
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000058Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
59 value. |Dictionary|
60 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
61
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000062The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
63are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000064
65Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
66the Number. Examples: >
67 Number 123 --> String "123"
68 Number 0 --> String "0"
69 Number -1 --> String "-1"
70
71Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
72to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
73the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
74 String "456" --> Number 456
75 String "6bar" --> Number 6
76 String "foo" --> Number 0
77 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
78 String "0100" --> Number 64
79 String "-8" --> Number -8
80 String "+8" --> Number 0
81
82To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
83 :echo "0100" + 0
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +000084< 64 ~
85
86To avoid a leading zero to cause octal conversion, or for using a different
87base, use |str2nr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000088
89For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
90
91Note that in the command >
92 :if "foo"
93"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
94use strlen(): >
95 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000096< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
97List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000098
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000099 *E805* *E806* *E808*
100When mixing Number and Float the Number is converted to Float. Otherwise
101there is no automatic conversion of Float. You can use str2float() for String
102to Float, printf() for Float to String and float2nr() for Float to Number.
103
104 *E706* *sticky-type-checking*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000105You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
106to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000107equivalent though, as well are Float and Number. Consider this sequence of
108commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000109 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000110 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000111 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error! l is still a Number
112 :let l = 4.4 " changes type from Number to Float
113 :let l = "string" " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000114
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000115
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001161.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000117 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000118A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000119in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
120around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000121
122 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
123 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000124< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000125A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:", "t:" or "b:". You
126cannot have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000127
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000128A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
129Dictionary entry. Example: >
130 :function dict.init() dict
131 : let self.val = 0
132 :endfunction
133
134The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
135function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
136
137A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
138 :call Fn()
139 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000140
141The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000142 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143
144You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
145arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000146 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000147
148
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001491.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000150 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000151A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000152can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000153position in the sequence.
154
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000155
156List creation ~
157 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159Examples: >
160 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
161 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000162
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000163An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000164List of Lists: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000165 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000166
167An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
168
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000169
170List index ~
171 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000172An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000173after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
174 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000175 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000176
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000177When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000178 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000179<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000180A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
181the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000182 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
183
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000184To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000185is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000186 :echo get(mylist, idx)
187 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
188
189
190List concatenation ~
191
192Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
193 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000194 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000195
196To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
197it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
198
199
200Sublist ~
201
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000202A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
203separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000204 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000205
206Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000207similar to -1. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000208 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
209 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
210 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000211
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000212If the first index is beyond the last item of the List or the second item is
213before the first item, the result is an empty list. There is no error
214message.
215
216If the second index is equal to or greater than the length of the list the
217length minus one is used: >
Bram Moolenaar9e54a0e2006-04-14 20:42:25 +0000218 :let mylist = [0, 1, 2, 3]
219 :echo mylist[2:8] " result: [2, 3]
220
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000221NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000222using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000223mylist[s : e].
224
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000225
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000226List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000227 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000228When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
229variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
230change "bb": >
231 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
232 :let bb = aa
233 :call add(aa, 4)
234 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000235< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000236
237Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
238works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000239a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000240 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
241 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000242 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000243 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
244 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000245< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000246 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000247< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000248
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000249To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000250copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000251
252The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000253List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000254the same value. >
255 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
256 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
257 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000258< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000259 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000260< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000261
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000262Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
263same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000264exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
265different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
266variables. Example: >
267 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000268< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000269 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000270< 0
271
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000272Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000273can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000274
275 :let a = 5
276 :let b = "5"
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000277 :echo a == b
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000278< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000279 :echo [a] == [b]
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000280< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000281
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000282
283List unpack ~
284
285To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
286square brackets, like list items: >
287 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
288
289When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
290this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
291and a variable name: >
292 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
293
294This works like: >
295 :let var1 = mylist[0]
296 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000297 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000298
299Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
300empty list then.
301
302
303List modification ~
304 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000305To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000306 :let list[4] = "four"
307 :let listlist[0][3] = item
308
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000309To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000310modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000311 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
312
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000313Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
314examples: >
315 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
316 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
317 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000318 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000319 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
320 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000321 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000322 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000323 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000324 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000325
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000326Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000327 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
328 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
329
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000330
331For loop ~
332
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000333The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
334to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000335 :for item in mylist
336 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000337 :endfor
338
339This works like: >
340 :let index = 0
341 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000342 : let item = mylist[index]
343 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000344 : let index = index + 1
345 :endwhile
346
347Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000348results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000349the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000350
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000351If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000352function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000353
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000354Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000355requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
356 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
357 : call Doit(lnum, col)
358 :endfor
359
360This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
361must remain the same to avoid an error.
362
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000363It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000364 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
365 : call Doit(i, j)
366 : if !empty(rest)
367 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
368 : endif
369 :endfor
370
371
372List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000373 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000374Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000375 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000376 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000377 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
378 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
379 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000380 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
381 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000382 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
383 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000384 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
385 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000386 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
387 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000388
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000389Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
390example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
391 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
392
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000393
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003941.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000395 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000396A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000397entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
398ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000399
400
401Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000402 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000403A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000404braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
405only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000406 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
407 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000408< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000409A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
410String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000411entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000412Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000413
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000414A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000415nested Dictionary: >
416 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
417
418An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
419
420
421Accessing entries ~
422
423The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
424 :let val = mydict["one"]
425 :let mydict["four"] = 4
426
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000427You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000428
429For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
430form can be used |expr-entry|: >
431 :let val = mydict.one
432 :let mydict.four = 4
433
434Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
435key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000436 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000437
438
439Dictionary to List conversion ~
440
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000441You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000442turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
443
444Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
445 :for key in keys(mydict)
446 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
447 :endfor
448
449The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
450 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
451
452To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
453 :for v in values(mydict)
454 : echo "value: " . v
455 :endfor
456
457If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000458a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000459 :for [key, value] in items(mydict)
460 : echo key . ': ' . value
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000461 :endfor
462
463
464Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000465 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000466Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
467Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
468Dictionary: >
469 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
470 :let adict = onedict
471 :let adict['a'] = 11
472 :echo onedict['a']
473 11
474
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000475Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
476more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000477
478
479Dictionary modification ~
480 *dict-modification*
481To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
482use |:let| this way: >
483 :let dict[4] = "four"
484 :let dict['one'] = item
485
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000486Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
487Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
488 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
489 :unlet dict.aaa
490 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000491
492Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000493 :call extend(adict, bdict)
494This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
495in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000496Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
497expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
498adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000499
500Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000501 :call filter(dict, 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000502This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000503
504
505Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000506 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000507When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000508special way with a dictionary. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000509 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000510 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000511 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000512 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
513 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000514
515This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
516Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
517the function was invoked from.
518
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000519It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
520Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
521
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000522 *numbered-function* *anonymous-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000523To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
524assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000525 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
526 :function mydict.len() dict
527 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000528 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000529 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000530
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000531The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000532that references this function. The function can only be used through a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000533|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
534remaining that refers to it.
535
536It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000537
538
539Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000540 *E715*
541Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000542 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
543 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
544 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
545 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
546 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
547 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
548 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
549 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000550
551
5521.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000553 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000554If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
555function.
556
557When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
558start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
559stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
560
561When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
562start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
563stored in the session file |session-file|.
564
565variable name can be stored where ~
566my_var_6 not
567My_Var_6 session file
568MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
569
570
571It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
572|curly-braces-names|.
573
574==============================================================================
5752. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
576
577Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
578
579|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
580
581|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
582
583|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
584
585|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
586 expr5 != expr5 not equal
587 expr5 > expr5 greater than
588 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
589 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
590 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
591 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
592 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
593
594 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
595 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
596 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
597 matching case
598
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000599 expr5 is expr5 same |List| instance
600 expr5 isnot expr5 different |List| instance
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000601
602|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000603 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
604 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
605
606|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
607 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
608 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
609
610|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
611 - expr7 unary minus
612 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000613
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000614
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000615|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a |List|
616 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a |List|
617 expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary|
618 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with |Funcref| variable
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000619
620|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000621 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000622 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000623 [expr1, ...] |List|
624 {expr1: expr1, ...} |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000625 &option option value
626 (expr1) nested expression
627 variable internal variable
628 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
629 $VAR environment variable
630 @r contents of register 'r'
631 function(expr1, ...) function call
632 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
633
634
635".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
636Example: >
637 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
638
639All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
640
641
642expr1 *expr1* *E109*
643-----
644
645expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
646
647The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
648non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
649otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
650Example: >
651 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
652
653Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
654other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
655Example: >
656 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
657
658To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
659 :echo lnum == 1
660 :\ ? "top"
661 :\ : lnum == 1000
662 :\ ? "last"
663 :\ : lnum
664
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000665You should always put a space before the ':', otherwise it can be mistaken for
666use in a variable such as "a:1".
667
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000668
669expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
670---------------
671
672 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
673The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
674are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
675
676 input output ~
677n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
678zero zero zero zero
679zero non-zero non-zero zero
680non-zero zero non-zero zero
681non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
682
683The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
684
685 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
686
687Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
688
689 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
690
691Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
692arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
693
694 let a = 1
695 echo a || b
696
697This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
698so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
699
700 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
701
702This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
703only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
704
705
706expr4 *expr4*
707-----
708
709expr5 {cmp} expr5
710
711Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
712if it evaluates to true.
713
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000714 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000715 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
716 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
717 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
718 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
719 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000720 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000721 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
722equal == ==# ==?
723not equal != !=# !=?
724greater than > ># >?
725greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
726smaller than < <# <?
727smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
728regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
729regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000730same instance is
731different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000732
733Examples:
734"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
735"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
736"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
737
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000738 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000739A |List| can only be compared with a |List| and only "equal", "not equal" and
740"is" can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively.
741Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000742
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000743 *E735* *E736*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000744A |Dictionary| can only be compared with a |Dictionary| and only "equal", "not
745equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000746recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
747
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000748 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000749A |Funcref| can only be compared with a |Funcref| and only "equal" and "not
750equal" can be used. Case is never ignored.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000751
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000752When using "is" or "isnot" with a |List| this checks if the expressions are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000753referring to the same |List| instance. A copy of a |List| is different from
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000754the original |List|. When using "is" without a |List| it is equivalent to
755using "equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000756different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000757is false.
758
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000759When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000760and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000761because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
762
763When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
764results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
765necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
766
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000767When using the operators with a trailing '#', or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000768'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp(): case matters.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000769
770When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000771'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp(): case is ignored.
772
773'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000774
775The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
776argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
777This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
778matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
779portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
780single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
781Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
782(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
783can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
784 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
785 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
786
787
788expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
789---------------
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000790expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or |List| concatenation *expr-+*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000791expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
792expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000793
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +0000794For |Lists| only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000795result is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000796
797expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
798expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
799expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000800
801For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
802
803Note the difference between "+" and ".":
804 "123" + "456" = 579
805 "123" . "456" = "123456"
806
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000807Since '.' has the same precedence as '+' and '-', you need to read: >
808 1 . 90 + 90.0
809As: >
810 (1 . 90) + 90.0
811That works, since the String "190" is automatically converted to the Number
812190, which can be added to the Float 90.0. However: >
813 1 . 90 * 90.0
814Should be read as: >
815 1 . (90 * 90.0)
816Since '.' has lower precedence than '*'. This does NOT work, since this
817attempts to concatenate a Float and a String.
818
819When dividing a Number by zero the result depends on the value:
820 0 / 0 = -0x80000000 (like NaN for Float)
821 >0 / 0 = 0x7fffffff (like positive infinity)
822 <0 / 0 = -0x7fffffff (like negative infinity)
823 (before Vim 7.2 it was always 0x7fffffff)
824
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000825When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
826
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000827None of these work for |Funcref|s.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000828
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000829. and % do not work for Float. *E804*
830
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000831
832expr7 *expr7*
833-----
834! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
835- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
836+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
837
838For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
839For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
840For '+' the number is unchanged.
841
842A String will be converted to a Number first.
843
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000844These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000845 !-1 == 0
846 !!8 == 1
847 --9 == 9
848
849
850expr8 *expr8*
851-----
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000852expr8[expr1] item of String or |List| *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000853
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000854If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
855expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000856Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000857
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000858Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
859text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
860cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +0000861 :let c = getline(".")[col(".") - 1]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000862
863If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000864String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
865compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
866
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000867If expr8 is a |List| then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000868for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000869error. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000870 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
871
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000872Generally, if a |List| index is equal to or higher than the length of the
873|List|, or more negative than the length of the |List|, this results in an
874error.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000875
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000876
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000877expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000878
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000879If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
880from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000881expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
882encodings.
883
884If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
885string minus one is used.
886
887A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
888the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
889
890If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
891expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
892
893Examples: >
894 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
895 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
896 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
897 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
898
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000899If expr8 is a |List| this results in a new |List| with the items indicated by
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000900the indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000901just above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000902 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
903 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
904 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
905
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000906Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a |Funcref| results in an
907error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000908
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000909
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000910expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary| *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000911
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000912If expr8 is a |Dictionary| and it is followed by a dot, then the following
913name will be used as a key in the |Dictionary|. This is just like:
914expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000915
916The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
917but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
918
919There must not be white space before or after the dot.
920
921Examples: >
922 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
923 :echo dict.one
924 :echo dict .2
925
926Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
927always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
928
929
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000930expr8(expr1, ...) |Funcref| function call
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000931
932When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
933
934
935
936 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000937number
938------
939number number constant *expr-number*
940
941Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
942
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000943 *floating-point-format*
944Floating point numbers can be written in two forms:
945
946 [-+]{N}.{M}
947 [-+]{N}.{M}e[-+]{exp}
948
949{N} and {M} are numbers. Both {N} and {M} must be present and can only
950contain digits.
951[-+] means there is an optional plus or minus sign.
952{exp} is the exponent, power of 10.
953Only a decimal point is accepted, not a comma. No matter what the current
954locale is.
955{only when compiled with the |+float| feature}
956
957Examples:
958 123.456
959 +0.0001
960 55.0
961 -0.123
962 1.234e03
963 1.0E-6
964 -3.1416e+88
965
966These are INVALID:
967 3. empty {M}
968 1e40 missing .{M}
969
970Rationale:
971Before floating point was introduced, the text "123.456" was interpreted as
972the two numbers "123" and "456", both converted to a string and concatenated,
973resulting in the string "123456". Since this was considered pointless, and we
974could not find it actually being used in Vim scripts, this backwards
975incompatibility was accepted in favor of being able to use the normal notation
976for floating point numbers.
977
978 *floating-point-precision*
979The precision and range of floating points numbers depends on what "double"
980means in the library Vim was compiled with. There is no way to change this at
981runtime.
982
983The default for displaying a |Float| is to use 6 decimal places, like using
984printf("%g", f). You can select something else when using the |printf()|
985function. Example: >
986 :echo printf('%.15e', atan(1))
987< 7.853981633974483e-01
988
989
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000990
991string *expr-string* *E114*
992------
993"string" string constant *expr-quote*
994
995Note that double quotes are used.
996
997A string constant accepts these special characters:
998\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
999\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
1000\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
1001\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
1002\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
1003\X.. same as \x..
1004\X. same as \x.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001005\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001006 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
1007\U.... same as \u....
1008\b backspace <BS>
1009\e escape <Esc>
1010\f formfeed <FF>
1011\n newline <NL>
1012\r return <CR>
1013\t tab <Tab>
1014\\ backslash
1015\" double quote
1016\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
1017
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001018Note that "\xff" is stored as the byte 255, which may be invalid in some
1019encodings. Use "\u00ff" to store character 255 according to the current value
1020of 'encoding'.
1021
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001022Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
1023
1024
1025literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
1026---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001027'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001028
1029Note that single quotes are used.
1030
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001031This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001032meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001033
1034Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001035to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001036 if a =~ "\\s*"
1037 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001038
1039
1040option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
1041------
1042&option option value, local value if possible
1043&g:option global option value
1044&l:option local option value
1045
1046Examples: >
1047 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
1048 if &insertmode
1049
1050Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
1051and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
1052anyway.
1053
1054
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001055register *expr-register* *@r*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001056--------
1057@r contents of register 'r'
1058
1059The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
1060Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001061register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00001062registers.
1063
1064When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
1065evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001066
1067
1068nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
1069-------
1070(expr1) nested expression
1071
1072
1073environment variable *expr-env*
1074--------------------
1075$VAR environment variable
1076
1077The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
1078result is an empty string.
1079 *expr-env-expand*
1080Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
1081expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
1082are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
1083the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
1084fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
1085does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
1086 :echo $version
1087 :echo expand("$version")
1088The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
1089variable (if your shell supports it).
1090
1091
1092internal variable *expr-variable*
1093-----------------
1094variable internal variable
1095See below |internal-variables|.
1096
1097
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001098function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001099-------------
1100function(expr1, ...) function call
1101See below |functions|.
1102
1103
1104==============================================================================
11053. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1106 *E461*
1107An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1108cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1109|curly-braces-names|.
1110
1111An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001112An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1113|:unlet|.
1114Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1115been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001116
1117There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1118specified by what is prepended:
1119
1120 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1121|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1122|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001123|tabpage-variable| t: Local to the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001124|global-variable| g: Global.
1125|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1126|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1127|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001128|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001129
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001130The scope name by itself can be used as a |Dictionary|. For example, to
1131delete all script-local variables: >
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001132 :for k in keys(s:)
1133 : unlet s:[k]
1134 :endfor
1135<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001136 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1137A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1138Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1139This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1140|:bdelete|.
1141
1142One local buffer variable is predefined:
1143 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1144b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1145 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1146 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1147 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1148 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001149 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1150 : call My_Update()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001151 :endif
1152<
1153 *window-variable* *w:var*
1154A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1155is deleted when the window is closed.
1156
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001157 *tabpage-variable* *t:var*
1158A variable name that is preceded with "t:" is local to the current tab page,
1159It is deleted when the tab page is closed. {not available when compiled
1160without the +windows feature}
1161
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001162 *global-variable* *g:var*
1163Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001164access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001165place if you like.
1166
1167 *local-variable* *l:var*
1168Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001169But you can also prepend "l:" if you like. However, without prepending "l:"
1170you may run into reserved variable names. For example "count". By itself it
1171refers to "v:count". Using "l:count" you can have a local variable with the
1172same name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001173
1174 *script-variable* *s:var*
1175In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1176accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1177
1178They can be used in:
1179- commands executed while the script is sourced
1180- functions defined in the script
1181- autocommands defined in the script
1182- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1183 defined in the script (recursively)
1184- user defined commands defined in the script
1185Thus not in:
1186- other scripts sourced from this one
1187- mappings
1188- etc.
1189
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001190Script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1191Take this example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001192
1193 let s:counter = 0
1194 function MyCounter()
1195 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1196 echo s:counter
1197 endfunction
1198 command Tick call MyCounter()
1199
1200You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1201that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1202"Tick" was defined is used.
1203
1204Another example that does the same: >
1205
1206 let s:counter = 0
1207 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1208
1209When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001210script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001211defined.
1212
1213The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1214function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1215
1216 let s:counter = 0
1217 function StartCounting(incr)
1218 if a:incr
1219 function MyCounter()
1220 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1221 endfunction
1222 else
1223 function MyCounter()
1224 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1225 endfunction
1226 endif
1227 endfunction
1228
1229This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1230when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1231called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1232
1233When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1234They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1235maintain a counter: >
1236
1237 if !exists("s:counter")
1238 let s:counter = 1
1239 echo "script executed for the first time"
1240 else
1241 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1242 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1243 endif
1244
1245Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1246variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1247
1248
1249Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1250
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001251 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1252v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1253 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1254 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1255
1256 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1257v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1258 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1259
1260 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1261v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1262 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1263
1264 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001265v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1266 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1267 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1268 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001269 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1270 highlighted text is used.
1271 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1272
1273 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1274v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1275 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1276
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +00001277 *v:char* *char-variable*
1278v:char Argument for evaluating 'formatexpr'.
1279
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001280 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1281v:charconvert_from
1282 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1283 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1284
1285 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1286v:charconvert_to
1287 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1288 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1289
1290 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1291v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1292 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1293 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1294 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1295 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1296 possible to append this variable directly after the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001297 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001298 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1299 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1300 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1301 in 'printexpr'.
1302
1303 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1304v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1305 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1306 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1307 can be used.
1308
1309 *v:count* *count-variable*
1310v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001311 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001312 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1313< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1314 get when typing ':' after a count.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001315 Also used for evaluating the 'formatexpr' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001316 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1317
1318 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1319v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1320 used.
1321
1322 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1323v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1324 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1325 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1326 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1327 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1328 command.
1329 See |multi-lang|.
1330
1331 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001332v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001333 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1334 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1335 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1336 Example: >
1337 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1338<
1339 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1340v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1341 Example: >
1342 :let v:errmsg = ""
1343 :silent! next
1344 :if v:errmsg != ""
1345 : ... handle error
1346< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1347
1348 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1349v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1350 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1351 Example: >
1352 :try
1353 : throw "oops"
1354 :catch /.*/
1355 : echo "caught" v:exception
1356 :endtry
1357< Output: "caught oops".
1358
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001359 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1360v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1361 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1362 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1363 deleted file no longer exists
1364 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1365 changed and buffer is modified
1366 changed file contents has changed
1367 mode mode of file changed
1368 time only file timestamp changed
1369
1370 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1371v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1372 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1373 do with the affected buffer:
1374 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1375 the file was deleted).
1376 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1377 was no autocommand. Except that when
1378 only the timestamp changed nothing
1379 will happen.
1380 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1381 everything that needs to be done.
1382 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1383 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1384
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001385 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001386v:fname_in The name of the input file. Valid while evaluating:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001387 option used for ~
1388 'charconvert' file to be converted
1389 'diffexpr' original file
1390 'patchexpr' original file
1391 'printexpr' file to be printed
Bram Moolenaar2c7a29c2005-12-12 22:02:31 +00001392 And set to the swap file name for |SwapExists|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001393
1394 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1395v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1396 evaluating:
1397 option used for ~
1398 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1399 'diffexpr' output of diff
1400 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1401 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001402 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001403 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1404 file and different from v:fname_in.
1405
1406 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1407v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1408 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1409
1410 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1411v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1412 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1413
1414 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1415v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1416 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001417 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001418
1419 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1420v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001421 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001422
1423 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1424v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001425 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001426
1427 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1428v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001429 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001430
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001431 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1432v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1433 events. Values:
1434 i Insert mode
1435 r Replace mode
1436 v Virtual Replace mode
1437
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001438 *v:key* *key-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001439v:key Key of the current item of a |Dictionary|. Only valid while
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001440 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1441 Read-only.
1442
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001443 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1444v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1445 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1446 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1447 The value is system dependent.
1448 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1449 command.
1450 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1451 in a different language than what is used for character
1452 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1453
1454 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1455v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1456 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1457 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1458 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1459 command. See |multi-lang|.
1460
1461 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001462v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
Bram Moolenaar57657d82006-04-21 22:12:41 +00001463 expressions, tab page number for 'guitablabel' and
1464 'guitabtooltip'. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1465 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001466
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00001467 *v:mouse_win* *mouse_win-variable*
1468v:mouse_win Window number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1469 First window has number 1, like with |winnr()|. The value is
1470 zero when there was no mouse button click.
1471
1472 *v:mouse_lnum* *mouse_lnum-variable*
1473v:mouse_lnum Line number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1474 This is the text line number, not the screen line number. The
1475 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1476
1477 *v:mouse_col* *mouse_col-variable*
1478v:mouse_col Column number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1479 This is the screen column number, like with |virtcol()|. The
1480 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1481
Bram Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001482 *v:operator* *operator-variable*
1483v:operator The last operator given in Normal mode. This is a single
1484 character except for commands starting with <g> or <z>,
1485 in which case it is two characters. Best used alongside
1486 |v:prevcount| and |v:register|. Useful if you want to cancel
1487 Operator-pending mode and then use the operator, e.g.: >
1488 :omap O <Esc>:call MyMotion(v:operator)<CR>
1489< The value remains set until another operator is entered, thus
1490 don't expect it to be empty.
1491 v:operator is not set for |:delete|, |:yank| or other Ex
1492 commands.
1493 Read-only.
1494
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001495 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1496v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1497 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
Bram Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001498 you want to cancel Visual or Operator-pending mode and then
1499 use the count, e.g.: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001500 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1501< Read-only.
1502
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001503 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001504v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001505 See |profiling|.
1506
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001507 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1508v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1509 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1510 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1511 Read-only.
1512
1513 *v:register* *register-variable*
1514v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1515 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1516
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001517 *v:scrollstart* *scrollstart-variable*
1518v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
1519 screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
1520 first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
1521 typed command.
1522 This can be used to find out why your script causes the
1523 hit-enter prompt.
1524
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001525 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1526v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1527 Read-only.
1528
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001529
1530v:searchforward *v:searchforward* *searchforward-variable*
1531 Search direction: 1 after a forward search, 0 after a
1532 backward search. It is reset to forward when directly setting
1533 the last search pattern, see |quote/|.
1534 Note that the value is restored when returning from a
1535 function. |function-search-undo|.
1536 Read-write.
1537
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001538 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1539v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1540 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1541 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1542 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1543 executed. Read-only.
1544 Example: >
1545 :!mv foo bar
1546 :if v:shell_error
1547 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1548 :endif
1549< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1550
1551 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1552v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1553
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001554 *v:swapname* *swapname-variable*
1555v:swapname Only valid when executing |SwapExists| autocommands: Name of
1556 the swap file found. Read-only.
1557
1558 *v:swapchoice* *swapchoice-variable*
1559v:swapchoice |SwapExists| autocommands can set this to the selected choice
1560 for handling an existing swap file:
1561 'o' Open read-only
1562 'e' Edit anyway
1563 'r' Recover
1564 'd' Delete swapfile
1565 'q' Quit
1566 'a' Abort
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001567 The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001568 results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
1569 no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
1570
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001571 *v:swapcommand* *swapcommand-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001572v:swapcommand Normal mode command to be executed after a file has been
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001573 opened. Can be used for a |SwapExists| autocommand to have
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001574 another Vim open the file and jump to the right place. For
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001575 example, when jumping to a tag the value is ":tag tagname\r".
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +00001576 For ":edit +cmd file" the value is ":cmd\r".
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001577
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001578 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1579v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001580 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001581 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1582 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1583 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1584 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1585 terminal.
1586 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1587 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1588 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1589 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1590 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1591
1592 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1593v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1594 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1595 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1596 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1597
1598 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1599v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001600 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001601 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1602 Example: >
1603 :try
1604 : throw "oops"
1605 :catch /.*/
1606 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1607 :endtry
1608< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1609
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001610 *v:val* *val-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001611v:val Value of the current item of a |List| or |Dictionary|. Only
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001612 valid while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001613 |filter()|. Read-only.
1614
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001615 *v:version* *version-variable*
1616v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1617 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1618 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1619 compatibility.
1620 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1621 if has("patch123")
1622< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1623 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1624 completely different.
1625
1626 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1627v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1628
1629==============================================================================
16304. Builtin Functions *functions*
1631
1632See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1633
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001634(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001635
1636USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1637
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001638abs( {expr}) Float or Number absolute value of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001639add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to |List| {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001640append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001641append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001642argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001643argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001644argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001645argv( ) List the argument list
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001646atan( {expr}) Float arc tangent of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001647browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1648 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001649browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001650bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001651buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1652bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001653bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1654bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1655bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1656byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001657byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001658call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1659 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001660ceil( {expr}) Float round {expr} up
1661changenr() Number current change number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001662char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001663cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001664clearmatches() None clear all matches
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001665col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001666complete({startcol}, {matches}) String set Insert mode completion
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001667complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001668complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001669confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1670 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001671copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001672cos( {expr}) Float cosine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001673count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1674 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001675cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1676 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001677cursor( {lnum}, {col} [, {coladd}])
1678 Number move cursor to {lnum}, {col}, {coladd}
1679cursor( {list}) Number move cursor to position in {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001680deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001681delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1682did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001683diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1684diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001685empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001686escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001687eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001688eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001689executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1690exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001691extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}])
1692 List/Dict insert items of {expr2} into {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001693expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001694feedkeys( {string} [, {mode}]) Number add key sequence to typeahead buffer
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001695filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001696filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001697filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1698 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001699finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001700 String find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001701findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001702 String find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001703float2nr( {expr}) Number convert Float {expr} to a Number
1704floor( {expr}) Float round {expr} down
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00001705fnameescape( {fname}) String escape special characters in {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001706fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001707foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1708foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001709foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001710foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001711foldtextresult( {lnum}) String text for closed fold at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001712foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001713function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00001714garbagecollect( [at_exit]) none free memory, breaking cyclic references
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001715get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001716get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001717getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1718 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001719getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001720getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1721getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001722getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1723getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001724getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001725getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001726getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1727getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001728getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001729getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001730getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001731getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1732getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001733getloclist({nr}) List list of location list items
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001734getmatches() List list of current matches
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00001735getpid() Number process ID of Vim
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001736getpos( {expr}) List position of cursor, mark, etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001737getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001738getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001739getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001740gettabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {name})
1741 any {name} in {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001742getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1743getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001744getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001745glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1746globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1747has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001748has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00001749haslocaldir() Number TRUE if current window executed |:lcd|
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001750hasmapto( {what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1751 Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001752histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1753histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1754histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1755histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1756hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1757hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1758hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001759iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1760indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001761index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1762 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001763input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1764 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001765inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001766inputlist( {textlist}) Number let the user pick from a choice list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001767inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1768inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001769inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001770insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001771isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001772islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001773items( {dict}) List key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001774join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001775keys( {dict}) List keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001776len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1777libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001778libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1779line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1780line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001781lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001782localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001783log10( {expr}) Float logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001784map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001785maparg( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1786 String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1787mapcheck( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1788 String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001789match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001790 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001791matchadd( {group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
1792 Number highlight {pattern} with {group}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001793matcharg( {nr}) List arguments of |:match|
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001794matchdelete( {id}) Number delete match identified by {id}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001795matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001796 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001797matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1798 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001799matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1800 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001801max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00001802min({list}) Number minimum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001803mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1804 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001805mode( [expr]) String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001806nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1807nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001808pathshorten( {expr}) String shorten directory names in a path
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001809pow( {x}, {y}) Float {x} to the power of {y}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001810prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001811printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
1812pumvisible() Number whether popup menu is visible
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001813range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1814 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001815readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1816 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00001817reltime( [{start} [, {end}]]) List get time value
1818reltimestr( {time}) String turn time value into a String
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001819remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1820 String send expression
1821remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1822remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1823 Number check for reply string
1824remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1825remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1826 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001827remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001828remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001829rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1830repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1831resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001832reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001833round( {expr}) Float round off {expr}
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001834search( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
1835 Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001836searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001837 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001838searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001839 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001840searchpairpos( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001841 List search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001842searchpos( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001843 List search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001844server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1845 Number send reply string
1846serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1847setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1848setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1849setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001850setloclist( {nr}, {list}[, {action}])
1851 Number modify location list using {list}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001852setmatches( {list}) Number restore a list of matches
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001853setpos( {expr}, {list}) none set the {expr} position to {list}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001854setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number modify quickfix list using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001855setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001856settabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window
1857 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001858setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00001859shellescape( {string} [, {special}])
1860 String escape {string} for use as shell
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00001861 command argument
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001862simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001863sin( {expr}) Float sine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001864sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001865soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001866spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001867spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1868 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001869split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001870 List make |List| from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001871sqrt( {expr} Float squar root of {expr}
1872str2float( {expr}) Float convert String to Float
1873str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) Number convert String to Number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001874strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001875stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1876 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001877string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001878strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1879strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1880 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001881strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1882 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001883strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001884submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001885substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1886 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001887synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001888synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1889 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1890synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001891synstack({lnum}, {col}) List stack of syntax IDs at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001892system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00001893tabpagebuflist( [{arg}]) List list of buffer numbers in tab page
1894tabpagenr( [{arg}]) Number number of current or last tab page
1895tabpagewinnr( {tabarg}[, {arg}])
1896 Number number of current window in tab page
1897taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001898tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001899tempname() String name for a temporary file
1900tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1901toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001902tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1903 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001904trunc( {expr} Float truncate Float {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001905type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001906values( {dict}) List values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001907virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1908visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1909winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1910wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1911winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1912winline() Number window line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001913winnr( [{expr}]) Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001914winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00001915winrestview({dict}) None restore view of current window
1916winsaveview() Dict save view of current window
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001917winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001918writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1919 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001920
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001921abs({expr}) *abs()*
1922 Return the absolute value of {expr}. When {expr} evaluates to
1923 a |Float| abs() returns a |Float|. When {expr} can be
1924 converted to a |Number| abs() returns a |Number|. Otherwise
1925 abs() gives an error message and returns -1.
1926 Examples: >
1927 echo abs(1.456)
1928< 1.456 >
1929 echo abs(-5.456)
1930< 5.456 >
1931 echo abs(-4)
1932< 4
1933 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
1934
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001935add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001936 Append the item {expr} to |List| {list}. Returns the
1937 resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001938 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1939 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001940< Note that when {expr} is a |List| it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001941 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001942 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001943
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001944
1945append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001946 When {expr} is a |List|: Append each item of the |List| as a
1947 text line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001948 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1949 the current buffer.
1950 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001951 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001952 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001953 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001954 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001955<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001956 *argc()*
1957argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1958 current window. See |arglist|.
1959
1960 *argidx()*
1961argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1962 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1963
1964 *argv()*
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001965argv([{nr}]) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001966 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1967 Example: >
1968 :let i = 0
1969 :while i < argc()
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001970 : let f = escape(fnameescape(argv(i)), '.')
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001971 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1972 : let i = i + 1
1973 :endwhile
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001974< Without the {nr} argument a |List| with the whole |arglist| is
1975 returned.
1976
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001977atan({expr}) *atan()*
1978 Return the principal value of the arc tangent of {expr}, in
1979 the range [-pi/2, +pi/2] radians, as a |Float|.
1980 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
1981 Examples: >
1982 :echo atan(100)
1983< 1.560797 >
1984 :echo atan(-4.01)
1985< -1.326405
1986 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
1987
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001988 *browse()*
1989browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1990 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1991 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1992 The input fields are:
1993 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1994 {title} title for the requester
1995 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1996 {default} default file name
1997 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1998 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1999
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002000 *browsedir()*
2001browsedir({title}, {initdir})
2002 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
2003 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
2004 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
2005 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
2006 to be used.
2007 The input fields are:
2008 {title} title for the requester
2009 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
2010 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
2011 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
2012
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002013bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
2014 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2015 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002016 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002017 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002018 exactly. The name can be:
2019 - Relative to the current directory.
2020 - A full path.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002021 - The name of a buffer with 'buftype' set to "nofile".
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002022 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002023 Unlisted buffers will be found.
2024 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
2025 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
2026 long name to be able to find them.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002027 bufexists() may report a buffer exists, but to use the name
2028 with a |:buffer| command you may need to use |expand()|. Esp
2029 for MS-Windows 8.3 names in the form "c:\DOCUME~1"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002030 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
2031 file name.
2032 *buffer_exists()*
2033 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
2034
2035buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
2036 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2037 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002038 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002039
2040bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
2041 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2042 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002043 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002044
2045bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
2046 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
2047 ":ls" command.
2048 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
2049 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
2050 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002051 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002052 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
2053 match an empty string is returned.
2054 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
2055 alternate buffer.
2056 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002057 or middle of the buffer name is accepted. If you only want a
2058 full match then put "^" at the start and "$" at the end of the
2059 pattern.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002060 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
2061 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
2062 buffers are searched for.
2063 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
2064 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
2065 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
2066< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
2067 string is returned. >
2068 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
2069 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
2070 bufname("%") name of current buffer
2071 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
2072< *buffer_name()*
2073 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
2074
2075 *bufnr()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002076bufnr({expr} [, {create}])
2077 The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002078 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002079 above.
2080 If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned. Or, if the
2081 {create} argument is present and not zero, a new, unlisted,
2082 buffer is created and its number is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002083 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
2084 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
2085< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
2086 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
2087 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
2088 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
2089 *buffer_number()*
2090 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
2091 *last_buffer_nr()*
2092 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
2093
2094bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
2095 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
2096 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002097 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002098 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
2099
2100 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
2101
2102< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
2103 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002104 Only deals with the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002105
2106
2107byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
2108 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
2109 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
2110 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
2111 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
2112 one.
2113 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
2114 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
2115 feature}
2116
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00002117byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
2118 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
2119 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
2120 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
2121 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
2122 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
2123 Example : >
2124 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
2125< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
2126 same: >
2127 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
2128 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
2129< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
2130 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
2131 is returned.
2132
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002133call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002134 Call function {func} with the items in |List| {arglist} as
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002135 arguments.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002136 {func} can either be a |Funcref| or the name of a function.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002137 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
2138 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002139 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
2140 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002141
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002142ceil({expr}) *ceil()*
2143 Return the smallest integral value greater than or equal to
2144 {expr} as a |Float| (round up).
2145 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2146 Examples: >
2147 echo ceil(1.456)
2148< 2.0 >
2149 echo ceil(-5.456)
2150< -5.0 >
2151 echo ceil(4.0)
2152< 4.0
2153 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2154
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00002155changenr() *changenr()*
2156 Return the number of the most recent change. This is the same
2157 number as what is displayed with |:undolist| and can be used
2158 with the |:undo| command.
2159 When a change was made it is the number of that change. After
2160 redo it is the number of the redone change. After undo it is
2161 one less than the number of the undone change.
2162
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002163char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
2164 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
2165 char2nr(" ") returns 32
2166 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
2167< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002168 char2nr("á") returns 225
2169 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002170< |nr2char()| does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002171
2172cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
2173 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
2174 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
2175 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
2176 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
2177 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
2178 feature, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard5cdbeb2005-10-10 20:59:28 +00002179 See |C-indenting|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002180
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00002181clearmatches() *clearmatches()*
2182 Clears all matches previously defined by |matchadd()| and the
2183 |:match| commands.
2184
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002185 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00002186col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002187 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
2188 . the cursor position
2189 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
2190 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
2191 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
2192 returned)
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002193 Additionally {expr} can be [lnum, col]: a |List| with the line
2194 and column number. Most useful when the column is "$", to get
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002195 the last column of a specific line. When "lnum" or "col" is
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002196 out of range then col() returns zero.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002197 To get the line number use |line()|. To get both use
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002198 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002199 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
2200 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
2201 Examples: >
2202 col(".") column of cursor
2203 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
2204 col("'t") column of mark t
2205 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002206< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002207 For an uppercase mark the column may actually be in another
2208 buffer.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002209 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
2210 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
2211 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
2212 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
2213 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
2214 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
2215 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
2216<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002217
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002218complete({startcol}, {matches}) *complete()* *E785*
2219 Set the matches for Insert mode completion.
2220 Can only be used in Insert mode. You need to use a mapping
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002221 with CTRL-R = |i_CTRL-R|. It does not work after CTRL-O or
2222 with an expression mapping.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002223 {startcol} is the byte offset in the line where the completed
2224 text start. The text up to the cursor is the original text
2225 that will be replaced by the matches. Use col('.') for an
2226 empty string. "col('.') - 1" will replace one character by a
2227 match.
2228 {matches} must be a |List|. Each |List| item is one match.
2229 See |complete-items| for the kind of items that are possible.
2230 Note that the after calling this function you need to avoid
2231 inserting anything that would completion to stop.
2232 The match can be selected with CTRL-N and CTRL-P as usual with
2233 Insert mode completion. The popup menu will appear if
2234 specified, see |ins-completion-menu|.
2235 Example: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002236 inoremap <F5> <C-R>=ListMonths()<CR>
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002237
2238 func! ListMonths()
2239 call complete(col('.'), ['January', 'February', 'March',
2240 \ 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September',
2241 \ 'October', 'November', 'December'])
2242 return ''
2243 endfunc
2244< This isn't very useful, but it shows how it works. Note that
2245 an empty string is returned to avoid a zero being inserted.
2246
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002247complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
2248 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
2249 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
2250 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
2251 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
2252 the list.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002253 See |complete-functions| for an explanation of {expr}. It is
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00002254 the same as one item in the list that 'omnifunc' would return.
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002255
2256complete_check() *complete_check()*
2257 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
2258 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
2259 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
2260 zero otherwise.
2261 Only to be used by the function specified with the
2262 'completefunc' option.
2263
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002264 *confirm()*
2265confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
2266 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
2267 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
2268 choice this is 1.
2269 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
2270 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
2271 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
2272 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
2273 used (and translated).
2274 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
2275 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
2276 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
2277 by '\n', e.g. >
2278 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
2279< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
2280 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
2281 not need to be the first letter: >
2282 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
2283< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
2284 the default shortcut key.
2285 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
2286 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
2287 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
2288 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002289 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002290 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
2291 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
2292 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
2293 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
2294 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
2295 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
2296
2297 An example: >
2298 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
2299 :if choice == 0
2300 : echo "make up your mind!"
2301 :elseif choice == 3
2302 : echo "tasteful"
2303 :else
2304 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
2305 :endif
2306< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
2307 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002308 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002309 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
2310 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
2311 the horizontal layout is always used.
2312
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002313 *copy()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002314copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002315 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002316 When {expr} is a |List| a shallow copy is created. This means
2317 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002318 copy, and vice versa. But the items are identical, thus
2319 changing an item changes the contents of both |Lists|. Also
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002320 see |deepcopy()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002321
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002322cos({expr}) *cos()*
2323 Return the cosine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a |Float|.
2324 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2325 Examples: >
2326 :echo cos(100)
2327< 0.862319 >
2328 :echo cos(-4.01)
2329< -0.646043
2330 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2331
2332
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002333count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002334 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002335 in |List| or |Dictionary| {comp}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002336 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002337 {start} can only be used with a |List|.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002338 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
2339
2340
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002341 *cscope_connection()*
2342cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
2343 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
2344 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
2345 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
2346 if there are no cscope connections;
2347 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
2348
2349 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
2350 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
2351
2352 {num} Description of existence check
2353 ----- ------------------------------
2354 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
2355 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
2356 {dbpath}.
2357 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
2358 {dbpath}.
2359 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
2360 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2361 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2362 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2363
2364 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2365
2366 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2367
2368 # pid database name prepend path
2369 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2370<
2371 Invocation Return Val ~
2372 ---------- ---------- >
2373 cscope_connection() 1
2374 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2375 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2376 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2377 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2378 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2379 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2380 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2381<
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002382cursor({lnum}, {col} [, {off}]) *cursor()*
2383cursor({list})
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002384 Positions the cursor at the column (byte count) {col} in the
2385 line {lnum}. The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002386 When there is one argument {list} this is used as a |List|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002387 with two or three items {lnum}, {col} and {off}. This is like
2388 the return value of |getpos()|, but without the first item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002389 Does not change the jumplist.
2390 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2391 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2392 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002393 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002394 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2395 line.
2396 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002397 When 'virtualedit' is used {off} specifies the offset in
2398 screen columns from the start of the character. E.g., a
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00002399 position within a <Tab> or after the last character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002400
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002401
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002402deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002403 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002404 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002405 When {expr} is a |List| a full copy is created. This means
2406 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002407 copy, and vice versa. When an item is a |List|, a copy for it
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002408 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002409 not change the contents of the original |List|.
2410 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained |List| or
2411 |Dictionary| is only copied once. All references point to
2412 this single copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a
2413 |List| or |Dictionary| results in a new copy. This also means
2414 that a cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002415 *E724*
2416 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002417 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2418 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002419 Also see |copy()|.
2420
2421delete({fname}) *delete()*
2422 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002423 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2424 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002425 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002426
2427 *did_filetype()*
2428did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2429 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2430 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2431 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2432 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2433 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2434 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2435 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2436 file.
2437
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002438diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2439 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2440 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2441 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2442 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2443 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2444 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2445 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2446
2447diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2448 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2449 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2450 diff change zero is returned.
2451 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2452 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2453 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2454 line.
2455 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2456 syntax information about the highlighting.
2457
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002458empty({expr}) *empty()*
2459 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002460 A |List| or |Dictionary| is empty when it does not have any
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002461 items. A Number is empty when its value is zero.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002462 For a long |List| this is much faster then comparing the
2463 length with zero.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002464
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002465escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2466 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2467 backslash. Example: >
2468 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2469< results in: >
2470 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002471< Also see |shellescape()|.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002472
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002473 *eval()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002474eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2475 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002476 This works for Numbers, Floats, Strings and composites of
2477 them. Also works for |Funcref|s that refer to existing
2478 functions.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002479
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002480eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2481 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2482 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2483 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2484 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2485
2486executable({expr}) *executable()*
2487 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2488 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002489 arguments.
2490 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2491 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2492 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2493 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002494 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2495 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002496 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002497 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002498 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2499 extension.
2500 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2501 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00002502 On MS-Windows an executable in the same directory as Vim is
2503 always found. Since this directory is added to $PATH it
2504 should also work to execute it |win32-PATH|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002505 The result is a Number:
2506 1 exists
2507 0 does not exist
2508 -1 not implemented on this system
2509
2510 *exists()*
2511exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2512 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2513 which contains one of these:
2514 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2515 not if it really works)
2516 +option-name Vim option that works.
2517 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2518 done by comparing with an empty
2519 string)
2520 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2521 or user defined function (see
2522 |user-functions|).
2523 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002524 |internal-variables|). Also works
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002525 for |curly-braces-names|, |Dictionary|
2526 entries, |List| items, etc. Beware
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00002527 that evaluating an index may cause an
2528 error message for an invalid
2529 expression. E.g.: >
2530 :let l = [1, 2, 3]
2531 :echo exists("l[5]")
2532< 0 >
2533 :echo exists("l[xx]")
2534< E121: Undefined variable: xx
2535 0
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002536 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2537 command or command modifier |:command|.
2538 Returns:
2539 1 for match with start of a command
2540 2 full match with a command
2541 3 matches several user commands
2542 To check for a supported command
2543 always check the return value to be 2.
Bram Moolenaar14716812006-05-04 21:54:08 +00002544 :2match The |:2match| command.
2545 :3match The |:3match| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002546 #event autocommand defined for this event
2547 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2548 pattern (the pattern is taken
2549 literally and compared to the
2550 autocommand patterns character by
2551 character)
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002552 #group autocommand group exists
2553 #group#event autocommand defined for this group and
2554 event.
2555 #group#event#pattern
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002556 autocommand defined for this group,
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002557 event and pattern.
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002558 ##event autocommand for this event is
2559 supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002560 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2561
2562 Examples: >
2563 exists("&shortname")
2564 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2565 exists("*strftime")
2566 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2567 exists("bufcount")
2568 exists(":Make")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002569 exists("#CursorHold")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002570 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002571 exists("#filetypeindent")
2572 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType")
2573 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType#*")
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002574 exists("##ColorScheme")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002575< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2576 name.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002577 There must be no extra characters after the name, although in
2578 a few cases this is ignored. That may become more strict in
2579 the future, thus don't count on it!
2580 Working example: >
2581 exists(":make")
2582< NOT working example: >
2583 exists(":make install")
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00002584
2585< Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2586 variable itself. For example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002587 exists(bufcount)
2588< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
Bram Moolenaar06a89a52006-04-29 22:01:03 +00002589 but gets the value of "bufcount", and checks if that exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002590
2591expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2592 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2593 The result is a String.
2594
2595 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2596 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2597 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2598
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002599 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002600 for a non-existing file is not included.
2601
2602 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2603 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2604 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2605
2606 % current file name
2607 # alternate file name
2608 #n alternate file name n
2609 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2610 <afile> autocmd file name
2611 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2612 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2613 <sfile> sourced script file name
2614 <cword> word under the cursor
2615 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2616 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2617 message |server2client()|
2618 Modifiers:
2619 :p expand to full path
2620 :h head (last path component removed)
2621 :t tail (last path component only)
2622 :r root (one extension removed)
2623 :e extension only
2624
2625 Example: >
2626 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2627< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2628 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2629 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2630< Use this: >
2631 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2632< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2633 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2634 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2635 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2636 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2637<
2638 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2639 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2640 to modify normal file names.
2641
2642 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2643 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2644 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2645 '/' added.
2646
2647 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2648 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2649 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2650 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002651 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2652 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2653 files in the current directory and below: >
2654 :echo expand("**/README")
2655<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002656 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2657 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002658 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002659 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002660 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002661 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2662 "$FOOBAR".
2663
2664 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2665 getting the raw output of an external command.
2666
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002667extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002668 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both |Lists| or both
2669 |Dictionaries|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002670
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002671 If they are |Lists|: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002672 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2673 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2674 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2675 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002676 Examples: >
2677 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2678 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002679< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002680 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002681 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002682<
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002683 If they are |Dictionaries|:
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002684 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2685 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2686 used to decide what to do:
2687 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2688 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002689 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002690 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2691
2692 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2693 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2694 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2695 Returns {expr1}.
2696
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002697
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002698feedkeys({string} [, {mode}]) *feedkeys()*
2699 Characters in {string} are queued for processing as if they
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002700 come from a mapping or were typed by the user. They are added
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002701 to the end of the typeahead buffer, thus if a mapping is still
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002702 being executed these characters come after them.
2703 The function does not wait for processing of keys contained in
2704 {string}.
2705 To include special keys into {string}, use double-quotes
2706 and "\..." notation |expr-quote|. For example,
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00002707 feedkeys("\<CR>") simulates pressing of the <Enter> key. But
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002708 feedkeys('\<CR>') pushes 5 characters.
2709 If {mode} is absent, keys are remapped.
2710 {mode} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00002711 'm' Remap keys. This is default.
2712 'n' Do not remap keys.
2713 't' Handle keys as if typed; otherwise they are handled as
2714 if coming from a mapping. This matters for undo,
2715 opening folds, etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002716 Return value is always 0.
2717
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002718filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2719 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2720 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2721 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2722 expression, which is used as a String.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002723 If you don't care about the file being readable you can use
2724 |glob()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002725 *file_readable()*
2726 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2727
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002728
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002729filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2730 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2731 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002732 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If {file} is a
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002733 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2734
2735
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002736filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002737 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002738 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002739 is zero remove the item from the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002740 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002741 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002742 Examples: >
2743 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2744< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2745 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2746< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2747 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002748< Removes all the items, thus clears the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002749
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002750 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2751 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2752 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2753
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002754 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
2755 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +00002756 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), 'v:val =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002757
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002758< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002759 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
2760 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002761
2762
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002763finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
Bram Moolenaar5b6b1ca2007-03-27 08:19:43 +00002764 Find directory {name} in {path}. Supports both downwards and
2765 upwards recursive directory searches. See |file-searching|
2766 for the syntax of {path}.
2767 Returns the path of the first found match. When the found
2768 directory is below the current directory a relative path is
2769 returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002770 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2771 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002772 {name} in {path} instead of the first one.
Bram Moolenaar899dddf2006-03-26 21:06:50 +00002773 When {count} is negative return all the matches in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002774 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002775 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2776
2777findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2778 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002779 Uses 'suffixesadd'.
2780 Example: >
2781 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002782< Searches from the directory of the current file upwards until
2783 it finds the file "tags.vim".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002784
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002785float2nr({expr}) *float2nr()*
2786 Convert {expr} to a Number by omitting the part after the
2787 decimal point.
2788 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a Number.
2789 When the value of {expr} is out of range for a |Number| the
2790 result is truncated to 0x7fffffff or -0x7fffffff. NaN results
2791 in -0x80000000.
2792 Examples: >
2793 echo float2nr(3.95)
2794< 3 >
2795 echo float2nr(-23.45)
2796< -23 >
2797 echo float2nr(1.0e100)
2798< 2147483647 >
2799 echo float2nr(-1.0e150)
2800< -2147483647 >
2801 echo float2nr(1.0e-100)
2802< 0
2803 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2804
2805
2806floor({expr}) *floor()*
2807 Return the largest integral value less than or equal to
2808 {expr} as a |Float| (round down).
2809 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2810 Examples: >
2811 echo floor(1.856)
2812< 1.0 >
2813 echo floor(-5.456)
2814< -6.0 >
2815 echo floor(4.0)
2816< 4.0
2817 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2818
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002819fnameescape({string}) *fnameescape()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002820 Escape {string} for use as file name command argument. All
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002821 characters that have a special meaning, such as '%' and '|'
2822 are escaped with a backslash.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002823 For most systems the characters escaped are
2824 " \t\n*?[{`$\\%#'\"|!<". For systems where a backslash
2825 appears in a filename, it depends on the value of 'isfname'.
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002826 Example: >
2827 :let fname = 'some str%nge|name'
2828 :exe "edit " . fnameescape(fname)
2829< results in executing: >
2830 edit some\ str\%nge\|name
2831
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002832fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2833 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2834 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2835 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2836 Example: >
2837 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2838< results in: >
2839 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002840< Note: Environment variables don't work in {fname}, use
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002841 |expand()| first then.
2842
2843foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2844 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2845 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2846 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2847
2848foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2849 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2850 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2851 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2852
2853foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2854 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002855 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002856 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2857 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2858 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2859 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2860 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2861 previous line is usually available.
2862
2863 *foldtext()*
2864foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2865 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2866 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2867 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2868 The returned string looks like this: >
2869 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002870< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002871 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2872 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2873 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2874 options is removed.
2875 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2876
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002877foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2878 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2879 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2880 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2881 returned.
2882 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2883 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2884 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2885 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2886
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002887 *foreground()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002888foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002889 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2890 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2891 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2892 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2893 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2894 Win32 console version}
2895
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002896
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002897function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002898 Return a |Funcref| variable that refers to function {name}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002899 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2900
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002901
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00002902garbagecollect([at_exit]) *garbagecollect()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002903 Cleanup unused |Lists| and |Dictionaries| that have circular
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002904 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2905 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2906 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2907 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2908 freed when they become unused.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002909 This is useful if you have deleted a very big |List| and/or
2910 |Dictionary| with circular references in a script that runs
2911 for a long time.
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00002912 When the optional "at_exit" argument is one, garbage
2913 collection will also be done when exiting Vim, if it wasn't
2914 done before. This is useful when checking for memory leaks.
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002915
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002916get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002917 Get item {idx} from |List| {list}. When this item is not
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002918 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2919 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002920get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002921 Get item with key {key} from |Dictionary| {dict}. When this
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002922 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2923 {default} is omitted.
2924
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002925 *getbufline()*
2926getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002927 Return a |List| with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
2928 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a
2929 |List| with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002930
2931 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2932
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002933 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
2934 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002935
2936 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002937 lines in the buffer, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002938
2939 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2940 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002941 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002942 returned.
2943
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002944 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002945 non-existing buffers, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002946
2947 Example: >
2948 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002949
2950getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2951 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2952 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2953 must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00002954 When {varname} is empty returns a dictionary with all the
2955 buffer-local variables.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002956 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2957 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2958 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002959 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2960 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2961 returned, there is no error message.
2962 Examples: >
2963 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2964 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2965<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002966getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002967 Get a single character from the user or input stream.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002968 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2969 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002970 Return zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002971 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002972 not consumed. Return zero if no character available.
2973
2974 Without {expr} and when {expr} is 0 a whole character or
2975 special key is returned. If it is an 8-bit character, the
2976 result is a number. Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2977 Otherwise a String is returned with the encoded character.
2978 For a special key it's a sequence of bytes starting with 0x80
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00002979 (decimal: 128). This is the same value as the string
2980 "\<Key>", e.g., "\<Left>". The returned value is also a
2981 String when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used that is
2982 not included in the character.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002983
2984 When {expr} is 1 only the first byte is returned. For a
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00002985 one-byte character it is the character itself as a number.
2986 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002987
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00002988 When the user clicks a mouse button, the mouse event will be
2989 returned. The position can then be found in |v:mouse_col|,
2990 |v:mouse_lnum| and |v:mouse_win|. This example positions the
2991 mouse as it would normally happen: >
2992 let c = getchar()
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002993 if c == "\<LeftMouse>" && v:mouse_win > 0
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00002994 exe v:mouse_win . "wincmd w"
2995 exe v:mouse_lnum
2996 exe "normal " . v:mouse_col . "|"
2997 endif
2998<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002999 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
3000 user that a character has to be typed.
3001 There is no mapping for the character.
3002 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
3003 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
3004 sequence. Examples: >
3005 getchar() == "\<Del>"
3006 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
3007< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
3008 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
3009 :function FindChar()
3010 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
3011 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
3012 : normal l
3013 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
3014 : break
3015 : endif
3016 : endwhile
3017 :endfunction
3018
3019getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
3020 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
3021 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
3022 These values are added together:
3023 2 shift
3024 4 control
3025 8 alt (meta)
3026 16 mouse double click
3027 32 mouse triple click
3028 64 mouse quadruple click
3029 128 Macintosh only: command
3030 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003031 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003032 with no modifier.
3033
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003034getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
3035 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
3036 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
3037 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
3038 Example: >
3039 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003040< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003041
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003042getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003043 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
3044 byte count. The first column is 1.
3045 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
3046 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003047 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
3048
3049getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
3050 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
3051 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00003052 : normal Ex command
3053 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
3054 / forward search command
3055 ? backward search command
3056 @ |input()| command
3057 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003058 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
3059 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
3060 otherwise.
3061 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003062
3063 *getcwd()*
3064getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
3065 working directory.
3066
3067getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
3068 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
3069 given file {fname}.
3070 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
3071 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard827ada2007-06-19 15:19:55 +00003072 If the size of {fname} is too big to fit in a Number then -2
3073 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003074
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003075getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
3076 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
3077 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
3078 |hl-Normal|.
3079 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
3080 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
3081 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
3082 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00003083 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not in your vimrc or
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003084 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
3085 function just after the GUI has started.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003086 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
3087 for a valid name does not work.
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003088
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003089getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
3090 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
3091 permissions of the given file {fname}.
3092 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
3093 empty string is returned.
3094 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
3095 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
3096 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
3097 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
3098 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
3099 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
3100< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
3101 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003102
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003103getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
3104 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
3105 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
3106 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
3107 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
3108 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
3109
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003110getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
3111 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
3112 file of the given file {fname}.
3113 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
3114 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
3115 results:
3116 Normal file "file"
3117 Directory "dir"
3118 Symbolic link "link"
3119 Block device "bdev"
3120 Character device "cdev"
3121 Socket "socket"
3122 FIFO "fifo"
3123 All other "other"
3124 Example: >
3125 getftype("/home")
3126< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
3127 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
3128 "file" are returned.
3129
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003130 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003131getline({lnum} [, {end}])
3132 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
3133 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003134 getline(1)
3135< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
3136 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
3137 To get the line under the cursor: >
3138 getline(".")
3139< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
3140 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
3141
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003142 When {end} is given the result is a |List| where each item is
3143 a line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003144 including line {end}.
3145 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
3146 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003147 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003148 Example: >
3149 :let start = line('.')
3150 :let end = search("^$") - 1
3151 :let lines = getline(start, end)
3152
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003153< To get lines from another buffer see |getbufline()|
3154
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00003155getloclist({nr}) *getloclist()*
3156 Returns a list with all the entries in the location list for
3157 window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
3158 For a location list window, the displayed location list is
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003159 returned. For an invalid window number {nr}, an empty list is
3160 returned. Otherwise, same as getqflist().
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003161
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003162getmatches() *getmatches()*
3163 Returns a |List| with all matches previously defined by
3164 |matchadd()| and the |:match| commands. |getmatches()| is
3165 useful in combination with |setmatches()|, as |setmatches()|
3166 can restore a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|.
3167 Example: >
3168 :echo getmatches()
3169< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
3170 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
3171 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
3172 :let m = getmatches()
3173 :call clearmatches()
3174 :echo getmatches()
3175< [] >
3176 :call setmatches(m)
3177 :echo getmatches()
3178< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
3179 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
3180 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
3181 :unlet m
3182<
3183
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003184getqflist() *getqflist()*
3185 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
3186 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
3187 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
3188 bufname() to get the name
3189 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
3190 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003191 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
3192 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003193 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00003194 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003195 text description of the error
3196 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
3197 valid non-zero: recognized error message
3198
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00003199 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00003200 returned. Quickfix list entries with non-existing buffer
3201 number are returned with "bufnr" set to zero.
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00003202
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003203 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
3204 do something with them: >
3205 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
3206 :for d in getqflist()
3207 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
3208 :endfor
3209
3210
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003211getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003212 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003213 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003214 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
3215< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003216 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003217 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
3218 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
3219 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003220 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3221
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003222
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003223getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
3224 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
3225 The value will be one of:
3226 "v" for |characterwise| text
3227 "V" for |linewise| text
3228 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
3229 0 for an empty or unknown register
3230 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
3231 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3232
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003233gettabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}) *gettabwinvar()*
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003234 Get the value of window-local variable {varname} in window
3235 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}.
3236 When {varname} starts with "&" get the value of a window-local
3237 option.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003238 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
3239 use |getwinvar()|.
3240 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
3241 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
3242 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
3243 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003244 When {varname} is empty a dictionary with all window-local
3245 variables is returned.
3246 Note that {varname} must be the name without "w:".
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003247 Examples: >
3248 :let list_is_on = gettabwinvar(1, 2, '&list')
3249 :echo "myvar = " . gettabwinvar(3, 1, 'myvar')
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00003250<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003251 *getwinposx()*
3252getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
3253 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
3254 -1 if the information is not available.
3255
3256 *getwinposy()*
3257getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003258 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003259 information is not available.
3260
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003261getwinvar({winnr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
3262 Like |gettabwinvar()| for the current tabpage.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003263 Examples: >
3264 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
3265 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
3266<
3267 *glob()*
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003268glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. See |wildcards| for the
3269 use of special characters.
3270 The result is a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003271 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
3272 characters.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003273 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
3274 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003275 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
3276 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
3277
3278 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
3279 any external command. Example: >
3280 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
3281 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
3282< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003283 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003284
3285 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
3286 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
3287
3288globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
3289 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
3290 the results. Example: >
3291 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
3292< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
3293 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
3294 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
3295 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
3296 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
3297 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
3298 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
3299 error message.
3300 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
3301 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
3302
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003303 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
3304 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
3305 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
3306 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003307< Upwards search and limiting the depth of "**" is not
3308 supported, thus using 'path' will not always work properly.
3309
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003310 *has()*
3311has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
3312 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
3313 string. See |feature-list| below.
3314 Also see |exists()|.
3315
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003316
3317has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003318 The result is a Number, which is 1 if |Dictionary| {dict} has
3319 an entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003320
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00003321haslocaldir() *haslocaldir()*
3322 The result is a Number, which is 1 when the current
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003323 window has set a local path via |:lcd|, and 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003324
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003325hasmapto({what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *hasmapto()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003326 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
3327 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
3328 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
3329 {mode}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003330 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00003331 instead of mappings. Don't forget to specify Insert and/or
3332 Command-line mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003333 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
3334 buffer are checked for a match.
3335 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
3336 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
3337 n Normal mode
3338 v Visual mode
3339 o Operator-pending mode
3340 i Insert mode
3341 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
3342 c Command-line mode
3343 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
3344
3345 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003346 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003347 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
3348 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
3349 :endif
3350< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
3351 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
3352
3353histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
3354 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
3355 one of: *hist-names*
3356 "cmd" or ":" command line history
3357 "search" or "/" search pattern history
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003358 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003359 "input" or "@" input line history
3360 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
3361 shifted to become the newest entry.
3362 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
3363 otherwise 0 is returned.
3364
3365 Example: >
3366 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
3367 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
3368< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3369
3370histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003371 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003372 for the possible values of {history}.
3373
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003374 If the parameter {item} evaluates to a String, it is used as a
3375 regular expression. All entries matching that expression will
3376 be removed from the history (if there are any).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003377 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003378 If {item} evaluates to a Number, it will be interpreted as
3379 an index, see |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will
3380 be removed if it exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003381
3382 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
3383 otherwise 0 is returned.
3384
3385 Examples:
3386 Clear expression register history: >
3387 :call histdel("expr")
3388<
3389 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
3390 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
3391<
3392 The following three are equivalent: >
3393 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
3394 :call histdel("search", -1)
3395 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
3396<
3397 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
3398 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
3399 :call histdel("search", -1)
3400 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
3401
3402histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
3403 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
3404 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
3405 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
3406 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
3407 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
3408
3409 Examples:
3410 Redo the second last search from history. >
3411 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
3412
3413< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
3414 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
3415 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
3416<
3417histnr({history}) *histnr()*
3418 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
3419 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
3420 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
3421
3422 Example: >
3423 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
3424<
3425hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
3426 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
3427 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
3428 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
3429 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
3430 item.
3431 *highlight_exists()*
3432 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
3433
3434 *hlID()*
3435hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
3436 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
3437 zero is returned.
3438 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003439 group. For example, to get the background color of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003440 "Comment" group: >
3441 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
3442< *highlightID()*
3443 Obsolete name: highlightID().
3444
3445hostname() *hostname()*
3446 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003447 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003448 256 characters long are truncated.
3449
3450iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
3451 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
3452 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
3453 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
3454 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
3455 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
3456 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
3457 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
3458 can be done.
3459 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
3460 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
3461 UTF-8 and use: >
3462 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
3463< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
3464 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
3465 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
3466 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
3467
3468 *indent()*
3469indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
3470 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
3471 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
3472 |getline()|.
3473 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
3474
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003475
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003476index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003477 Return the lowest index in |List| {list} where the item has a
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003478 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003479 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
3480 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003481 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
3482 case must match.
3483 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
3484 Example: >
3485 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003486 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003487
3488
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003489input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003490 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
3491 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
3492 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003493 prompt to start a new line.
3494 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
3495 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003496 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003497 for lines typed for input().
3498 Example: >
3499 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
3500 : echo "Cheers!"
3501 :endif
3502<
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00003503 If the optional {text} is present and not empty, this is used
3504 for the default reply, as if the user typed this. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003505 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
3506
3507< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
3508 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003509 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003510 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003511 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003512 more information. Example: >
3513 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
3514<
3515 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
3516 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003517 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
3518 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
3519 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
3520 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
3521 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
3522 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
3523 |:execute| or |:normal|.
3524
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003525 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003526 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
3527 :function GetFoo()
3528 : call inputsave()
3529 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
3530 : call inputrestore()
3531 :endfunction
3532
3533inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
3534 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
3535 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
3536 Example: >
3537 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
3538 :if n != ""
3539 : let &sw = n
3540 :endif
3541< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
3542 omitted an empty string is returned.
3543 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
3544 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003545 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003546
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003547inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003548 {textlist} must be a |List| of strings. This |List| is
3549 displayed, one string per line. The user will be prompted to
3550 enter a number, which is returned.
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003551 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003552 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003553 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
3554 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
3555 is returned.
3556 Make sure {textlist} has less then 'lines' entries, otherwise
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003557 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003558 the start of the string. And put a prompt in the first item.
3559 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003560 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3561 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3562
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003563inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
3564 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
3565 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3566 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3567 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3568
3569inputsave() *inputsave()*
3570 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3571 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3572 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3573 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3574 many inputrestore() calls.
3575 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3576
3577inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3578 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3579 two exceptions:
3580 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3581 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3582 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3583 |history| stack.
3584 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3585 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003586 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003587
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003588insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003589 Insert {item} at the start of |List| {list}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003590 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003591 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003592 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3593 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003594 Returns the resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003595 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3596 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3597 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003598< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003599 Note that when {item} is a |List| it is inserted as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003600 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003601
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003602isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3603 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3604 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3605 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3606 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3607
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003608islocked({expr}) *islocked()* *E786*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003609 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3610 name of a locked variable.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003611 {expr} must be the name of a variable, |List| item or
3612 |Dictionary| entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003613 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3614 :lockvar 1 alist
3615 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3616 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3617
3618< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00003619 message. Use |exists()| to check for existence.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003620
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003621items({dict}) *items()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003622 Return a |List| with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3623 |List| item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict}
3624 entry and the value of this entry. The |List| is in arbitrary
3625 order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003626
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003627
3628join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3629 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3630 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3631 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3632 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3633 add it there too: >
3634 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003635< String items are used as-is. |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003636 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3637 The opposite function is |split()|.
3638
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003639keys({dict}) *keys()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003640 Return a |List| with all the keys of {dict}. The |List| is in
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003641 arbitrary order.
3642
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003643 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003644len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3645 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3646 used, as with |strlen()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003647 When {expr} is a |List| the number of items in the |List| is
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003648 returned.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003649 When {expr} is a |Dictionary| the number of entries in the
3650 |Dictionary| is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003651 Otherwise an error is given.
3652
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003653 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3654libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3655 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3656 with single argument {argument}.
3657 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3658 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3659 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3660 limited.
3661 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3662 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3663 to Vim.
3664 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3665 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3666 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3667 null-terminated string.
3668 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3669
3670 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3671 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3672 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3673 very probably crash.
3674
3675 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3676 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3677 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3678 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3679 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3680 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3681 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3682 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3683 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3684 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3685
3686 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003687 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003688 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3689 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3690 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3691 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3692 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3693 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3694 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3695 feature is present}
3696 Examples: >
3697 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003698<
3699 *libcallnr()*
3700libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3701 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3702 int instead of a string.
3703 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3704 feature is present}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003705 Examples: >
3706 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003707 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3708 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3709<
3710 *line()*
3711line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3712 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3713 . the cursor position
3714 $ the last line in the current buffer
3715 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3716 returned)
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00003717 w0 first line visible in current window
3718 w$ last line visible in current window
Bram Moolenaar9ecd0232008-06-20 15:31:51 +00003719 v In Visual mode: the start of the Visual area (the
3720 cursor is the end). When not in Visual mode
3721 returns the cursor position. Differs from |'<| in
3722 that it's updated right away.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003723 Note that a mark in another file can be used. The line number
3724 then applies to another buffer.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003725 To get the column number use |col()|. To get both use
3726 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003727 Examples: >
3728 line(".") line number of the cursor
3729 line("'t") line number of mark t
3730 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3731< *last-position-jump*
3732 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3733 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003734 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 1 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal! g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003735
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003736line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3737 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3738 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3739 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3740 line returns 1.
3741 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3742 below the last line: >
3743 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3744< This is the file size plus one.
3745 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3746 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3747 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3748
3749lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3750 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3751 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3752 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3753 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3754 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3755 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3756
3757localtime() *localtime()*
3758 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3759 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3760
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003761
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003762log10({expr}) *log10()*
3763 Return the logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10 as a |Float|.
3764 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
3765 Examples: >
3766 :echo log10(1000)
3767< 3.0 >
3768 :echo log10(0.01)
3769< -2.0
3770 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
3771
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003772map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003773 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003774 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3775 {string}.
3776 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003777 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003778 Example: >
3779 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003780< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003781
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003782 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003783 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003784 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3785 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003786
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003787 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
3788 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003789 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003790
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003791< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003792 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
3793 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003794
3795
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003796maparg({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *maparg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003797 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3798 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003799 {mode} can be one of these strings:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003800 "n" Normal
3801 "v" Visual
3802 "o" Operator-pending
3803 "i" Insert
3804 "c" Cmd-line
3805 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3806 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003807 When {mode} is omitted, the modes for "" are used.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003808 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3809 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003810 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3811 command. The returned String has special characters
3812 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3813 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3814 then the global mappings.
Bram Moolenaara40ceaf2006-01-13 22:35:40 +00003815 This function can be used to map a key even when it's already
3816 mapped, and have it do the original mapping too. Sketch: >
3817 exe 'nnoremap <Tab> ==' . maparg('<Tab>', 'n')
3818
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003819
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003820mapcheck({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *mapcheck()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003821 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3822 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3823 {name}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003824 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3825 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003826 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3827 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3828
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003829 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003830 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3831 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3832 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3833 mapcheck("b") no no no
3834
3835 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3836 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3837 mapping for {name} exactly.
3838 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3839 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3840 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3841 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3842 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3843 then the global mappings.
3844 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3845 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3846 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3847 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3848 :endif
3849< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3850 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3851
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003852match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003853 When {expr} is a |List| then this returns the index of the
3854 first item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003855 String, |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are used as echoed.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003856 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003857 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3858 {pat} matches.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003859 A match at the first character or |List| item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003860 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3861 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003862 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003863 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 1
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003864< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003865 *strpbrk()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003866 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003867 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3868< *strcasestr()*
3869 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3870 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3871 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3872<
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003873 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003874 {start} in a String or item {start} in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003875 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003876 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003877 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3878< result is again "4". >
3879 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3880< result is again "4". >
3881 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3882< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003883 For a String, if {start} > 0 then it is like the string starts
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003884 {start} bytes later, thus "^" will match at {start}. Except
3885 when {count} is given, then it's like matches before the
3886 {start} byte are ignored (this is a bit complicated to keep it
3887 backwards compatible).
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003888 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3889 the index is counted from the end.
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003890 If {start} is out of range ({start} > strlen({expr}) for a
3891 String or {start} > len({expr}) for a |List|) -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003892
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003893 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003894 is found in a String the search for the next one starts one
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003895 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
3896 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
3897< In a |List| the search continues in the next item.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003898 Note that when {count} is added the way {start} works changes,
3899 see above.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003900
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003901 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3902 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003903 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003904 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3905
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003906 *matchadd()* *E798* *E799* *E801*
3907matchadd({group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
3908 Defines a pattern to be highlighted in the current window (a
3909 "match"). It will be highlighted with {group}. Returns an
3910 identification number (ID), which can be used to delete the
3911 match using |matchdelete()|.
3912
3913 The optional {priority} argument assigns a priority to the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003914 match. A match with a high priority will have its
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003915 highlighting overrule that of a match with a lower priority.
3916 A priority is specified as an integer (negative numbers are no
3917 exception). If the {priority} argument is not specified, the
3918 default priority is 10. The priority of 'hlsearch' is zero,
3919 hence all matches with a priority greater than zero will
3920 overrule it. Syntax highlighting (see 'syntax') is a separate
3921 mechanism, and regardless of the chosen priority a match will
3922 always overrule syntax highlighting.
3923
3924 The optional {id} argument allows the request for a specific
3925 match ID. If a specified ID is already taken, an error
3926 message will appear and the match will not be added. An ID
3927 is specified as a positive integer (zero excluded). IDs 1, 2
3928 and 3 are reserved for |:match|, |:2match| and |:3match|,
3929 respectively. If the {id} argument is not specified,
3930 |matchadd()| automatically chooses a free ID.
3931
3932 The number of matches is not limited, as it is the case with
3933 the |:match| commands.
3934
3935 Example: >
3936 :highlight MyGroup ctermbg=green guibg=green
3937 :let m = matchadd("MyGroup", "TODO")
3938< Deletion of the pattern: >
3939 :call matchdelete(m)
3940
3941< A list of matches defined by |matchadd()| and |:match| are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003942 available from |getmatches()|. All matches can be deleted in
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003943 one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003944
3945matcharg({nr}) *matcharg()*
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003946 Selects the {nr} match item, as set with a |:match|,
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003947 |:2match| or |:3match| command.
3948 Return a |List| with two elements:
3949 The name of the highlight group used
3950 The pattern used.
3951 When {nr} is not 1, 2 or 3 returns an empty |List|.
3952 When there is no match item set returns ['', ''].
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003953 This is useful to save and restore a |:match|.
3954 Highlighting matches using the |:match| commands are limited
3955 to three matches. |matchadd()| does not have this limitation.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003956
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003957matchdelete({id}) *matchdelete()* *E802* *E803*
3958 Deletes a match with ID {id} previously defined by |matchadd()|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003959 or one of the |:match| commands. Returns 0 if successful,
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003960 otherwise -1. See example for |matchadd()|. All matches can
3961 be deleted in one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003962
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003963matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003964 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3965 the match. Example: >
3966 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3967< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003968 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3969 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3970 do it with matchend(): >
3971 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3972 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3973< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3974
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003975 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3976 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3977< results in "7". >
3978 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3979< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003980 When {expr} is a |List| the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003981
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003982matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003983 Same as match(), but return a |List|. The first item in the
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003984 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3985 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00003986 in |:substitute|. When an optional submatch didn't match an
3987 empty string is used. Example: >
3988 echo matchlist('acd', '\(a\)\?\(b\)\?\(c\)\?\(.*\)')
3989< Results in: ['acd', 'a', '', 'c', 'd', '', '', '', '', '']
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003990 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3991
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003992matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003993 Same as |match()|, but return the matched string. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003994 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3995< results in "ing".
3996 When there is no match "" is returned.
3997 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3998 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3999< results in "ing". >
4000 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
4001< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004002 When {expr} is a |List| then the matching item is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004003 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004004
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004005 *max()*
4006max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
4007 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
4008 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004009 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004010
4011 *min()*
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00004012min({list}) Return the minimum value of all items in {list}.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004013 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
4014 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004015 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004016
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004017 *mkdir()* *E739*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004018mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
4019 Create directory {name}.
4020 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
4021 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
4022 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
4023 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004024 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004025 for others.
4026 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4027 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4028 :if exists("*mkdir")
4029<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004030 *mode()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004031mode([expr]) Return a string that indicates the current mode.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00004032 If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
4033 a non-empty String (|non-zero-arg|), then the full mode is
4034 returned, otherwise only the first letter is returned. Note
4035 that " " and "0" are also non-empty strings.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004036
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004037 n Normal
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004038 no Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004039 v Visual by character
4040 V Visual by line
4041 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
4042 s Select by character
4043 S Select by line
4044 CTRL-S Select blockwise
4045 i Insert
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004046 R Replace |R|
4047 Rv Virtual Replace |gR|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004048 c Command-line
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004049 cv Vim Ex mode |gQ|
4050 ce Normal Ex mode |Q|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004051 r Hit-enter prompt
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004052 rm The -- more -- prompt
4053 r? A |:confirm| query of some sort
4054 ! Shell or external command is executing
4055 This is useful in the 'statusline' option or when used
4056 with |remote_expr()| In most other places it always returns
4057 "c" or "n".
4058 Also see |visualmode()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004059
4060nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
4061 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
4062 that is not blank. Example: >
4063 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
4064< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
4065 below it, zero is returned.
4066 See also |prevnonblank()|.
4067
4068nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
4069 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
4070 value {expr}. Examples: >
4071 nr2char(64) returns "@"
4072 nr2char(32) returns " "
4073< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
4074 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
4075< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
4076 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
4077 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004078 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004079
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00004080 *getpid()*
4081getpid() Return a Number which is the process ID of the Vim process.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004082 On Unix and MS-Windows this is a unique number, until Vim
4083 exits. On MS-DOS it's always zero.
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00004084
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004085 *getpos()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004086getpos({expr}) Get the position for {expr}. For possible values of {expr}
4087 see |line()|.
4088 The result is a |List| with four numbers:
4089 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4090 "bufnum" is zero, unless a mark like '0 or 'A is used, then it
4091 is the buffer number of the mark.
4092 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
4093 column is 1.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004094 The "off" number is zero, unless 'virtualedit' is used. Then
4095 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004096 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004097 character.
4098 This can be used to save and restore the cursor position: >
4099 let save_cursor = getpos(".")
4100 MoveTheCursorAround
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00004101 call setpos('.', save_cursor)
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004102< Also see |setpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004103
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004104pathshorten({expr}) *pathshorten()*
4105 Shorten directory names in the path {expr} and return the
4106 result. The tail, the file name, is kept as-is. The other
4107 components in the path are reduced to single letters. Leading
4108 '~' and '.' characters are kept. Example: >
4109 :echo pathshorten('~/.vim/autoload/myfile.vim')
4110< ~/.v/a/myfile.vim ~
4111 It doesn't matter if the path exists or not.
4112
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004113pow({x}, {y}) *pow()*
4114 Return the power of {x} to the exponent {y} as a |Float|.
4115 {x} and {y} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
4116 Examples: >
4117 :echo pow(3, 3)
4118< 27.0 >
4119 :echo pow(2, 16)
4120< 65536.0 >
4121 :echo pow(32, 0.20)
4122< 2.0
4123 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
4124
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004125prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
4126 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
4127 that is not blank. Example: >
4128 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
4129< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
4130 above it, zero is returned.
4131 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
4132
4133
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004134printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
4135 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
4136 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004137 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004138< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004139 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004140
4141 Often used items are:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004142 %s string
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004143 %6s string right-aligned in 6 bytes
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004144 %.9s string truncated to 9 bytes
4145 %c single byte
4146 %d decimal number
4147 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
4148 %x hex number
4149 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
4150 %X hex number using upper case letters
4151 %o octal number
4152 %f floating point number in the form 123.456
4153 %e floating point number in the form 1.234e3
4154 %E floating point number in the form 1.234E3
4155 %g floating point number, as %f or %e depending on value
4156 %G floating point number, as %f or %E depending on value
4157 %% the % character itself
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004158
4159 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
4160 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
4161 the result.
4162
4163 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004164 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004165
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004166 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004167
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004168 flags
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004169 Zero or more of the following flags:
4170
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004171 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
4172 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
4173 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
4174 of the number is increased to force the first
4175 character of the output string to a zero (except
4176 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
4177 precision of zero).
4178 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
4179 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
4180 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004181
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004182 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
4183 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
4184 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
4185 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
4186 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004187
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004188 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
4189 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
4190 The converted value is padded on the right with
4191 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
4192 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004193
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004194 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
4195 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004196
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004197 + A sign must always be placed before a number
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004198 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004199 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004200
4201 field-width
4202 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004203 field width. If the converted value has fewer bytes
4204 than the field width, it will be padded with spaces on
4205 the left (or right, if the left-adjustment flag has
4206 been given) to fill out the field width.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004207
4208 .precision
4209 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
4210 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
4211 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
4212 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
4213 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004214 bytes to be printed from a string for s conversions.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004215 For floating point it is the number of digits after
4216 the decimal point.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004217
4218 type
4219 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
4220 be applied, see below.
4221
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004222 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
4223 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004224 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004225 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
4226 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
4227 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004228 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004229< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004230 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004231
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004232 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004233
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004234 *printf-d* *printf-o* *printf-x* *printf-X*
4235 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004236 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
4237 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
4238 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004239 conversions.
4240 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
4241 digits that must appear; if the converted value
4242 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
4243 zeros.
4244 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
4245 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
4246 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
4247 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
4248
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004249 *printf-c*
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004250 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
4251 resulting character is written.
4252
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004253 *printf-s*
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004254 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
4255 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
4256 specified are used.
4257
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004258 *printf-f* *E807*
4259 f The Float argument is converted into a string of the
4260 form 123.456. The precision specifies the number of
4261 digits after the decimal point. When the precision is
4262 zero the decimal point is omitted. When the precision
4263 is not specified 6 is used. A really big number
4264 (out of range or dividing by zero) results in "inf".
4265 "0.0 / 0.0" results in "nan".
4266 Example: >
4267 echo printf("%.2f", 12.115)
4268< 12.12
4269 Note that roundoff depends on the system libraries.
4270 Use |round()| when in doubt.
4271
4272 *printf-e* *printf-E*
4273 e E The Float argument is converted into a string of the
4274 form 1.234e+03 or 1.234E+03 when using 'E'. The
4275 precision specifies the number of digits after the
4276 decimal point, like with 'f'.
4277
4278 *printf-g* *printf-G*
4279 g G The Float argument is converted like with 'f' if the
4280 value is between 0.001 (inclusive) and 10000000.0
4281 (exclusive). Otherwise 'e' is used for 'g' and 'E'
4282 for 'G'. When no precision is specified superfluous
4283 zeroes and '+' signs are removed, except for the zero
4284 immediately after the decimal point. Thus 10000000.0
4285 results in 1.0e7.
4286
4287 *printf-%*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004288 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
4289 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004290
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00004291 When a Number argument is expected a String argument is also
4292 accepted and automatically converted.
4293 When a Float or String argument is expected a Number argument
4294 is also accepted and automatically converted.
4295 Any other argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004296
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00004297 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004298 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
4299 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004300 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004301
4302
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004303pumvisible() *pumvisible()*
4304 Returns non-zero when the popup menu is visible, zero
4305 otherwise. See |ins-completion-menu|.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004306 This can be used to avoid some things that would remove the
4307 popup menu.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004308
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004309 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004310range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004311 Returns a |List| with Numbers:
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004312 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
4313 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
4314 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
4315 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
4316 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004317 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
4318 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
4319 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004320 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004321 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004322 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
4323 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004324 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004325 range(0) " []
4326 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004327<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004328 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004329readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004330 Read file {fname} and return a |List|, each line of the file
4331 as an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004332 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
4333 NL appears somewhere).
4334 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
4335 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
4336 added.
4337 - No CR characters are removed.
4338 Otherwise:
4339 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
4340 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
4341 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004342 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
4343 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
4344 lines of a file: >
4345 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
4346 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
4347 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004348< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
4349 are returned, or as many as there are.
4350 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004351 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
4352 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
4353 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004354 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
4355 the result is an empty list.
4356 Also see |writefile()|.
4357
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004358reltime([{start} [, {end}]]) *reltime()*
4359 Return an item that represents a time value. The format of
4360 the item depends on the system. It can be passed to
4361 |reltimestr()| to convert it to a string.
4362 Without an argument it returns the current time.
4363 With one argument is returns the time passed since the time
4364 specified in the argument.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004365 With two arguments it returns the time passed between {start}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004366 and {end}.
4367 The {start} and {end} arguments must be values returned by
4368 reltime().
4369 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
4370
4371reltimestr({time}) *reltimestr()*
4372 Return a String that represents the time value of {time}.
4373 This is the number of seconds, a dot and the number of
4374 microseconds. Example: >
4375 let start = reltime()
4376 call MyFunction()
4377 echo reltimestr(reltime(start))
4378< Note that overhead for the commands will be added to the time.
4379 The accuracy depends on the system.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004380 Leading spaces are used to make the string align nicely. You
4381 can use split() to remove it. >
4382 echo split(reltimestr(reltime(start)))[0]
4383< Also see |profiling|.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004384 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
4385
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004386 *remote_expr()* *E449*
4387remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004388 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004389 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004390 The result must be a String or a |List|. A |List| is turned
4391 into a String by joining the items with a line break in
4392 between (not at the end), like with join(expr, "\n").
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004393 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
4394 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
4395 remote_read() is stored there.
4396 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4397 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4398 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4399 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
4400 and the result will be the empty string.
4401 Examples: >
4402 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
4403 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
4404<
4405
4406remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
4407 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
4408 This works like: >
4409 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
4410< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
4411 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
4412 to bring itself to the foreground.
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004413 Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
4414 like foreground() does.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004415 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4416 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
4417 Win32 console version}
4418
4419
4420remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
4421 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
4422 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004423 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004424 name of a variable.
4425 Returns zero if none are available.
4426 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
4427 See also |clientserver|.
4428 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4429 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4430 Examples: >
4431 :let repl = ""
4432 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
4433
4434remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
4435 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
4436 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
4437 See also |clientserver|.
4438 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4439 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4440 Example: >
4441 :echo remote_read(id)
4442<
4443 *remote_send()* *E241*
4444remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004445 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004446 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
4447 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004448 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a variable
4449 and a {serverid} for later use with remote_read() is stored
4450 there.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004451 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4452 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4453 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4454 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
4455 up the display.
4456 Examples: >
4457 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
4458 \ remote_read(serverid)
4459
4460 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
4461 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
4462 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
4463 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004464<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004465remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004466 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from |List| {list} and
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004467 return it.
4468 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
4469 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
4470 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
4471 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
4472 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004473 Example: >
4474 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004475 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004476remove({dict}, {key})
4477 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
4478 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
4479< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
4480
4481 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004482
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004483rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
4484 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
4485 should also work to move files across file systems. The
4486 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
4487 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
4488 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4489
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004490repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
4491 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
4492 result. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004493 :let separator = repeat('-', 80)
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004494< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004495 When {expr} is a |List| the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004496 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004497 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
4498< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004499
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004500
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004501resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
4502 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
4503 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
4504 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
4505 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
4506 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
4507 stopped after 100 iterations.
4508 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
4509 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
4510 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
4511 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
4512 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
4513
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004514 *reverse()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004515reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004516 {list}.
4517 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4518 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
4519
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004520round({expr}) *round()*
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00004521 Round off {expr} to the nearest integral value and return it
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004522 as a |Float|. If {expr} lies halfway between two integral
4523 values, then use the larger one (away from zero).
4524 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
4525 Examples: >
4526 echo round(0.456)
4527< 0.0 >
4528 echo round(4.5)
4529< 5.0 >
4530 echo round(-4.5)
4531< -5.0
4532 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
4533
4534
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004535search({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *search()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004536 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004537 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004538
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004539 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
4540 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004541 'c' accept a match at the cursor position
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004542 'e' move to the End of the match
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004543 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004544 'p' return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
4545 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004546 'w' wrap around the end of the file
4547 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
4548 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
4549
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00004550 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
4551 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
4552 flag.
4553
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004554 'ignorecase', 'smartcase' and 'magic' are used.
4555
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004556 When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
4557 after searching this line. This is useful to restrict the
4558 search to a range of lines. Examples: >
4559 let match = search('(', 'b', line("w0"))
4560 let end = search('END', '', line("w$"))
4561< When {stopline} is used and it is not zero this also implies
4562 that the search does not wrap around the end of the file.
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004563 A zero value is equal to not giving the argument.
4564
4565 When the {timeout} argument is given the search stops when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004566 more than this many milli seconds have passed. Thus when
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004567 {timeout} is 500 the search stops after half a second.
4568 The value must not be negative. A zero value is like not
4569 giving the argument.
4570 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004571
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004572 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
4573 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004574 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
4575 *search()-sub-match*
4576 With the 'p' flag the returned value is one more than the
4577 first sub-match in \(\). One if none of them matched but the
4578 whole pattern did match.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004579 To get the column number too use |searchpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004580
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004581 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
4582 flag is used.
4583
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004584 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
4585 :let n = 1
4586 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
4587 : exe "argument " . n
4588 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
4589 : " first search to find match at start of file
4590 : normal G$
4591 : let flags = "w"
4592 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004593 : s/foo/bar/g
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004594 : let flags = "W"
4595 : endwhile
4596 : update " write the file if modified
4597 : let n = n + 1
4598 :endwhile
4599<
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004600 Example for using some flags: >
4601 :echo search('\<if\|\(else\)\|\(endif\)', 'ncpe')
4602< This will search for the keywords "if", "else", and "endif"
4603 under or after the cursor. Because of the 'p' flag, it
4604 returns 1, 2, or 3 depending on which keyword is found, or 0
4605 if the search fails. With the cursor on the first word of the
4606 line:
4607 if (foo == 0) | let foo = foo + 1 | endif ~
4608 the function returns 1. Without the 'c' flag, the function
4609 finds the "endif" and returns 3. The same thing happens
4610 without the 'e' flag if the cursor is on the "f" of "if".
4611 The 'n' flag tells the function not to move the cursor.
4612
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004613
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004614searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
4615 Search for the declaration of {name}.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004616
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004617 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
4618 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
4619 first match in the function.
4620
4621 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
4622 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
4623 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
4624
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004625 Moves the cursor to the found match.
4626 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4627 Example: >
4628 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
4629 echo getline('.')
4630 endif
4631<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004632 *searchpair()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004633searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4634 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004635 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
4636 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
4637 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004638 The search starts at the cursor. The default is to search
4639 forward, include 'b' in {flags} to search backward.
4640 If a match is found, the cursor is positioned at it and the
4641 line number is returned. If no match is found 0 or -1 is
4642 returned and the cursor doesn't move. No error message is
4643 given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004644
4645 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
4646 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
4647 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
4648 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
4649 typical use is: >
4650 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
4651< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
4652
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004653 {flags} 'b', 'c', 'n', 's', 'w' and 'W' are used like with
4654 |search()|. Additionally:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004655 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004656 outer pair. Implies the 'W' flag.
4657 'm' Return number of matches instead of line number with
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004658 the match; will be > 1 when 'r' is used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004659 Note: it's nearly always a good idea to use the 'W' flag, to
4660 avoid wrapping around the end of the file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004661
4662 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
4663 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
4664 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
4665 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
4666 or a string.
4667 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
4668 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
4669 and -1 returned.
4670
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004671 For {stopline} and {timeout} see |search()|.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004672
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004673 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
4674 patterns are used like it's on.
4675
4676 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
4677 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
4678 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
4679 if 1
4680 if 2
4681 endif 2
4682 endif 1
4683< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
4684 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
4685 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004686 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004687 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
4688 "endif 2".
4689 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
4690 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
4691 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
4692 the matching start.
4693
4694 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
4695
4696 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
4697 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
4698
4699< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
4700 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
4701 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
4702 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
4703 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
4704 match.
4705 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
4706
4707 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
4708
4709< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
4710 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
4711 highlighting recognized as strings: >
4712
4713 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
4714 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
4715<
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004716 *searchpairpos()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004717searchpairpos({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4718 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004719 Same as searchpair(), but returns a |List| with the line and
4720 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4721 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004722 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4723 returns [0, 0].
4724>
4725 :let [lnum,col] = searchpairpos('{', '', '}', 'n')
4726<
4727 See |match-parens| for a bigger and more useful example.
4728
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004729searchpos({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *searchpos()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004730 Same as |search()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004731 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4732 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
4733 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4734 returns [0, 0].
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004735 Example: >
4736 :let [lnum, col] = searchpos('mypattern', 'n')
4737
4738< When the 'p' flag is given then there is an extra item with
4739 the sub-pattern match number |search()-sub-match|. Example: >
4740 :let [lnum, col, submatch] = searchpos('\(\l\)\|\(\u\)', 'np')
4741< In this example "submatch" is 2 when a lowercase letter is
4742 found |/\l|, 3 when an uppercase letter is found |/\u|.
4743
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004744server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
4745 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
4746 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
4747 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4748 Note:
4749 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004750 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004751 before calling any commands that waits for input.
4752 See also |clientserver|.
4753 Example: >
4754 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
4755<
4756serverlist() *serverlist()*
4757 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
4758 When there are no servers or the information is not available
4759 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
4760 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4761 Example: >
4762 :echo serverlist()
4763<
4764setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
4765 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
4766 {val}.
4767 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
4768 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
4769 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
4770 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
4771 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
4772 Examples: >
4773 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
4774 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
4775< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4776
4777setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
4778 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004779 {pos}. The first position is 1.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004780 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
4781 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004782 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
4783 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
4784 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
4785 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
4786 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004787 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
4788 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
4789 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
4790 line.
4791
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004792setline({lnum}, {text}) *setline()*
4793 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {text}.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004794 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004795 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {text} will be
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004796 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004797 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
4798 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004799 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004800< When {text} is a |List| then line {lnum} and following lines
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004801 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
4802 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
4803< This is equivalent to: >
4804 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
4805 : call setline(n, l)
4806 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004807< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
4808
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004809setloclist({nr}, {list} [, {action}]) *setloclist()*
4810 Create or replace or add to the location list for window {nr}.
4811 When {nr} is zero the current window is used. For a location
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004812 list window, the displayed location list is modified. For an
4813 invalid window number {nr}, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004814 Otherwise, same as |setqflist()|.
4815 Also see |location-list|.
4816
4817setmatches({list}) *setmatches()*
4818 Restores a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|. Returns 0
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004819 if successful, otherwise -1. All current matches are cleared
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004820 before the list is restored. See example for |getmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004821
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004822 *setpos()*
4823setpos({expr}, {list})
4824 Set the position for {expr}. Possible values:
4825 . the cursor
4826 'x mark x
4827
4828 {list} must be a |List| with four numbers:
4829 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4830
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004831 "bufnum" is the buffer number. Zero can be used for the
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004832 current buffer. Setting the cursor is only possible for
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004833 the current buffer. To set a mark in another buffer you can
4834 use the |bufnr()| function to turn a file name into a buffer
4835 number.
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00004836 Does not change the jumplist.
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004837
4838 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
4839 column is 1. Use a zero "lnum" to delete a mark.
4840
4841 The "off" number is only used when 'virtualedit' is set. Then
4842 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004843 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004844 character.
4845
Bram Moolenaar08250432008-02-13 11:42:46 +00004846 Returns 0 when the position could be set, -1 otherwise.
4847 An error message is given if {expr} is invalid.
4848
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004849 Also see |getpos()|
4850
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004851 This does not restore the preferred column for moving
4852 vertically. See |winrestview()| for that.
4853
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004854
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004855setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004856 Create or replace or add to the quickfix list using the items
4857 in {list}. Each item in {list} is a dictionary.
4858 Non-dictionary items in {list} are ignored. Each dictionary
4859 item can contain the following entries:
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004860
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004861 bufnr buffer number; must be the number of a valid
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004862 buffer
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004863 filename name of a file; only used when "bufnr" is not
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004864 present or it is invalid.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004865 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004866 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004867 col column number
4868 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004869 when zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004870 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004871 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004872 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004873
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004874 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
4875 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
4876 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004877 If the "filename" and "bufnr" entries are not present or
4878 neither the "lnum" or "pattern" entries are present, then the
4879 item will not be handled as an error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004880 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
4881 be used.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004882 Note that the list is not exactly the same as what
4883 |getqflist()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004884
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004885 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
4886 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
4887 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
4888 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
4889 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
4890 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
4891
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004892 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
4893
4894 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
4895 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
4896 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
4897
4898
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004899 *setreg()*
4900setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
4901 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
4902 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
4903 then the value is appended.
4904 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
4905 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
4906 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
4907 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
4908 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
4909 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
4910 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004911 in the longest line (counting a <Tab> as 1 character).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004912
4913 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
4914 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
4915 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
4916 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4917
4918 Examples: >
4919 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
4920 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
4921 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
4922
4923< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
4924 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004925 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004926 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
4927 ....
4928 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
4929
4930< You can also change the type of a register by appending
4931 nothing: >
4932 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
4933
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00004934settabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) *settabwinvar()*
4935 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {winnr} to
4936 {val}.
4937 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
4938 use |setwinvar()|.
4939 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004940 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
4941 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
4942 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
4943 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00004944 Vim briefly goes to the tab page {tabnr}, this may trigger
4945 TabLeave and TabEnter autocommands.
4946 Examples: >
4947 :call settabwinvar(1, 1, "&list", 0)
4948 :call settabwinvar(3, 2, "myvar", "foobar")
4949< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4950
4951setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
4952 Like |settabwinvar()| for the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004953 Examples: >
4954 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
4955 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004956
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00004957shellescape({string} [, {special}]) *shellescape()*
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00004958 Escape {string} for use as shell command argument.
4959 On MS-Windows and MS-DOS, when 'shellslash' is not set, it
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00004960 will enclose {string} in double quotes and double all double
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00004961 quotes within {string}.
4962 For other systems, it will enclose {string} in single quotes
4963 and replace all "'" with "'\''".
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00004964 When the {special} argument is present and it's a non-zero
4965 Number or a non-empty String (|non-zero-arg|), then special
4966 items such as "%", "#" and "<cword>" will be preceded by a
4967 backslash. This backslash will be removed again by the |:!|
4968 command.
4969 Example of use with a |:!| command: >
4970 :exe '!dir ' . shellescape(expand('<cfile>'), 1)
4971< This results in a directory listing for the file under the
4972 cursor. Example of use with |system()|: >
4973 :call system("chmod +w -- " . shellescape(expand("%")))
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00004974
4975
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004976simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
4977 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
4978 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
4979 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
4980 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
4981 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
4982 not removed either.
4983 Example: >
4984 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
4985< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
4986 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
4987 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
4988 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
4989 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
4990
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004991
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004992sin({expr}) *sin()*
4993 Return the sine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a |Float|.
4994 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
4995 Examples: >
4996 :echo sin(100)
4997< -0.506366 >
4998 :echo sin(-4.01)
4999< 0.763301
5000 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5001
5002
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005003sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005004 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
5005 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
5006 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
5007< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00005008 Numbers sort after Strings, |Lists| after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005009 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005010 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005011 When {func} is a |Funcref| or a function name, this function
5012 is called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005013 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
5014 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
5015 sorts before the second one. Example: >
5016 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
5017 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
5018 endfunc
5019 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005020<
5021
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00005022 *soundfold()*
5023soundfold({word})
5024 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005025 language in 'spelllang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00005026 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
5027 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00005028 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
5029 the method can be quite slow.
5030
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005031 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00005032spellbadword([{sentence}])
5033 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
5034 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
5035 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
5036 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
5037
5038 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
5039 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
5040 result is an empty string.
5041
5042 The return value is a list with two items:
5043 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
5044 - The type of the spelling error:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005045 "bad" spelling mistake
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00005046 "rare" rare word
5047 "local" word only valid in another region
5048 "caps" word should start with Capital
5049 Example: >
5050 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
5051< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
5052
5053 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
5054 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
5055 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005056
5057 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005058spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005059 Return a |List| with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005060 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
5061 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
5062
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005063 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
5064 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
5065 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
5066
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005067 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
5068 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00005069 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
5070 replace a line.
5071
5072 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005073 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
5074 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005075
5076 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00005077 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
5078 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005079
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005080
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005081split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005082 Make a |List| out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or
5083 empty each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an
5084 item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005085 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005086 removing the matched characters.
5087 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
5088 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00005089 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
5090 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005091 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005092 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005093< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005094 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00005095< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
5096 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
5097< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005098 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
5099 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
5100< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005101
5102
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005103sqrt({expr}) *sqrt()*
5104 Return the non-negative square root of Float {expr} as a
5105 |Float|.
5106 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|. When {expr}
5107 is negative the result is NaN (Not a Number).
5108 Examples: >
5109 :echo sqrt(100)
5110< 10.0 >
5111 :echo sqrt(-4.01)
5112< nan
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00005113 "nan" may be different, it depends on system libraries.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005114 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5115
5116
5117str2float( {expr}) *str2float()*
5118 Convert String {expr} to a Float. This mostly works the same
5119 as when using a floating point number in an expression, see
5120 |floating-point-format|. But it's a bit more permissive.
5121 E.g., "1e40" is accepted, while in an expression you need to
5122 write "1.0e40".
5123 Text after the number is silently ignored.
5124 The decimal point is always '.', no matter what the locale is
5125 set to. A comma ends the number: "12,345.67" is converted to
5126 12.0. You can strip out thousands separators with
5127 |substitute()|: >
5128 let f = str2float(substitute(text, ',', '', 'g'))
5129< {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5130
5131
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00005132str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) *str2nr()*
5133 Convert string {expr} to a number.
5134 {base} is the conversion base, it can be 8, 10 or 16.
5135 When {base} is omitted base 10 is used. This also means that
5136 a leading zero doesn't cause octal conversion to be used, as
5137 with the default String to Number conversion.
5138 When {base} is 16 a leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored. With a
5139 different base the result will be zero.
5140 Text after the number is silently ignored.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005141
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00005142
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005143strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
5144 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
5145 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
5146 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
5147 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
5148 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
5149 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
5150 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
5151 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
5152 Examples: >
5153 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
5154 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
5155 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
5156 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
5157 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
5158 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005159< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
5160 :if exists("*strftime")
5161
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005162stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
5163 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
5164 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005165 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
5166 This can be used to find a second match: >
5167 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
5168 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
5169< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005170 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005171 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005172 See also |strridx()|.
5173 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005174 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
5175 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
5176 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005177< *strstr()* *strchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005178 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
5179 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
5180
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005181 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005182string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005183 Float, String or a composition of them, then the result can be
5184 parsed back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005185 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005186 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005187 Number 123
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005188 Float 123.123456 or 1.123456e8
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005189 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005190 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00005191 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005192 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005193 Also see |strtrans()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005194
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005195 *strlen()*
5196strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00005197 {expr} in bytes.
5198 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
5199 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005200
5201 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00005202<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005203 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
5204 For other types an error is given.
5205 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005206
5207strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
5208 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00005209 byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005210 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
5211 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
5212 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
5213 end of the {src}. >
5214 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
5215 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
5216 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005217 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005218< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
5219 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +00005220 strpart(getline("."), col(".") - 1, 3)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005221<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005222strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
5223 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
5224 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
5225 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
5226 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
5227 match: >
5228 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
5229 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
5230< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005231 For pattern searches use |match()|.
5232 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00005233 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005234 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005235 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005236< *strrchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005237 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
5238 function strrchr().
5239
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005240strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
5241 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
5242 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
5243 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
5244 echo strtrans(@a)
5245< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
5246 starting a new line.
5247
5248submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
5249 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
5250 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
5251 the whole matched text is returned.
5252 Example: >
5253 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
5254< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
5255 A line break is included as a newline character.
5256
5257substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
5258 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
5259 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
5260 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
5261 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
5262 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005263 'ignorecase' is still relevant. 'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005264 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
5265 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
5266 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005267 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005268 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
5269 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
5270 unmodified.
5271 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
5272 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
5273 Example: >
5274 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
5275< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
5276 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
5277< results in "TESTING".
5278
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005279synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005280 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005281 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005282 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
5283 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00005284
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005285 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00005286 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
5287
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005288 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005289 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005290 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
5291 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
5292 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
5293 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
5294 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
5295
5296 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
5297 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
5298<
5299synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
5300 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
5301 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
5302 about a syntax item.
5303 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005304 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005305 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
5306 used (GUI, cterm or term).
5307 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
5308 {what} result
5309 "name" the name of the syntax item
5310 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
5311 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
5312 term: empty string)
5313 "bg" background color (like "fg")
5314 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
5315 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
5316 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
5317 "bold" "1" if bold
5318 "italic" "1" if italic
5319 "reverse" "1" if reverse
5320 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
5321 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005322 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005323
5324 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
5325 cursor): >
5326 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
5327<
5328synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
5329 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
5330 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
5331 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
5332 ":highlight link" are followed.
5333
Bram Moolenaar9d188ab2008-01-10 21:24:39 +00005334synstack({lnum}, {col}) *synstack()*
5335 Return a |List|, which is the stack of syntax items at the
5336 position {lnum} and {col} in the current window. Each item in
5337 the List is an ID like what |synID()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar9d188ab2008-01-10 21:24:39 +00005338 The first item in the List is the outer region, following are
5339 items contained in that one. The last one is what |synID()|
5340 returns, unless not the whole item is highlighted or it is a
5341 transparent item.
5342 This function is useful for debugging a syntax file.
5343 Example that shows the syntax stack under the cursor: >
5344 for id in synstack(line("."), col("."))
5345 echo synIDattr(id, "name")
5346 endfor
5347
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00005348system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
5349 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
5350 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
5351 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
5352 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005353 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005354 Note: Use |shellescape()| to escape special characters in a
5355 command argument. Newlines in {expr} may cause the command to
5356 fail. The characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may
5357 also cause trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005358 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005359
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005360 The result is a String. Example: >
5361 :let files = system("ls " . shellescape(expand('%:h')))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005362
5363< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
5364 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
5365 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
5366 The command executed is constructed using several options:
5367 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
5368 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
5369 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
5370 concatenated commands.
5371
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00005372 The command will be executed in "cooked" mode, so that a
5373 CTRL-C will interrupt the command (on Unix at least).
5374
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005375 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
5376 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00005377
5378 Note that any wrong value in the options mentioned above may
5379 make the function fail. It has also been reported to fail
5380 when using a security agent application.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005381 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
5382 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
5383
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005384
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005385tabpagebuflist([{arg}]) *tabpagebuflist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005386 The result is a |List|, where each item is the number of the
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005387 buffer associated with each window in the current tab page.
5388 {arg} specifies the number of tab page to be used. When
5389 omitted the current tab page is used.
5390 When {arg} is invalid the number zero is returned.
5391 To get a list of all buffers in all tabs use this: >
5392 tablist = []
5393 for i in range(tabpagenr('$'))
5394 call extend(tablist, tabpagebuflist(i + 1))
5395 endfor
5396< Note that a buffer may appear in more than one window.
5397
5398
5399tabpagenr([{arg}]) *tabpagenr()*
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005400 The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5401 tab page. The first tab page has number 1.
5402 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the last tab
5403 page is returned (the tab page count).
5404 The number can be used with the |:tab| command.
5405
5406
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005407tabpagewinnr({tabarg}, [{arg}]) *tabpagewinnr()*
5408 Like |winnr()| but for tab page {arg}.
5409 {tabarg} specifies the number of tab page to be used.
5410 {arg} is used like with |winnr()|:
5411 - When omitted the current window number is returned. This is
5412 the window which will be used when going to this tab page.
5413 - When "$" the number of windows is returned.
5414 - When "#" the previous window nr is returned.
5415 Useful examples: >
5416 tabpagewinnr(1) " current window of tab page 1
5417 tabpagewinnr(4, '$') " number of windows in tab page 4
5418< When {tabarg} is invalid zero is returned.
5419
Bram Moolenaarfa1d1402006-03-25 21:59:56 +00005420 *tagfiles()*
5421tagfiles() Returns a |List| with the file names used to search for tags
5422 for the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
5423
5424
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005425taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
5426 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00005427 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
5428 entries:
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005429 name Name of the tag.
5430 filename Name of the file where the tag is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005431 defined. It is either relative to the
5432 current directory or a full path.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005433 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
5434 the file.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005435 kind Type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005436 entry depends on the language specific
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005437 kind values. Only available when
5438 using a tags file generated by
5439 Exuberant ctags or hdrtag.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005440 static A file specific tag. Refer to
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005441 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005442 More entries may be present, depending on the content of the
5443 tags file: access, implementation, inherits and signature.
5444 Refer to the ctags documentation for information about these
5445 fields. For C code the fields "struct", "class" and "enum"
5446 may appear, they give the name of the entity the tag is
5447 contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00005448
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00005449 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
5450 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005451
5452 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
5453
5454 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
5455 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
5456 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
5457
5458 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
5459 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
5460 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
5461
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005462tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
5463 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005464 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005465 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
5466 :let tmpfile = tempname()
5467 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
5468< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
5469 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
5470 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
5471 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
5472 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
5473 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
5474
5475tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
5476 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
5477 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
5478 the string).
5479
5480toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
5481 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
5482 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
5483 the string).
5484
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00005485tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
5486 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
5487 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
5488 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
5489 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
5490 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
5491 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
5492
5493 Examples: >
5494 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
5495< returns "Hello THere" >
5496 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
5497< returns "{blob}"
5498
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005499trunc({expr}) *trunc()*
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00005500 Return the largest integral value with magnitude less than or
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005501 equal to {expr} as a |Float| (truncate towards zero).
5502 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
5503 Examples: >
5504 echo trunc(1.456)
5505< 1.0 >
5506 echo trunc(-5.456)
5507< -5.0 >
5508 echo trunc(4.0)
5509< 4.0
5510 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5511
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005512 *type()*
5513type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005514 Number: 0
5515 String: 1
5516 Funcref: 2
5517 List: 3
5518 Dictionary: 4
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005519 Float: 5
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005520 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005521 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
5522 :if type(myvar) == type("")
5523 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
5524 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005525 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005526 :if type(myvar) == type(0.0)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005527
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005528values({dict}) *values()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005529 Return a |List| with all the values of {dict}. The |List| is
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005530 in arbitrary order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005531
5532
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005533virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
5534 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
5535 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
5536 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
5537 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
5538 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
5539 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
5540 set to 8, it returns 8.
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00005541 For the byte position use |col()|.
5542 For the use of {expr} see |col()|.
5543 When 'virtualedit' is used {expr} can be [lnum, col, off], where
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005544 "off" is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005545 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005546 character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005547 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
5548 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
5549 The accepted positions are:
5550 . the cursor position
5551 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
5552 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
5553 plus one)
5554 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
5555 returned)
5556 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
5557 Examples: >
5558 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
5559 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005560 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
5561< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005562 A more advanced example that echoes the maximum length of
5563 all lines: >
5564 echo max(map(range(1, line('$')), "virtcol([v:val, '$'])"))
5565
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005566
5567visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
5568 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005569 used in the current buffer. Initially it returns an empty
5570 string, but once Visual mode has been used, it returns "v",
5571 "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a single CTRL-V character) for
5572 character-wise, line-wise, or block-wise Visual mode
5573 respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005574 Example: >
5575 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
5576< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
5577 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
5578 Visual mode that was used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005579 If Visual mode is active, use |mode()| to get the Visual mode
5580 (e.g., in a |:vmap|).
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005581 *non-zero-arg*
5582 If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
5583 a non-empty String, then the Visual mode will be cleared and
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005584 the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005585 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared. A List,
5586 Dictionary or Float is not a Number or String, thus does not
5587 cause the mode to be cleared.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005588
5589 *winbufnr()*
5590winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005591 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005592 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
5593 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5594 Example: >
5595 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
5596<
5597 *wincol()*
5598wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
5599 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
5600 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
5601
5602winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
5603 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
5604 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
5605 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5606 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
5607 Examples: >
5608 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
5609<
5610 *winline()*
5611winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005612 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005613 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00005614 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
5615 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005616
5617 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005618winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5619 window. The top window has number 1.
5620 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005621 last window is returned (the window count).
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005622 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
5623 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005624 If there is no previous window or it is in another tab page 0
5625 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005626 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
5627 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005628 Also see |tabpagewinnr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005629
5630 *winrestcmd()*
5631winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
5632 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005633 are opened or closed and the current window and tab page is
5634 unchanged.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005635 Example: >
5636 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
5637 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
5638 :exe cmd
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005639<
5640 *winrestview()*
5641winrestview({dict})
5642 Uses the |Dictionary| returned by |winsaveview()| to restore
5643 the view of the current window.
5644 If you have changed the values the result is unpredictable.
5645 If the window size changed the result won't be the same.
5646
5647 *winsaveview()*
5648winsaveview() Returns a |Dictionary| that contains information to restore
5649 the view of the current window. Use |winrestview()| to
5650 restore the view.
5651 This is useful if you have a mapping that jumps around in the
5652 buffer and you want to go back to the original view.
5653 This does not save fold information. Use the 'foldenable'
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00005654 option to temporarily switch off folding, so that folds are
5655 not opened when moving around.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005656 The return value includes:
5657 lnum cursor line number
5658 col cursor column
5659 coladd cursor column offset for 'virtualedit'
5660 curswant column for vertical movement
5661 topline first line in the window
5662 topfill filler lines, only in diff mode
5663 leftcol first column displayed
5664 skipcol columns skipped
5665 Note that no option values are saved.
5666
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005667
5668winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
5669 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
5670 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
5671 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5672 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
5673 Examples: >
5674 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
5675 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
5676 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
5677 :endif
5678<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005679 *writefile()*
5680writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005681 Write |List| {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005682 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
5683 Number.
5684 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
5685 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
5686 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
5687 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
5688 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
5689 to writefile().
5690 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
5691 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
5692 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
5693 fails.
5694 Also see |readfile()|.
5695 To copy a file byte for byte: >
5696 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
5697 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
5698<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005699
5700 *feature-list*
5701There are three types of features:
57021. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
5703 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
5704 :if has("cindent")
57052. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
5706 Example: >
5707 :if has("gui_running")
5708< *has-patch*
57093. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
5710 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
5711 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
5712 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005713< Note that it's possible for patch 147 to be omitted even though 148 is
5714 included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005715
5716all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
5717amiga Amiga version of Vim.
5718arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
5719arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00005720autocmd Compiled with autocommand support. |autocommand|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005721balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00005722balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005723beos BeOS version of Vim.
5724browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
5725 work.
5726builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
5727byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
5728cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
5729clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
5730clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
5731cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
5732cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
5733cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
5734comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
5735cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
5736cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
5737compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
5738debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
5739dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
5740dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
5741diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
5742digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
5743dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
5744dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
5745dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
5746ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
5747emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
5748eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
5749 true, of course!
5750ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
5751extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
5752 |'hlsearch'|
5753farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
5754file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005755filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
5756 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005757find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
5758 |+find_in_path|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005759float Compiled with support for |Float|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005760fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
5761 Windows this is not present).
5762folding Compiled with |folding| support.
5763footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
5764fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
5765gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
5766gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
5767gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005768gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
5769gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005770gui_gnome Compiled with Gnome support (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005771gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
5772gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
5773gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
5774gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
5775gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
5776gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
5777hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
5778iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
5779insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
5780 Insert mode.
5781jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
5782keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
5783langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
5784libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
5785linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
5786 support.
5787lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
5788listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
5789 and the argument list |arglist|.
5790localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
5791mac Macintosh version of Vim.
5792macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
5793menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
5794mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
5795modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
5796mouse Compiled with support mouse.
5797mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
5798mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
5799mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
5800mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
5801mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005802mouse_sysmouse Compiled with support for sysmouse (*BSD console mouse)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005803mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
5804multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
5805multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
5806multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00005807mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005808netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00005809netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005810ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
5811os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
5812osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
5813path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
5814perl Compiled with Perl interface.
5815postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
5816printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005817profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005818python Compiled with Python interface.
5819qnx QNX version of Vim.
5820quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
Bram Moolenaard68071d2006-05-02 22:08:30 +00005821reltime Compiled with |reltime()| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005822rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
5823ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
5824scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
5825showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
5826signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
5827smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00005828sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005829statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
5830 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
5831sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00005832spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
5833syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005834syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
5835 current buffer.
5836system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
5837tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
5838 |tag-binary-search|.
5839tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
5840 |tag-old-static|.
5841tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
5842 files |tag-any-white|.
5843tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
5844terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
5845termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
5846textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
5847tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
5848 or terminfo file.
5849title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
5850toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
5851unix Unix version of Vim.
5852user_commands User-defined commands.
5853viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
5854vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
5855vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
5856virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
5857visual Compiled with Visual mode.
5858visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
5859 |blockwise-operators|.
5860vms VMS version of Vim.
5861vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
5862wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
5863wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
5864windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
5865winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
5866win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
5867win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
5868win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
5869win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
5870win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
5871writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
5872xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
5873xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
5874xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
5875xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
5876xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
5877xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
5878 xterm screen.
5879x11 Compiled with X11 support.
5880
5881 *string-match*
5882Matching a pattern in a String
5883
5884A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
5885the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
5886everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
5887like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
5888line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
5889with ".". Example: >
5890 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
5891 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
5892 aa
5893 xx
5894 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
5895 a
5896 x
5897
5898Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
5899"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
5900"\n".
5901
5902==============================================================================
59035. Defining functions *user-functions*
5904
5905New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
5906functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
5907commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
5908
5909The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
5910builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
5911avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
5912the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
5913
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005914It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
5915|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005916
5917 *local-function*
5918A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
5919can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
5920and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
5921function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
5922instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
5923
5924 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
5925:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
5926
5927:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005928 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5929 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005930 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005931
5932:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
5933 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
5934 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005935<
5936 *:function-verbose*
5937When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
5938last defined. Example: >
5939
5940 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
5941 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
5942 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
5943<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00005944See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005945
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005946 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005947:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005948 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
5949 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
5950 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005951
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005952 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5953 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005954 :function dict.init(arg)
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005955< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005956 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005957 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005958 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
5959 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
5960 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005961 *E127* *E122*
5962 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
5963 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
5964 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
5965 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005966
5967 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
5968
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005969 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
5970 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
5971 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
5972 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
5973 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
5974 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
5975 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005976
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005977 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
5978 abort as soon as an error is detected.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005979
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005980 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005981 be invoked through an entry in a |Dictionary|. The
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005982 local variable "self" will then be set to the
5983 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005984
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005985 *function-search-undo*
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00005986 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005987 will not be changed by the function. This also
5988 implies that the effect of |:nohlsearch| is undone
5989 when the function returns.
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00005990
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005991 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
5992:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
5993 by its own, without other commands.
5994
5995 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
5996:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005997 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5998 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005999 :delfunc dict.init
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006000< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006001 function is deleted if there are no more references to
6002 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006003 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
6004:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
6005 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
6006 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
6007 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
6008 the number 0 is returned.
6009 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
6010 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
6011
6012 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
6013 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
6014 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
6015 are executed first. This process applies to all
6016 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
6017 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
6018
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006019 *function-argument* *a:var*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006020An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006021be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006022 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740* *...*
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006023Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
6024arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
6025may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
6026as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006027can be 0). "a:000" is set to a |List| that contains these arguments. Note
6028that "a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006029 *E742*
6030The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006031However, if a |List| or |Dictionary| is used, you can changes their contents.
6032Thus you can pass a |List| to a function and have the function add an item to
6033it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a |List| or
6034|Dictionary| use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006035
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006036When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
6037to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
6038may be larger.
6039
6040It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
6041still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
6042until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
6043inside a function body.
6044
6045 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006046Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
6047will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
6048accessed with "g:".
6049
6050Example: >
6051 :function Table(title, ...)
6052 : echohl Title
6053 : echo a:title
6054 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00006055 : echo a:0 . " items:"
6056 : for s in a:000
6057 : echon ' ' . s
6058 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006059 :endfunction
6060
6061This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00006062 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
6063 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006064
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006065To return more than one value, return a |List|: >
6066 :function Compute(n1, n2)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006067 : if a:n2 == 0
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006068 : return ["fail", 0]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006069 : endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006070 : return ["ok", a:n1 / a:n2]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006071 :endfunction
6072
6073This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006074 :let [success, div] = Compute(102, 6)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006075 :if success == "ok"
6076 : echo div
6077 :endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006078<
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00006079 *:cal* *:call* *E107* *E117*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006080:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
6081 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
6082 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006083 used. The returned value is discarded.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006084 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
6085 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
6086 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
6087 function.
6088 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
6089 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
6090 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
6091 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006092 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006093 this works:
6094 *function-range-example* >
6095 :function Mynumber(arg)
6096 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
6097 :endfunction
6098 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
6099<
6100 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
6101 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
6102 the range.
6103
6104 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
6105
6106 :function Cont() range
6107 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
6108 :endfunction
6109 :4,8call Cont()
6110<
6111 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
6112 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
6113
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006114 When the function returns a composite value it can be further
6115 dereferenced, but the range will not be used then. Example: >
6116 :4,8call GetDict().method()
6117< Here GetDict() gets the range but method() does not.
6118
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006119 *E132*
6120The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
6121option.
6122
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006123
6124AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006125 *autoload-functions*
6126When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006127only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
6128the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
6129
6130
6131Using an autocommand ~
6132
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006133This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
6134
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006135The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
6136You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006137That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006138again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
6139
6140Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
6141function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006142
6143 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
6144
6145The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
6146"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
6147
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006148
6149Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006150 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006151This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
6152
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006153Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
6154exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
6155like this: >
6156
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006157 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006158
6159When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
6160"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
6161"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
6162then define the function like this: >
6163
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006164 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006165 echo "Done!"
6166 endfunction
6167
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00006168The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006169exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
6170called.
6171
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006172It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
6173a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006174
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006175 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006176
6177Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
6178
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006179This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
6180
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006181 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006182
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00006183However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
6184for an unknown variable.
6185
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006186When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
6187be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
6188
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006189 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
6190 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006191
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00006192Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
6193defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
6194function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006195And you will get an error message every time.
6196
6197Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006198other and vice versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006199Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006200
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00006201Hint: If you distribute a bunch of scripts you can pack them together with the
6202|vimball| utility. Also read the user manual |distribute-script|.
6203
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006204==============================================================================
62056. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
6206
6207Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
6208This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
6209{} like this: >
6210 my_{adjective}_variable
6211
6212When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
6213that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
6214name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
6215"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
6216"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
6217
6218One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006219value. For example, the statement >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006220 echo my_{&background}_message
6221
6222would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
6223on the current value of 'background'.
6224
6225You can use multiple brace pairs: >
6226 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
6227..or even nest them: >
6228 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
6229where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
6230
6231However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00006232variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006233 :let foo='a + b'
6234 :echo c{foo}d
6235.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
6236
6237 *curly-braces-function-names*
6238You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
6239Example: >
6240 :let func_end='whizz'
6241 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
6242
6243This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
6244
6245==============================================================================
62467. Commands *expression-commands*
6247
6248:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
6249 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
6250 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
6251 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
6252 is created.
6253
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00006254:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
6255 Set a list item to the result of the expression
6256 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
6257 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
6258 the index can be repeated.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006259 This cannot be used to add an item to a |List|.
6260 This cannot be used to set a byte in a String. You
6261 can do that like this: >
6262 :let var = var[0:2] . 'X' . var[4:]
6263<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006264 *E711* *E719*
6265:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006266 Set a sequence of items in a |List| to the result of
6267 the expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006268 correct number of items.
6269 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
6270 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
6271 When the selected range of items is partly past the
6272 end of the list, items will be added.
6273
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00006274 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006275:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
6276:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
6277:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
6278 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
6279 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
6280
6281
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006282:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
6283 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
6284 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006285:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
6286 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
6287 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
6288 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006289
6290:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
6291 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
6292 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
6293 must be the name of a writable register (see
6294 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
6295 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
6296 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
6297 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
6298 characterwise.
6299 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
6300 :let @/ = ""
6301< This is different from searching for an empty string,
6302 that would match everywhere.
6303
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006304:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006305 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006306 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
6307
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006308:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006309 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006310 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
6311 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006312 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
6313 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
Bram Moolenaara5fac542005-10-12 20:58:49 +00006314 value and the global value are changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006315 Example: >
6316 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006317
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006318:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
6319 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
6320 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
6321
6322:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
6323:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
6324 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
6325 {expr1}.
6326
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006327:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006328:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
6329:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
6330:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006331 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
6332 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
6333
6334:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006335:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
6336:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
6337:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006338 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
6339 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
6340
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00006341:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006342 {expr1} must evaluate to a |List|. The first item in
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006343 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
6344 {name2}, etc.
6345 The number of names must match the number of items in
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006346 the |List|.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006347 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
6348 command as mentioned above.
6349 Example: >
6350 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006351< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
6352 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
6353 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
6354 :let x = [0, 1]
6355 :let i = 0
6356 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
6357 :echo x
6358< The result is [0, 2].
6359
6360:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
6361:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
6362:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
6363 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006364 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006365
6366:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006367 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the |List| may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006368 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
6369 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
6370 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006371 Example: >
6372 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
6373<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006374:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
6375:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
6376:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
6377 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006378 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006379 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006380:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00006381 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
6382 here: *E738*
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00006383 g: global variables
6384 b: local buffer variables
6385 w: local window variables
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00006386 t: local tab page variables
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00006387 s: script-local variables
6388 l: local function variables
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00006389 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006390
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00006391:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
6392 variable is indicated before the value:
6393 <nothing> String
6394 # Number
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00006395 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006396
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006397
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006398:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108* *E795*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006399 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
6400 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006401 may also be a |List| or |Dictionary| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006402 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
6403 variables.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006404 One or more items from a |List| can be removed: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00006405 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
6406 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006407< One item from a |Dictionary| can be removed at a time: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00006408 :unlet dict['two']
6409 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00006410< This is especially useful to clean up used global
6411 variables and script-local variables (these are not
6412 deleted when the script ends). Function-local
6413 variables are automatically deleted when the function
6414 ends.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006415
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006416:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
6417 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
6418 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
6419 A locked variable can be deleted: >
6420 :lockvar v
6421 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
6422 :unlet v
6423< *E741*
6424 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
6425 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
6426
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006427 [depth] is relevant when locking a |List| or
6428 |Dictionary|. It specifies how deep the locking goes:
6429 1 Lock the |List| or |Dictionary| itself,
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006430 cannot add or remove items, but can
6431 still change their values.
6432 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006433 the items. If an item is a |List| or
6434 |Dictionary|, cannot add or remove
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006435 items, but can still change the
6436 values.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006437 3 Like 2 but for the |List| /
6438 |Dictionary| in the |List| /
6439 |Dictionary|, one level deeper.
6440 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a |List|
6441 or |Dictionary| the values cannot be changed.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006442 *E743*
6443 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
6444 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
6445 loops.
6446
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006447 Note that when two variables refer to the same |List|
6448 and you lock one of them, the |List| will also be
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00006449 locked when used through the other variable.
6450 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006451 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
6452 :let cl = l
6453 :lockvar l
6454 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
6455< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
6456 See |deepcopy()|.
6457
6458
6459:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
6460 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
6461 opposite of |:lockvar|.
6462
6463
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006464:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
6465:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6466 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6467
6468 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
6469 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
6470 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
6471 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
6472 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
6473 part was not executed either.
6474
6475 You can use this to remain compatible with older
6476 versions: >
6477 :if version >= 500
6478 : version-5-specific-commands
6479 :endif
6480< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
6481 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
6482 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
6483 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
6484 avoid problems: >
6485 :if version >= 600
6486 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
6487 :endif
6488<
6489 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
6490 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
6491
6492 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
6493:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6494 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
6495 executed.
6496
6497 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
6498:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
6499 is no extra ":endif".
6500
6501:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006502 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006503:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
6504 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6505 When an error is detected from a command inside the
6506 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006507 Example: >
6508 :let lnum = 1
6509 :while lnum <= line("$")
6510 :call FixLine(lnum)
6511 :let lnum = lnum + 1
6512 :endwhile
6513<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006514 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00006515 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006516
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006517:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006518:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
6519 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00006520 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006521 value of each item.
6522 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006523 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00006524 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
6525 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006526 :for item in copy(mylist)
6527< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
6528 next item in the list, before executing the commands
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006529 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006530 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
6531 it will not be found. Thus the following example
6532 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
6533 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006534 :call remove(mylist, 0)
6535 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006536< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
6537 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
6538 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006539 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
6540 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
6541 to allow multiple item types.
6542
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006543:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
6544:endfo[r]
6545 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
6546 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
6547 {var2}, etc. Example: >
6548 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
6549 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
6550 :endfor
6551<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006552 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006553:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
6554 to the start of the loop.
6555 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6556 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6557 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6558 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6559 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6560 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006561
6562 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006563:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
6564 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
6565 ":endfor".
6566 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6567 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6568 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6569 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6570 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6571 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006572
6573:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
6574:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
6575 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
6576 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
6577 or autocommand invocations.
6578
6579 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
6580 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
6581 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
6582 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
6583 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
6584 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
6585 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
6586 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
6587 Example: >
6588 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
6589 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
6590<
6591 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
6592 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
6593 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
6594 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
6595 processing is not terminated.
6596
6597 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
6598 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
6599 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
6600 other errors are converted to a value of the form
6601 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
6602 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
6603 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
6604 the error number.
6605 Examples: >
6606 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
6607 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
6608<
6609 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
6610:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
6611 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
6612 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
6613 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
6614 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
6615 commands are skipped.
6616 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
6617 Examples: >
6618 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
6619 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
6620 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
6621 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
6622 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
6623 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
6624 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
6625 :catch " same as /.*/
6626<
6627 Another character can be used instead of / around the
6628 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
6629 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
6630 {pattern}.
6631 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
6632 an error message because it may vary in different
6633 locales.
6634
6635 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
6636:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
6637 are executed whenever the part between the matching
6638 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
6639 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
6640 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
6641 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
6642
6643 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
6644:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
6645 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
6646 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
6647 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
6648 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
6649 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
6650 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
6651 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
6652 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
6653 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
6654 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
6655 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
6656 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
6657 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
6658 is terminated.
6659 Example: >
6660 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
6661<
6662
6663 *:ec* *:echo*
6664:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
6665 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
6666 Also see |:comment|.
6667 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
6668 cursor to the first column.
6669 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6670 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6671 Example: >
6672 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006673< *:echo-redraw*
6674 A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
6675 And since Vim mostly postpones redrawing until it's
6676 finished with a sequence of commands this happens
6677 quite often. To avoid that a command from before the
6678 ":echo" causes a redraw afterwards (redraws are often
6679 postponed until you type something), force a redraw
6680 with the |:redraw| command. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006681 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
6682<
6683 *:echon*
6684:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
6685 |:comment|.
6686 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6687 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6688 Example: >
6689 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
6690<
6691 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
6692 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
6693 command: >
6694 :!echo % --> filename
6695< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
6696 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
6697< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
6698 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
6699 :echo % --> nothing
6700< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
6701 :echo "%" --> %
6702< This just echoes the '%' character. >
6703 :echo expand("%") --> filename
6704< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
6705
6706 *:echoh* *:echohl*
6707:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
6708 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
6709 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
6710 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
6711< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
6712 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
6713
6714 *:echom* *:echomsg*
6715:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
6716 message in the |message-history|.
6717 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
6718 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
6719 displayed, not interpreted.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006720 The parsing works slightly different from |:echo|,
6721 more like |:execute|. All the expressions are first
6722 evaluated and concatenated before echoing anything.
6723 The expressions must evaluate to a Number or String, a
6724 Dictionary or List causes an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006725 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6726 Example: >
6727 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006728< See |:echo-redraw| to avoid the message disappearing
6729 when the screen is redrawn.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006730 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
6731:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
6732 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
6733 script or function the line number will be added.
6734 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006735 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006736 the message is raised as an error exception instead
6737 (see |try-echoerr|).
6738 Example: >
6739 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
6740< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
6741 And to get a beep: >
6742 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
6743<
6744 *:exe* *:execute*
6745:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
6746 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006747 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006748 used as the processed command, command line editing
6749 keys are not recognized.
6750 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6751 Examples: >
6752 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
6753 :execute "normal " count . "w"
6754<
6755 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
6756 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
6757 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
6758
6759< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
6760 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
6761 command: >
6762 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
6763< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
6764
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006765 Be careful to correctly escape special characters in
6766 file names. The |fnameescape()| function can be used
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00006767 for Vim commands, |shellescape()| for |:!| commands.
6768 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006769 :execute "e " . fnameescape(filename)
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00006770 :execute "!ls " . shellescape(expand('%:h'), 1)
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006771<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006772 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00006773 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
6774 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006775 :execute 'while i > 5'
6776 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
6777<
6778 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
6779 completely in the executed string: >
6780 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
6781<
6782
6783 *:comment*
6784 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
6785 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
6786 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
6787 comment. Example: >
6788 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
6789
6790==============================================================================
67918. Exception handling *exception-handling*
6792
6793The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
6794explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
6795
6796Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
6797|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
6798exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
6799
6800
6801TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
6802
6803Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
6804use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
6805a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
6806 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
6807|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
6808a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
6809be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
6810which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
6811clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
6812
6813 :try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006814 : ...
6815 : ... TRY BLOCK
6816 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006817 :catch /{pattern}/
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006818 : ...
6819 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6820 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006821 :catch /{pattern}/
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006822 : ...
6823 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6824 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006825 :finally
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006826 : ...
6827 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
6828 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006829 :endtry
6830
6831The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
6832appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
6833from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
6834 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
6835is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
6836script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
6837 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
6838lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
6839patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
6840after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
6841executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
6842":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
6843(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
6844continues in the following line as usual.
6845 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
6846":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
6847that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
6848finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
6849the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
6850the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
6851see |try-nesting|.
6852 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006853remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006854not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
6855try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
6856a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
6857execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
6858exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6859 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006860thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006861clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
6862catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
6863following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
6864clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6865
6866The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
6867a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
6868try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
6869from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
6870sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
6871":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
6872":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
6873from the finally clause.
6874 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
6875try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
6876clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
6877":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
6878clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
6879":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
6880this pending exception or command is discarded.
6881
6882For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
6883
6884
6885NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
6886
6887Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
6888conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
6889clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
6890catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
6891of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
6892checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
6893try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006894otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006895nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
6896one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
6897the inner try conditional.
6898
6899When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
6900finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
6901An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
6902thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
6903implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
6904as usual.
6905
6906For examples see |throw-catch|.
6907
6908
6909EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
6910
6911Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
6912'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
6913script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
6914finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
6915a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
6916(see |debug-scripts|).
6917
6918
6919THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
6920
6921You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
6922and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
6923 :throw 4711
6924 :throw "string"
6925< *throw-expression*
6926You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
6927first, and the result is thrown: >
6928 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
6929 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
6930
6931An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
6932command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
6933The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
6934 Example: >
6935
6936 :function! Foo(arg)
6937 : try
6938 : throw a:arg
6939 : catch /foo/
6940 : endtry
6941 : return 1
6942 :endfunction
6943 :
6944 :function! Bar()
6945 : echo "in Bar"
6946 : return 4710
6947 :endfunction
6948 :
6949 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
6950
6951This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
6952executed. >
6953 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
6954however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
6955
6956Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006957abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006958exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
6959 Example: >
6960
6961 :if Foo("arrgh")
6962 : echo "then"
6963 :else
6964 : echo "else"
6965 :endif
6966
6967Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
6968
6969 *catch-order*
6970Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
6971commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
6972command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
6973gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
6974 Example: >
6975
6976 :function! Foo(value)
6977 : try
6978 : throw a:value
6979 : catch /^\d\+$/
6980 : echo "Number thrown"
6981 : catch /.*/
6982 : echo "String thrown"
6983 : endtry
6984 :endfunction
6985 :
6986 :call Foo(0x1267)
6987 :call Foo('string')
6988
6989The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
6990An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
6991specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
6992specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
6993
6994 : catch /.*/
6995 : echo "String thrown"
6996 : catch /^\d\+$/
6997 : echo "Number thrown"
6998
6999The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
7000never taken.
7001
7002 *throw-variables*
7003If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
7004in the variable |v:exception|: >
7005
7006 : catch /^\d\+$/
7007 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
7008
7009You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
7010|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
7011exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
7012 Example: >
7013
7014 :function! Caught()
7015 : if v:exception != ""
7016 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
7017 : else
7018 : echo 'Nothing caught'
7019 : endif
7020 :endfunction
7021 :
7022 :function! Foo()
7023 : try
7024 : try
7025 : try
7026 : throw 4711
7027 : finally
7028 : call Caught()
7029 : endtry
7030 : catch /.*/
7031 : call Caught()
7032 : throw "oops"
7033 : endtry
7034 : catch /.*/
7035 : call Caught()
7036 : finally
7037 : call Caught()
7038 : endtry
7039 :endfunction
7040 :
7041 :call Foo()
7042
7043This displays >
7044
7045 Nothing caught
7046 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
7047 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
7048 Nothing caught
7049
7050A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
7051number in the script or function where it has been used: >
7052
7053 :function! LineNumber()
7054 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
7055 :endfunction
7056 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
7057<
7058 *try-nested*
7059An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
7060a surrounding try conditional: >
7061
7062 :try
7063 : try
7064 : throw "foo"
7065 : catch /foobar/
7066 : echo "foobar"
7067 : finally
7068 : echo "inner finally"
7069 : endtry
7070 :catch /foo/
7071 : echo "foo"
7072 :endtry
7073
7074The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
7075clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
7076conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
7077
7078 *throw-from-catch*
7079You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
7080catch clause: >
7081
7082 :function! Foo()
7083 : throw "foo"
7084 :endfunction
7085 :
7086 :function! Bar()
7087 : try
7088 : call Foo()
7089 : catch /foo/
7090 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
7091 : throw "bar"
7092 : endtry
7093 :endfunction
7094 :
7095 :try
7096 : call Bar()
7097 :catch /.*/
7098 : echo "Caught" v:exception
7099 :endtry
7100
7101This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
7102
7103 *rethrow*
7104There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
7105"v:exception" instead: >
7106
7107 :function! Bar()
7108 : try
7109 : call Foo()
7110 : catch /.*/
7111 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
7112 : throw v:exception
7113 : endtry
7114 :endfunction
7115< *try-echoerr*
7116Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
7117exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
7118Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
7119denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
7120the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
7121
7122 :try
7123 : try
7124 : asdf
7125 : catch /.*/
7126 : echoerr v:exception
7127 : endtry
7128 :catch /.*/
7129 : echo v:exception
7130 :endtry
7131
7132This code displays
7133
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007134 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007135
7136
7137CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
7138
7139Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
7140user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007141an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007142a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
7143catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
7144a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
7145normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
7146(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007147to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007148clause has been executed.)
7149Example: >
7150
7151 :try
7152 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
7153 : set ts=17
7154 :
7155 : " Do the hard work here.
7156 :
7157 :finally
7158 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
7159 : unlet s:saved_ts
7160 :endtry
7161
7162This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
7163changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
7164that function or script part.
7165
7166 *break-finally*
7167Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
7168a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
7169 Example: >
7170
7171 :let first = 1
7172 :while 1
7173 : try
7174 : if first
7175 : echo "first"
7176 : let first = 0
7177 : continue
7178 : else
7179 : throw "second"
7180 : endif
7181 : catch /.*/
7182 : echo v:exception
7183 : break
7184 : finally
7185 : echo "cleanup"
7186 : endtry
7187 : echo "still in while"
7188 :endwhile
7189 :echo "end"
7190
7191This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
7192
7193 :function! Foo()
7194 : try
7195 : return 4711
7196 : finally
7197 : echo "cleanup\n"
7198 : endtry
7199 : echo "Foo still active"
7200 :endfunction
7201 :
7202 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
7203
7204This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007205extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007206return value.)
7207
7208 *except-from-finally*
7209Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
7210a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
7211cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
7212exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
7213 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
7214working correctly: >
7215
7216 :try
7217 : try
7218 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
7219 : while 1
7220 : endwhile
7221 : finally
7222 : unlet novar
7223 : endtry
7224 :catch /novar/
7225 :endtry
7226 :echo "Script still running"
7227 :sleep 1
7228
7229If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
7230think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
7231|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
7232
7233
7234CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
7235
7236If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
7237watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
7238presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
7239exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
7240the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
7241the error exception is.
7242 Error exceptions have the following format: >
7243
7244 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
7245or >
7246 Vim:{errmsg}
7247
7248{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007249the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007250when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
7251a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
7252a space.
7253
7254Examples:
7255
7256The command >
7257 :unlet novar
7258normally produces the error message >
7259 E108: No such variable: "novar"
7260which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7261 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
7262
7263The command >
7264 :dwim
7265normally produces the error message >
7266 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
7267which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7268 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
7269
7270You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
7271 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
7272or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
7273 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
7274
7275Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
7276 :function nofunc
7277and >
7278 :delfunction nofunc
7279both produce the error message >
7280 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7281which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7282 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7283or >
7284 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7285respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
7286command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
7287 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
7288
7289Some commands like >
7290 :let x = novar
7291produce multiple error messages, here: >
7292 E121: Undefined variable: novar
7293 E15: Invalid expression: novar
7294Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
7295one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
7296 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
7297
7298You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
7299 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
7300
7301You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
7302 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
7303
7304You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
7305 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
7306<
7307 *catch-text*
7308NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
7309 :catch /No such variable/
7310only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
7311a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
7312cite the message text in a comment: >
7313 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
7314
7315
7316IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
7317
7318You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
7319
7320 :try
7321 : write
7322 :catch
7323 :endtry
7324
7325But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
7326catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
7327be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
7328
7329 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
7330
7331There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
7332writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
7333then hide the error from the user.
7334 It is much better to use >
7335
7336 :try
7337 : write
7338 :catch /^Vim(write):/
7339 :endtry
7340
7341which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
7342intentionally.
7343
7344For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
7345even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
7346command: >
7347 :silent! nunmap k
7348This works also when a try conditional is active.
7349
7350
7351CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
7352
7353When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007354the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007355script is not terminated, then.
7356 Example: >
7357
7358 :function! TASK1()
7359 : sleep 10
7360 :endfunction
7361
7362 :function! TASK2()
7363 : sleep 20
7364 :endfunction
7365
7366 :while 1
7367 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
7368 : try
7369 : if command == ""
7370 : continue
7371 : elseif command == "END"
7372 : break
7373 : elseif command == "TASK1"
7374 : call TASK1()
7375 : elseif command == "TASK2"
7376 : call TASK2()
7377 : else
7378 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
7379 : continue
7380 : endif
7381 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
7382 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
7383 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
7384 : endtry
7385 :endwhile
7386
7387You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007388a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007389
7390For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
7391your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
7392command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
7393
7394
7395CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
7396
7397The commands >
7398
7399 :catch /.*/
7400 :catch //
7401 :catch
7402
7403catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
7404explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
7405a script in order to catch unexpected things.
7406 Example: >
7407
7408 :try
7409 :
7410 : " do the hard work here
7411 :
7412 :catch /MyException/
7413 :
7414 : " handle known problem
7415 :
7416 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
7417 : echo "Script interrupted"
7418 :catch /.*/
7419 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
7420 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
7421 :endtry
7422 :" end of script
7423
7424Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
7425strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
7426specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
7427 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
7428by pressing CTRL-C: >
7429
7430 :while 1
7431 : try
7432 : sleep 1
7433 : catch
7434 : endtry
7435 :endwhile
7436
7437
7438EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
7439
7440Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
7441
7442 :autocmd User x try
7443 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
7444 :autocmd User x catch
7445 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
7446 :autocmd User x endtry
7447 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
7448 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
7449 :
7450 :try
7451 : doautocmd User x
7452 :catch
7453 : echo v:exception
7454 :endtry
7455
7456This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
7457
7458 *except-autocmd-Pre*
7459For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
7460command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
7461of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
7462abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
7463 Example: >
7464
7465 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
7466 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
7467 :
7468 :try
7469 : write
7470 :catch
7471 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
7472 :endtry
7473
7474Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
7475you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
7476autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
7477script displays: >
7478
7479 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
7480<
7481 *except-autocmd-Post*
7482For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
7483command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
7484an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
7485is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
7486 Example: >
7487
7488 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
7489 :
7490 :try
7491 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7492 :catch
7493 : echo v:exception
7494 :endtry
7495
7496This just displays: >
7497
7498 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
7499
7500If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
7501fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
7502 Example: >
7503
7504 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
7505 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
7506 :
7507 :try
7508 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7509 :catch
7510 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7511 :endtry
7512<
7513You can also use ":silent!": >
7514
7515 :let x = "ok"
7516 :let v:errmsg = ""
7517 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
7518 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
7519 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
7520 :try
7521 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7522 :catch
7523 :endtry
7524 :echo x
7525
7526This displays "after fail".
7527
7528If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
7529autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
7530
7531 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
7532 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
7533 :
7534 :try
7535 : write
7536 :catch
7537 : echo v:exception
7538 :endtry
7539<
7540 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
7541For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
7542autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
7543of the command.
7544 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007545had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007546some way. >
7547
7548 :if !exists("cnt")
7549 : let cnt = 0
7550 :
7551 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
7552 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
7553 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
7554 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7555 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7556 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
7557 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
7558 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7559 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7560 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
7561 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7562 :endif
7563 :
7564 :try
7565 : write
7566 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
7567 : if &modified
7568 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
7569 : else
7570 : echo "Error after writing"
7571 : endif
7572 :catch /^Vim(write):/
7573 : echo "Error on writing"
7574 :endtry
7575
7576When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
7577first >
7578 File successfully written!
7579then >
7580 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
7581then >
7582 Error after writing
7583etc.
7584
7585 *except-autocmd-ill*
7586You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
7587The following code is ill-formed: >
7588
7589 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
7590 :
7591 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
7592 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
7593 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
7594 :
7595 :write
7596
7597
7598EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
7599
7600Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
7601pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
7602similar things in Vim.
7603 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
7604class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
7605string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
7606 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
7607it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
7608for an error when writing "myfile".
7609 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
7610base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
7611parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
7612 Example: >
7613
7614 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
7615 : if a:a < 0
7616 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
7617 : endif
7618 :endfunction
7619 :
7620 :function! Add(a, b)
7621 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
7622 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
7623 : let c = a:a + a:b
7624 : if c < 0
7625 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
7626 : endif
7627 : return c
7628 :endfunction
7629 :
7630 :function! Div(a, b)
7631 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
7632 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
7633 : if (a:b == 0)
7634 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
7635 : endif
7636 : return a:a / a:b
7637 :endfunction
7638 :
7639 :function! Write(file)
7640 : try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007641 : execute "write" fnameescape(a:file)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007642 : catch /^Vim(write):/
7643 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
7644 : endtry
7645 :endfunction
7646 :
7647 :try
7648 :
7649 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
7650 :
7651 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
7652 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7653 : echo "Range error in" function
7654 :
7655 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
7656 : echo "Math error"
7657 :
7658 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
7659 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
7660 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7661 : if file !~ '^/'
7662 : let file = dir . "/" . file
7663 : endif
7664 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
7665 :
7666 :catch /^EXCEPT/
7667 : echo "Unspecified error"
7668 :
7669 :endtry
7670
7671The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
7672a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
7673exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
7674 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
7675failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
7676
7677
7678PECULIARITIES
7679 *except-compat*
7680The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
7681exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
7682and/or a catch clause.
7683
7684In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
7685continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
7686after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
7687functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
7688or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
7689(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
7690
7691This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
7692immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007693conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
7694be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007695termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
7696catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
7697by specifying a finally clause.)
7698
7699When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
7700behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
7701scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
7702
7703However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
7704commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
7705conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
7706script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
7707error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
7708messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007709|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
7710not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007711where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
7712error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
7713scripts.
7714
7715 *except-syntax-err*
7716Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
7717the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
7718clauses, however, is executed.
7719 Example: >
7720
7721 :try
7722 : try
7723 : throw 4711
7724 : catch /\(/
7725 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
7726 : catch
7727 : echo "inner catch-all"
7728 : finally
7729 : echo "inner finally"
7730 : endtry
7731 :catch
7732 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
7733 : finally
7734 : echo "outer finally"
7735 :endtry
7736
7737This displays: >
7738 inner finally
7739 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
7740 outer finally
7741The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
7742
7743 *except-single-line*
7744The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
7745a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
7746"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
7747 Example: >
7748 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
7749raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
7750argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
7751error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
7752displayed.
7753
7754 *except-several-errors*
7755When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
7756usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
7757 Example: >
7758 echo novar
7759causes >
7760 E121: Undefined variable: novar
7761 E15: Invalid expression: novar
7762The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
7763 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
7764< *except-syntax-error*
7765But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
7766the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
7767 Example: >
7768 unlet novar #
7769causes >
7770 E108: No such variable: "novar"
7771 E488: Trailing characters
7772The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
7773 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
7774This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
7775not intended by the user. Example: >
7776 try
7777 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
7778 catch /.*/
7779 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
7780 endtry
7781This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
7782a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
7783
7784==============================================================================
77859. Examples *eval-examples*
7786
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007787Printing in Binary ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007788>
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007789 :" The function Nr2Bin() returns the Hex string of a number.
7790 :func Nr2Bin(nr)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007791 : let n = a:nr
7792 : let r = ""
7793 : while n
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007794 : let r = '01'[n % 2] . r
7795 : let n = n / 2
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007796 : endwhile
7797 : return r
7798 :endfunc
7799
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007800 :" The function String2Bin() converts each character in a string to a
7801 :" binary string, separated with dashes.
7802 :func String2Bin(str)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007803 : let out = ''
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007804 : for ix in range(strlen(a:str))
7805 : let out = out . '-' . Nr2Bin(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
7806 : endfor
7807 : return out[1:]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007808 :endfunc
7809
7810Example of its use: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007811 :echo Nr2Bin(32)
7812result: "100000" >
7813 :echo String2Bin("32")
7814result: "110011-110010"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007815
7816
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007817Sorting lines ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007818
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007819This example sorts lines with a specific compare function. >
7820
7821 :func SortBuffer()
7822 : let lines = getline(1, '$')
7823 : call sort(lines, function("Strcmp"))
7824 : call setline(1, lines)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007825 :endfunction
7826
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007827As a one-liner: >
7828 :call setline(1, sort(getline(1, '$'), function("Strcmp")))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007829
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007830
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007831scanf() replacement ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007832 *sscanf*
7833There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
7834line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
7835how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
7836"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
7837 :" Set up the match bit
7838 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
7839 :"get the part matching the whole expression
7840 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
7841 :"get each item out of the match
7842 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
7843 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
7844 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
7845
7846The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
7847"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
7848
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007849
7850getting the scriptnames in a Dictionary ~
7851 *scriptnames-dictionary*
7852The |:scriptnames| command can be used to get a list of all script files that
7853have been sourced. There is no equivalent function or variable for this
7854(because it's rarely needed). In case you need to manipulate the list this
7855code can be used: >
7856 " Get the output of ":scriptnames" in the scriptnames_output variable.
7857 let scriptnames_output = ''
7858 redir => scriptnames_output
7859 silent scriptnames
7860 redir END
7861
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007862 " Split the output into lines and parse each line. Add an entry to the
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007863 " "scripts" dictionary.
7864 let scripts = {}
7865 for line in split(scriptnames_output, "\n")
7866 " Only do non-blank lines.
7867 if line =~ '\S'
7868 " Get the first number in the line.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007869 let nr = matchstr(line, '\d\+')
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007870 " Get the file name, remove the script number " 123: ".
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007871 let name = substitute(line, '.\+:\s*', '', '')
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007872 " Add an item to the Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007873 let scripts[nr] = name
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007874 endif
7875 endfor
7876 unlet scriptnames_output
7877
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007878==============================================================================
787910. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
7880
7881When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
7882evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
7883to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
7884recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
7885and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
7886only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
7887recognized.
7888
7889Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
7890missing: >
7891
7892 :if 1
7893 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
7894 :else
7895 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
7896 :endif
7897
7898==============================================================================
789911. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
7900
7901The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
7902options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
7903these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007904these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00007905a tags file is executed and for CTRL-R = in the command line.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007906The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007907
7908These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
7909 - changing the buffer text
7910 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
7911 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007912 - setting certain v: variables (see |v:var|) *E794*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007913 - executing a shell command
7914 - reading or writing a file
7915 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00007916 - executing Python, Perl, etc. commands
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007917This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
7918
7919 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00007920:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007921 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
7922 'foldexpr'.
7923
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007924 *sandbox-option*
7925A few options contain an expression. When this expression is evaluated it may
Bram Moolenaar9b2200a2006-03-20 21:55:45 +00007926have to be done in the sandbox to avoid a security risk. But the sandbox is
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007927restrictive, thus this only happens when the option was set from an insecure
7928location. Insecure in this context are:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00007929- sourcing a .vimrc or .exrc in the current directory
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007930- while executing in the sandbox
7931- value coming from a modeline
7932
7933Note that when in the sandbox and saving an option value and restoring it, the
7934option will still be marked as it was set in the sandbox.
7935
7936==============================================================================
793712. Textlock *textlock*
7938
7939In a few situations it is not allowed to change the text in the buffer, jump
7940to another window and some other things that might confuse or break what Vim
7941is currently doing. This mostly applies to things that happen when Vim is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007942actually doing something else. For example, evaluating the 'balloonexpr' may
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007943happen any moment the mouse cursor is resting at some position.
7944
7945This is not allowed when the textlock is active:
7946 - changing the buffer text
7947 - jumping to another buffer or window
7948 - editing another file
7949 - closing a window or quitting Vim
7950 - etc.
7951
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007952
7953 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: