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Bram Moolenaar7cba6c02013-09-05 22:13:31 +02001*change.txt* For Vim version 7.4. Last change: 2013 Aug 25
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7This file describes commands that delete or change text. In this context,
8changing text means deleting the text and replacing it with other text using
9one command. You can undo all of these commands. You can repeat the non-Ex
10commands with the "." command.
11
121. Deleting text |deleting|
132. Delete and insert |delete-insert|
143. Simple changes |simple-change| *changing*
154. Complex changes |complex-change|
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +000016 4.1 Filter commands |filter|
17 4.2 Substitute |:substitute|
18 4.3 Search and replace |search-replace|
19 4.4 Changing tabs |change-tabs|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000205. Copying and moving text |copy-move|
216. Formatting text |formatting|
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +0000227. Sorting text |sorting|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000023
24For inserting text see |insert.txt|.
25
26==============================================================================
271. Deleting text *deleting* *E470*
28
29["x]<Del> or *<Del>* *x* *dl*
30["x]x Delete [count] characters under and after the cursor
31 [into register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as
32 "dl".
33 The <Del> key does not take a [count]. Instead, it
34 deletes the last character of the count.
35 See |:fixdel| if the <Del> key does not do what you
36 want. See |'whichwrap'| for deleting a line break
37 (join lines). {Vi does not support <Del>}
38
39 *X* *dh*
40["x]X Delete [count] characters before the cursor [into
41 register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as "dh".
42 Also see |'whichwrap'|.
43
44 *d*
45["x]d{motion} Delete text that {motion} moves over [into register
46 x]. See below for exceptions.
47
48 *dd*
49["x]dd Delete [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
50
51 *D*
52["x]D Delete the characters under the cursor until the end
53 of the line and [count]-1 more lines [into register
54 x]; synonym for "d$".
55 (not |linewise|)
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +000056 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
57 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000058
59{Visual}["x]x or *v_x* *v_d* *v_<Del>*
60{Visual}["x]d or
61{Visual}["x]<Del> Delete the highlighted text [into register x] (for
62 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
63
64{Visual}["x]CTRL-H or *v_CTRL-H* *v_<BS>*
65{Visual}["x]<BS> When in Select mode: Delete the highlighted text [into
66 register x].
67
68{Visual}["x]X or *v_X* *v_D* *v_b_D*
69{Visual}["x]D Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
70 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). In Visual block mode,
71 "D" deletes the highlighted text plus all text until
72 the end of the line. {not in Vi}
73
Bram Moolenaar9ba7e172013-07-17 22:37:26 +020074 *:d* *:de* *:del* *:delete* *:dl* *:dp*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000075:[range]d[elete] [x] Delete [range] lines (default: current line) [into
76 register x].
Bram Moolenaar9ba7e172013-07-17 22:37:26 +020077 Note these weird abbreviations:
78 :dl delete and list
79 :dell idem
80 :delel idem
81 :deletl idem
82 :deletel idem
83 :dp delete and print
84 :dep idem
85 :delp idem
86 :delep idem
87 :deletp idem
88 :deletep idem
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000089
90:[range]d[elete] [x] {count}
91 Delete {count} lines, starting with [range]
92 (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|) [into
93 register x].
94
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +020095These commands delete text. You can repeat them with the `.` command
96(except `:d`) and undo them. Use Visual mode to delete blocks of text. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000097|registers| for an explanation of registers.
98
99An exception for the d{motion} command: If the motion is not linewise, the
100start and end of the motion are not in the same line, and there are only
101blanks before the start and after the end of the motion, the delete becomes
102linewise. This means that the delete also removes the line of blanks that you
Bram Moolenaar6ee8d892012-01-10 14:55:01 +0100103might expect to remain. Use the |o_v| operator to force the motion to be
104characterwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000105
106Trying to delete an empty region of text (e.g., "d0" in the first column)
107is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag.
108
109 *J*
110J Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
111 Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces (see
112 below).
113
114 *v_J*
115{Visual}J Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
116 lines. Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces
117 (see below). {not in Vi}
118
119 *gJ*
120gJ Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
121 Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in Vi}
122
123 *v_gJ*
124{Visual}gJ Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
125 lines. Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in
126 Vi}
127
128 *:j* *:join*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000129:[range]j[oin][!] [flags]
130 Join [range] lines. Same as "J", except with [!]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000131 the join does not insert or delete any spaces.
132 If a [range] has equal start and end values, this
133 command does nothing. The default behavior is to
134 join the current line with the line below it.
135 {not in Vi: !}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000136 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000137
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000138:[range]j[oin][!] {count} [flags]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000139 Join {count} lines, starting with [range] (default:
140 current line |cmdline-ranges|). Same as "J", except
141 with [!] the join does not insert or delete any
142 spaces.
143 {not in Vi: !}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000144 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000145
146These commands delete the <EOL> between lines. This has the effect of joining
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200147multiple lines into one line. You can repeat these commands (except `:j`) and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000148undo them.
149
150These commands, except "gJ", insert one space in place of the <EOL> unless
151there is trailing white space or the next line starts with a ')'. These
152commands, except "gJ", delete any leading white space on the next line. If
153the 'joinspaces' option is on, these commands insert two spaces after a '.',
154'!' or '?' (but if 'cpoptions' includes the 'j' flag, they insert two spaces
155only after a '.').
156The 'B' and 'M' flags in 'formatoptions' change the behavior for inserting
157spaces before and after a multi-byte character |fo-table|.
158
159
160==============================================================================
1612. Delete and insert *delete-insert* *replacing*
162
163 *R*
164R Enter Replace mode: Each character you type replaces
165 an existing character, starting with the character
166 under the cursor. Repeat the entered text [count]-1
167 times. See |Replace-mode| for more details.
168
169 *gR*
170gR Enter Virtual Replace mode: Each character you type
171 replaces existing characters in screen space. So a
172 <Tab> may replace several characters at once.
173 Repeat the entered text [count]-1 times. See
174 |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more details.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200175 {not available when compiled without the |+vreplace|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000176 feature}
177
178 *c*
179["x]c{motion} Delete {motion} text [into register x] and start
180 insert. When 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag and
181 there is no text to delete (e.g., with "cTx" when the
182 cursor is just after an 'x'), an error occurs and
183 insert mode does not start (this is Vi compatible).
184 When 'cpoptions' does not include the 'E' flag, the
185 "c" command always starts insert mode, even if there
186 is no text to delete.
187
188 *cc*
189["x]cc Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
190 insert |linewise|. If 'autoindent' is on, preserve
191 the indent of the first line.
192
193 *C*
194["x]C Delete from the cursor position to the end of the
195 line and [count]-1 more lines [into register x], and
196 start insert. Synonym for c$ (not |linewise|).
197
198 *s*
199["x]s Delete [count] characters [into register x] and start
200 insert (s stands for Substitute). Synonym for "cl"
201 (not |linewise|).
202
203 *S*
204["x]S Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
205 insert. Synonym for "cc" |linewise|.
206
207{Visual}["x]c or *v_c* *v_s*
208{Visual}["x]s Delete the highlighted text [into register x] and
209 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
210 in Vi}
211
212 *v_r*
213{Visual}["x]r{char} Replace all selected characters by {char}.
214
215 *v_C*
216{Visual}["x]C Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
217 start insert. In Visual block mode it works
218 differently |v_b_C|. {not in Vi}
219 *v_S*
220{Visual}["x]S Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
221 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
222 in Vi}
223 *v_R*
224{Visual}["x]R Currently just like {Visual}["x]S. In a next version
225 it might work differently. {not in Vi}
226
227Notes:
228- You can end Insert and Replace mode with <Esc>.
229- See the section "Insert and Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl| for the other
230 special characters in these modes.
231- The effect of [count] takes place after Vim exits Insert or Replace mode.
232- When the 'cpoptions' option contains '$' and the change is within one line,
233 Vim continues to show the text to be deleted and puts a '$' at the last
234 deleted character.
235
236See |registers| for an explanation of registers.
237
238Replace mode is just like Insert mode, except that every character you enter
239deletes one character. If you reach the end of a line, Vim appends any
240further characters (just like Insert mode). In Replace mode, the backspace
241key restores the original text (if there was any). (See section "Insert and
242Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl|).
243
244 *cw* *cW*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000245Special case: When the cursor is in a word, "cw" and "cW" do not include the
246white space after a word, they only change up to the end of the word. This is
247because Vim interprets "cw" as change-word, and a word does not include the
248following white space.
249{Vi: "cw" when on a blank followed by other blanks changes only the first
250blank; this is probably a bug, because "dw" deletes all the blanks; use the
251'w' flag in 'cpoptions' to make it work like Vi anyway}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000252
253If you prefer "cw" to include the space after a word, use this mapping: >
254 :map cw dwi
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000255Or use "caw" (see |aw|).
256
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000257 *:c* *:ch* *:change*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000258:{range}c[hange][!] Replace lines of text with some different text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000259 Type a line containing only "." to stop replacing.
260 Without {range}, this command changes only the current
261 line.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000262 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
263 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000264
265==============================================================================
2663. Simple changes *simple-change*
267
268 *r*
269r{char} Replace the character under the cursor with {char}.
270 If {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, a line break replaces the
271 character. To replace with a real <CR>, use CTRL-V
272 <CR>. CTRL-V <NL> replaces with a <Nul>.
273 {Vi: CTRL-V <CR> still replaces with a line break,
274 cannot replace something with a <CR>}
Bram Moolenaar80716072012-05-01 21:14:34 +0200275
276 If {char} is CTRL-E or CTRL-Y the character from the
277 line below or above is used, just like with |i_CTRL-E|
278 and |i_CTRL-Y|. This also works with a count, thus
279 `10r<C-E>` copies 10 characters from the line below.
280
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000281 If you give a [count], Vim replaces [count] characters
282 with [count] {char}s. When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>,
283 however, Vim inserts only one <CR>: "5r<CR>" replaces
284 five characters with a single line break.
285 When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, Vim performs
286 autoindenting. This works just like deleting the
287 characters that are replaced and then doing
288 "i<CR><Esc>".
289 {char} can be entered as a digraph |digraph-arg|.
290 |:lmap| mappings apply to {char}. The CTRL-^ command
291 in Insert mode can be used to switch this on/off
292 |i_CTRL-^|. See |utf-8-char-arg| about using
293 composing characters when 'encoding' is Unicode.
294
295 *gr*
296gr{char} Replace the virtual characters under the cursor with
297 {char}. This replaces in screen space, not file
298 space. See |gR| and |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more
299 details. As with |r| a count may be given.
300 {char} can be entered like with |r|.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200301 {not available when compiled without the |+vreplace|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000302 feature}
303
304 *digraph-arg*
305The argument for Normal mode commands like |r| and |t| is a single character.
306When 'cpo' doesn't contain the 'D' flag, this character can also be entered
307like |digraphs|. First type CTRL-K and then the two digraph characters.
308{not available when compiled without the |+digraphs| feature}
309
310 *case*
311The following commands change the case of letters. The currently active
312|locale| is used. See |:language|. The LC_CTYPE value matters here.
313
314 *~*
315~ 'notildeop' option: Switch case of the character
316 under the cursor and move the cursor to the right.
317 If a [count] is given, do that many characters. {Vi:
318 no count}
319
320~{motion} 'tildeop' option: switch case of {motion} text. {Vi:
321 tilde cannot be used as an operator}
322
323 *g~*
324g~{motion} Switch case of {motion} text. {not in Vi}
325
326g~g~ *g~g~* *g~~*
327g~~ Switch case of current line. {not in Vi}.
328
329 *v_~*
330{Visual}~ Switch case of highlighted text (for {Visual} see
331 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
332
333 *v_U*
334{Visual}U Make highlighted text uppercase (for {Visual} see
335 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
336
337 *gU* *uppercase*
338gU{motion} Make {motion} text uppercase. {not in Vi}
339 Example: >
340 :map! <C-F> <Esc>gUiw`]a
341< This works in Insert mode: press CTRL-F to make the
342 word before the cursor uppercase. Handy to type
343 words in lowercase and then make them uppercase.
344
345
346gUgU *gUgU* *gUU*
347gUU Make current line uppercase. {not in Vi}.
348
349 *v_u*
350{Visual}u Make highlighted text lowercase (for {Visual} see
351 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
352
353 *gu* *lowercase*
354gu{motion} Make {motion} text lowercase. {not in Vi}
355
356gugu *gugu* *guu*
357guu Make current line lowercase. {not in Vi}.
358
359 *g?* *rot13*
360g?{motion} Rot13 encode {motion} text. {not in Vi}
361
362 *v_g?*
363{Visual}g? Rot13 encode the highlighted text (for {Visual} see
364 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
365
366g?g? *g?g?* *g??*
367g?? Rot13 encode current line. {not in Vi}.
368
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000369To turn one line into title caps, make every first letter of a word
370uppercase: >
371 :s/\v<(.)(\w*)/\u\1\L\2/g
372
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000373
374Adding and subtracting ~
375 *CTRL-A*
376CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character at
377 or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
378
379 *CTRL-X*
380CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
381 character at or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
382
383The CTRL-A and CTRL-X commands work for (signed) decimal numbers, unsigned
384octal and hexadecimal numbers and alphabetic characters. This depends on the
385'nrformats' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000386- When 'nrformats' includes "octal", Vim considers numbers starting with a '0'
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000387 to be octal, unless the number includes a '8' or '9'. Other numbers are
388 decimal and may have a preceding minus sign.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000389 If the cursor is on a number, the commands apply to that number; otherwise
390 Vim uses the number to the right of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000391- When 'nrformats' includes "hex", Vim assumes numbers starting with '0x' or
392 '0X' are hexadecimal. The case of the rightmost letter in the number
393 determines the case of the resulting hexadecimal number. If there is no
394 letter in the current number, Vim uses the previously detected case.
395- When 'nrformats' includes "alpha", Vim will change the alphabetic character
396 under or after the cursor. This is useful to make lists with an alphabetic
397 index.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000398
399For numbers with leading zeros (including all octal and hexadecimal numbers),
400Vim preserves the number of characters in the number when possible. CTRL-A on
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000401"0077" results in "0100", CTRL-X on "0x100" results in "0x0ff".
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000402There is one exception: When a number that starts with a zero is found not to
403be octal (it contains a '8' or '9'), but 'nrformats' does include "octal",
404leading zeros are removed to avoid that the result may be recognized as an
405octal number.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000406
407Note that when 'nrformats' includes "octal", decimal numbers with leading
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000408zeros cause mistakes, because they can be confused with octal numbers.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000409
410The CTRL-A command is very useful in a macro. Example: Use the following
411steps to make a numbered list.
412
4131. Create the first list entry, make sure it starts with a number.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004142. qa - start recording into register 'a'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004153. Y - yank the entry
4164. p - put a copy of the entry below the first one
4175. CTRL-A - increment the number
4186. q - stop recording
4197. <count>@a - repeat the yank, put and increment <count> times
420
421
422SHIFTING LINES LEFT OR RIGHT *shift-left-right*
423
424 *<*
425<{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
426
427 *<<*
428<< Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
429
430 *v_<*
431{Visual}[count]< Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
432 leftwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
433 Vi}
434
435 *>*
436 >{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
437
438 *>>*
439 >> Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
440
441 *v_>*
442{Visual}[count]> Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
443 rightwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
444 Vi}
445
446 *:<*
447:[range]< Shift [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' left. Repeat '<'
448 for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
449
450:[range]< {count} Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' left, starting
451 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
452 Repeat '<' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
453
454:[range]le[ft] [indent] left align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
455 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
456
457 *:>*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000458:[range]> [flags] Shift {count} [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' right.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000459 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000460 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000461
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000462:[range]> {count} [flags]
463 Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' right, starting
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000464 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
465 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000466 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000467
468The ">" and "<" commands are handy for changing the indentation within
469programs. Use the 'shiftwidth' option to set the size of the white space
470which these commands insert or delete. Normally the 'shiftwidth' option is 8,
471but you can set it to, say, 3 to make smaller indents. The shift leftwards
472stops when there is no indent. The shift right does not affect empty lines.
473
474If the 'shiftround' option is on, the indent is rounded to a multiple of
475'shiftwidth'.
476
477If the 'smartindent' option is on, or 'cindent' is on and 'cinkeys' contains
478'#', shift right does not affect lines starting with '#' (these are supposed
479to be C preprocessor lines that must stay in column 1).
480
481When the 'expandtab' option is off (this is the default) Vim uses <Tab>s as
482much as possible to make the indent. You can use ">><<" to replace an indent
483made out of spaces with the same indent made out of <Tab>s (and a few spaces
484if necessary). If the 'expandtab' option is on, Vim uses only spaces. Then
485you can use ">><<" to replace <Tab>s in the indent by spaces (or use
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200486`:retab!`).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000487
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200488To move a line several 'shiftwidth's, use Visual mode or the `:` commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000489For example: >
490 Vjj4> move three lines 4 indents to the right
491 :<<< move current line 3 indents to the left
492 :>> 5 move 5 lines 2 indents to the right
493 :5>> move line 5 2 indents to the right
494
495==============================================================================
4964. Complex changes *complex-change*
497
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004984.1 Filter commands *filter*
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000499
500A filter is a program that accepts text at standard input, changes it in some
501way, and sends it to standard output. You can use the commands below to send
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000502some text through a filter, so that it is replaced by the filter output.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000503Examples of filters are "sort", which sorts lines alphabetically, and
504"indent", which formats C program files (you need a version of indent that
505works like a filter; not all versions do). The 'shell' option specifies the
506shell Vim uses to execute the filter command (See also the 'shelltype'
507option). You can repeat filter commands with ".". Vim does not recognize a
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200508comment (starting with '"') after the `:!` command.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000509
510 *!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000511!{motion}{filter} Filter {motion} text lines through the external
512 program {filter}.
513
514 *!!*
515!!{filter} Filter [count] lines through the external program
516 {filter}.
517
518 *v_!*
519{Visual}!{filter} Filter the highlighted lines through the external
520 program {filter} (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
521 {not in Vi}
522
523:{range}![!]{filter} [!][arg] *:range!*
524 Filter {range} lines through the external program
525 {filter}. Vim replaces the optional bangs with the
526 latest given command and appends the optional [arg].
527 Vim saves the output of the filter command in a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100528 temporary file and then reads the file into the buffer
529 |tempfile|. Vim uses the 'shellredir' option to
530 redirect the filter output to the temporary file.
Bram Moolenaar83c465c2005-12-16 21:53:56 +0000531 However, if the 'shelltemp' option is off then pipes
532 are used when possible (on Unix).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000533 When the 'R' flag is included in 'cpoptions' marks in
534 the filtered lines are deleted, unless the
535 |:keepmarks| command is used. Example: >
536 :keepmarks '<,'>!sort
537< When the number of lines after filtering is less than
538 before, marks in the missing lines are deleted anyway.
539
540 *=*
541={motion} Filter {motion} lines through the external program
542 given with the 'equalprg' option. When the 'equalprg'
543 option is empty (this is the default), use the
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200544 internal formatting function |C-indenting| and
545 |'lisp'|. But when 'indentexpr' is not empty, it will
546 be used instead |indent-expression|. When Vim was
547 compiled without internal formatting then the "indent"
548 program is used as a last resort.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000549
550 *==*
551== Filter [count] lines like with ={motion}.
552
553 *v_=*
554{Visual}= Filter the highlighted lines like with ={motion}.
555 {not in Vi}
556
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000557
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100558 *tempfile* *setuid*
559Vim uses temporary files for filtering, generating diffs and also for
560tempname(). For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
561accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems (e.g., a symlink
562attack or other people reading your file). When Vim exits the directory and
563all files in it are deleted. When Vim has the setuid bit set this may cause
564problems, the temp file is owned by the setuid user but the filter command
565probably runs as the original user.
566On MS-DOS and OS/2 the first of these directories that works is used: $TMP,
567$TEMP, c:\TMP, c:\TEMP.
568For Unix the list of directories is: $TMPDIR, /tmp, current-dir, $HOME.
569For MS-Windows the GetTempFileName() system function is used.
570For other systems the tmpnam() library function is used.
571
572
573
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005744.2 Substitute *:substitute*
575 *:s* *:su*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000576:[range]s[ubstitute]/{pattern}/{string}/[flags] [count]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000577 For each line in [range] replace a match of {pattern}
578 with {string}.
579 For the {pattern} see |pattern|.
580 {string} can be a literal string, or something
581 special; see |sub-replace-special|.
582 When [range] and [count] are omitted, replace in the
583 current line only.
584 When [count] is given, replace in [count] lines,
585 starting with the last line in [range]. When [range]
586 is omitted start in the current line.
587 Also see |cmdline-ranges|.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000588 See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000589
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000590:[range]s[ubstitute] [flags] [count]
591:[range]&[&][flags] [count] *:&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000592 Repeat last :substitute with same search pattern and
593 substitute string, but without the same flags. You
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000594 may add [flags], see |:s_flags|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200595 Note that after `:substitute` the '&' flag can't be
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000596 used, it's recognized as a pattern separator.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200597 The space between `:substitute` and the 'c', 'g' and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000598 'r' flags isn't required, but in scripts it's a good
599 idea to keep it to avoid confusion.
600
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000601:[range]~[&][flags] [count] *:~*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000602 Repeat last substitute with same substitute string
603 but with last used search pattern. This is like
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200604 `:&r`. See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000605
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000606 *&*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200607& Synonym for `:s` (repeat last substitute). Note
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000608 that the flags are not remembered, thus it might
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200609 actually work differently. You can use `:&&` to keep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000610 the flags.
611
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000612 *g&*
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100613g& Synonym for `:%s//~/&` (repeat last substitute with
614 last search pattern on all lines with the same flags).
Bram Moolenaar34700a62013-03-07 13:20:54 +0100615 For example, when you first do a substitution with
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100616 `:s/pattern/repl/flags` and then `/search` for
617 something else, `g&` will do `:%s/search/repl/flags`.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000618 Mnemonic: global substitute. {not in Vi}
619
620 *:snomagic* *:sno*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200621:[range]sno[magic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'nomagic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000622 {not in Vi}
623
624 *:smagic* *:sm*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200625:[range]sm[agic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'magic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000626 {not in Vi}
627
628 *:s_flags*
629The flags that you can use for the substitute commands:
630
631[&] Must be the first one: Keep the flags from the previous substitute
632 command. Examples: >
633 :&&
634 :s/this/that/&
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200635< Note that `:s` and `:&` don't keep the flags.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000636 {not in Vi}
637
638[c] Confirm each substitution. Vim highlights the matching string (with
639 |hl-IncSearch|). You can type: *:s_c*
640 'y' to substitute this match
641 'l' to substitute this match and then quit ("last")
642 'n' to skip this match
643 <Esc> to quit substituting
644 'a' to substitute this and all remaining matches {not in Vi}
645 'q' to quit substituting {not in Vi}
646 CTRL-E to scroll the screen up {not in Vi, not available when
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200647 compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000648 CTRL-Y to scroll the screen down {not in Vi, not available when
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200649 compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000650 If the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers the [c] flag and
651 toggles it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new
652 search pattern.
653 {not in Vi: highlighting of the match, other responses than 'y' or 'n'}
654
655[e] When the search pattern fails, do not issue an error message and, in
656 particular, continue in maps as if no error occurred. This is most
657 useful to prevent the "No match" error from breaking a mapping. Vim
658 does not suppress the following error messages, however:
659 Regular expressions can't be delimited by letters
660 \ should be followed by /, ? or &
661 No previous substitute regular expression
662 Trailing characters
663 Interrupted
664 {not in Vi}
665
666[g] Replace all occurrences in the line. Without this argument,
667 replacement occurs only for the first occurrence in each line. If
668 the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers this flag and toggles
669 it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new search
670 pattern. If the 'gdefault' option is on, this flag is on by default
671 and the [g] argument switches it off.
672
673[i] Ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' options
674 are not used.
675 {not in Vi}
676
677[I] Don't ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase'
678 options are not used.
679 {not in Vi}
680
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000681[n] Report the number of matches, do not actually substitute. The [c]
682 flag is ignored. The matches are reported as if 'report' is zero.
683 Useful to |count-items|.
Bram Moolenaar9b451252012-08-15 17:43:31 +0200684 If \= |sub-replace-expression| is used, the expression will be
685 evaluated in the |sandbox| at every match.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000686
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000687[p] Print the line containing the last substitute.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000688
689[#] Like [p] and prepend the line number.
690
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000691[l] Like [p] but print the text like |:list|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000692
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200693[r] Only useful in combination with `:&` or `:s` without arguments. `:&r`
694 works the same way as `:~`: When the search pattern is empty, use the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000695 previously used search pattern instead of the search pattern from the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200696 last substitute or `:global`. If the last command that did a search
697 was a substitute or `:global`, there is no effect. If the last
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000698 command was a search command such as "/", use the pattern from that
699 command.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200700 For `:s` with an argument this already happens: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000701 :s/blue/red/
702 /green
703 :s//red/ or :~ or :&r
704< The last commands will replace "green" with "red". >
705 :s/blue/red/
706 /green
707 :&
708< The last command will replace "blue" with "red".
709 {not in Vi}
710
711Note that there is no flag to change the "magicness" of the pattern. A
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000712different command is used instead, or you can use |/\v| and friends. The
713reason is that the flags can only be found by skipping the pattern, and in
714order to skip the pattern the "magicness" must be known. Catch 22!
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000715
716If the {pattern} for the substitute command is empty, the command uses the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200717pattern from the last substitute or `:global` command. If there is none, but
Bram Moolenaar662db672011-03-22 14:05:35 +0100718there is a previous search pattern, that one is used. With the [r] flag, the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200719command uses the pattern from the last substitute, `:global`, or search
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000720command.
721
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000722If the {string} is omitted the substitute is done as if it's empty. Thus the
723matched pattern is deleted. The separator after {pattern} can also be left
724out then. Example: >
725 :%s/TESTING
726This deletes "TESTING" from all lines, but only one per line.
727
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000728For compatibility with Vi these two exceptions are allowed:
729"\/{string}/" and "\?{string}?" do the same as "//{string}/r".
730"\&{string}&" does the same as "//{string}/".
731 *E146*
732Instead of the '/' which surrounds the pattern and replacement string, you
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000733can use any other single-byte character, but not an alphanumeric character,
734'\', '"' or '|'. This is useful if you want to include a '/' in the search
735pattern or replacement string. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000736 :s+/+//+
737
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000738For the definition of a pattern, see |pattern|. In Visual block mode, use
739|/\%V| in the pattern to have the substitute work in the block only.
740Otherwise it works on whole lines anyway.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000741
742 *sub-replace-special* *:s\=*
743When the {string} starts with "\=" it is evaluated as an expression, see
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200744|sub-replace-expression|. You can use that for complex replacement or special
745characters.
746
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000747Otherwise these characters in {string} have a special meaning:
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000748 *:s%*
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000749When {string} is equal to "%" and '/' is included with the 'cpoptions' option,
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200750then the {string} of the previous substitute command is used, see |cpo-/|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000751
752magic nomagic action ~
753 & \& replaced with the whole matched pattern *s/\&*
754 \& & replaced with &
755 \0 replaced with the whole matched pattern *\0* *s/\0*
756 \1 replaced with the matched pattern in the first
757 pair of () *s/\1*
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000758 \2 replaced with the matched pattern in the second
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000759 pair of () *s/\2*
760 .. .. *s/\3*
761 \9 replaced with the matched pattern in the ninth
762 pair of () *s/\9*
763 ~ \~ replaced with the {string} of the previous
764 substitute *s~*
765 \~ ~ replaced with ~ *s/\~*
766 \u next character made uppercase *s/\u*
767 \U following characters made uppercase, until \E *s/\U*
768 \l next character made lowercase *s/\l*
769 \L following characters made lowercase, until \E *s/\L*
770 \e end of \u, \U, \l and \L (NOTE: not <Esc>!) *s/\e*
771 \E end of \u, \U, \l and \L *s/\E*
772 <CR> split line in two at this point
773 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s<CR>*
774 \r idem *s/\r*
775 \<CR> insert a carriage-return (CTRL-M)
776 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s/\<CR>*
777 \n insert a <NL> (<NUL> in the file)
778 (does NOT break the line) *s/\n*
779 \b insert a <BS> *s/\b*
780 \t insert a <Tab> *s/\t*
781 \\ insert a single backslash *s/\\*
782 \x where x is any character not mentioned above:
783 Reserved for future expansion
784
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200785The special meaning is also used inside the third argument {sub} of
786the |substitute()| function with the following exceptions:
787 - A % inserts a percent literally without regard to 'cpoptions'.
788 - magic is always set without regard to 'magic'.
789 - A ~ inserts a tilde literally.
790 - <CR> and \r inserts a carriage-return (CTRL-M).
791 - \<CR> does not have a special meaning. it's just one of \x.
792
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000793Examples: >
794 :s/a\|b/xxx\0xxx/g modifies "a b" to "xxxaxxx xxxbxxx"
795 :s/\([abc]\)\([efg]\)/\2\1/g modifies "af fa bg" to "fa fa gb"
796 :s/abcde/abc^Mde/ modifies "abcde" to "abc", "de" (two lines)
797 :s/$/\^M/ modifies "abcde" to "abcde^M"
Bram Moolenaarefd2bf12006-03-16 21:41:35 +0000798 :s/\w\+/\u\0/g modifies "bla bla" to "Bla Bla"
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200799 :s/\w\+/\L\u/g modifies "BLA bla" to "Bla Bla"
800
801Note: "\L\u" can be used to capitalize the first letter of a word. This is
802not compatible with Vi and older versions of Vim, where the "\u" would cancel
803out the "\L". Same for "\U\l".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000804
805Note: In previous versions CTRL-V was handled in a special way. Since this is
806not Vi compatible, this was removed. Use a backslash instead.
807
808command text result ~
809:s/aa/a^Ma/ aa a<line-break>a
810:s/aa/a\^Ma/ aa a^Ma
811:s/aa/a\\^Ma/ aa a\<line-break>a
812
813(you need to type CTRL-V <CR> to get a ^M here)
814
815The numbering of "\1", "\2" etc. is done based on which "\(" comes first in
816the pattern (going left to right). When a parentheses group matches several
817times, the last one will be used for "\1", "\2", etc. Example: >
818 :s/\(\(a[a-d] \)*\)/\2/ modifies "aa ab x" to "ab x"
819
820When using parentheses in combination with '|', like in \([ab]\)\|\([cd]\),
821either the first or second pattern in parentheses did not match, so either
822\1 or \2 is empty. Example: >
823 :s/\([ab]\)\|\([cd]\)/\1x/g modifies "a b c d" to "ax bx x x"
824<
825
826Substitute with an expression *sub-replace-expression*
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000827 *sub-replace-\=*
828When the substitute string starts with "\=" the remainder is interpreted as an
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200829expression. This does not work recursively: a |substitute()| function inside
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000830the expression cannot use "\=" for the substitute string.
831
832The special meaning for characters as mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200833not apply except for "<CR>". A <NL> character is used as a line break, you
834can get one with a double-quote string: "\n". Prepend a backslash to get a
835real <NL> character (which will be a NUL in the file).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000836
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200837The "\=" notation can also be used inside the third argument {sub} of
838|substitute()| function. In this case, the special meaning for characters as
839mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does not apply at all. Especially, <CR> and
840<NL> are interpreted not as a line break but as a carriage-return and a
841new-line respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000842
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +0000843When the result is a |List| then the items are joined with separating line
844breaks. Thus each item becomes a line, except that they can contain line
845breaks themselves.
846
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000847The whole matched text can be accessed with "submatch(0)". The text matched
848with the first pair of () with "submatch(1)". Likewise for further
849sub-matches in ().
850
851Be careful: The separation character must not appear in the expression!
852Consider using a character like "@" or ":". There is no problem if the result
853of the expression contains the separation character.
854
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000855Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000856 :s@\n@\="\r" . expand("$HOME") . "\r"@
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000857This replaces an end-of-line with a new line containing the value of $HOME. >
858
859 s/E/\="\<Char-0x20ac>"/g
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +0000860This replaces each 'E' character with a euro sign. Read more in |<Char->|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000861
862
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00008634.3 Search and replace *search-replace*
864
865 *:pro* *:promptfind*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000866:promptf[ind] [string]
867 Put up a Search dialog. When [string] is given, it is
868 used as the initial search string.
869 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
870
871 *:promptr* *:promptrepl*
872:promptr[epl] [string]
873 Put up a Search/Replace dialog. When [string] is
874 given, it is used as the initial search string.
875 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
876
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000877
8784.4 Changing tabs *change-tabs*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200879 *:ret* *:retab* *:retab!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000880:[range]ret[ab][!] [new_tabstop]
881 Replace all sequences of white-space containing a
882 <Tab> with new strings of white-space using the new
883 tabstop value given. If you do not specify a new
884 tabstop size or it is zero, Vim uses the current value
885 of 'tabstop'.
886 The current value of 'tabstop' is always used to
887 compute the width of existing tabs.
888 With !, Vim also replaces strings of only normal
889 spaces with tabs where appropriate.
890 With 'expandtab' on, Vim replaces all tabs with the
891 appropriate number of spaces.
892 This command sets 'tabstop' to the new value given,
893 and if performed on the whole file, which is default,
894 should not make any visible change.
895 Careful: This command modifies any <Tab> characters
896 inside of strings in a C program. Use "\t" to avoid
897 this (that's a good habit anyway).
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200898 `:retab!` may also change a sequence of spaces by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000899 <Tab> characters, which can mess up a printf().
900 {not in Vi}
901 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
902 compile time.
903
904 *retab-example*
905Example for using autocommands and ":retab" to edit a file which is stored
906with tabstops at 8 but edited with tabstops set at 4. Warning: white space
907inside of strings can change! Also see 'softtabstop' option. >
908
909 :auto BufReadPost *.xx retab! 4
910 :auto BufWritePre *.xx retab! 8
911 :auto BufWritePost *.xx retab! 4
912 :auto BufNewFile *.xx set ts=4
913
914==============================================================================
9155. Copying and moving text *copy-move*
916
917 *quote*
918"{a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} Use register {a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} for next delete, yank
919 or put (use uppercase character to append with
920 delete and yank) ({.%#:} only work with put).
921
922 *:reg* *:registers*
923:reg[isters] Display the contents of all numbered and named
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100924 registers. If a register is written to for |:redir|
925 it will not be listed.
926 {not in Vi}
927
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000928
929:reg[isters] {arg} Display the contents of the numbered and named
930 registers that are mentioned in {arg}. For example: >
931 :dis 1a
932< to display registers '1' and 'a'. Spaces are allowed
933 in {arg}. {not in Vi}
934
935 *:di* *:display*
936:di[splay] [arg] Same as :registers. {not in Vi}
937
938 *y* *yank*
939["x]y{motion} Yank {motion} text [into register x]. When no
940 characters are to be yanked (e.g., "y0" in column 1),
941 this is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E'
942 flag.
943
944 *yy*
945["x]yy Yank [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
946
947 *Y*
948["x]Y yank [count] lines [into register x] (synonym for
949 yy, |linewise|). If you like "Y" to work from the
950 cursor to the end of line (which is more logical,
951 but not Vi-compatible) use ":map Y y$".
952
953 *v_y*
954{Visual}["x]y Yank the highlighted text [into register x] (for
955 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
956
957 *v_Y*
958{Visual}["x]Y Yank the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
959 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
960
Bram Moolenaar85de2062011-05-05 14:26:41 +0200961 *:y* *:yank* *E850*
962:[range]y[ank] [x] Yank [range] lines [into register x]. Yanking to the
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +0200963 "* or "+ registers is possible only when the
964 |+clipboard| feature is included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000965
966:[range]y[ank] [x] {count}
967 Yank {count} lines, starting with last line number
968 in [range] (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|),
969 [into register x].
970
971 *p* *put* *E353*
972["x]p Put the text [from register x] after the cursor
973 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
974
975 *P*
976["x]P Put the text [from register x] before the cursor
977 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
978
979 *<MiddleMouse>*
980["x]<MiddleMouse> Put the text from a register before the cursor [count]
981 times. Uses the "* register, unless another is
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000982 specified.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000983 Leaves the cursor at the end of the new text.
984 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
985 or 'a'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000986 {not in Vi}
987 If you have a scrollwheel and often accidentally paste
988 text, you can use these mappings to disable the
989 pasting with the middle mouse button: >
990 :map <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
991 :imap <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
992< You might want to disable the multi-click versions
993 too, see |double-click|.
994
995 *gp*
996["x]gp Just like "p", but leave the cursor just after the new
997 text. {not in Vi}
998
999 *gP*
1000["x]gP Just like "P", but leave the cursor just after the new
1001 text. {not in Vi}
1002
1003 *:pu* *:put*
1004:[line]pu[t] [x] Put the text [from register x] after [line] (default
1005 current line). This always works |linewise|, thus
1006 this command can be used to put a yanked block as new
1007 lines.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001008 If no register is specified, it depends on the 'cb'
1009 option: If 'cb' contains "unnamedplus", paste from the
1010 + register |quoteplus|. Otherwise, if 'cb' contains
Bram Moolenaarddbb5552012-04-26 20:17:03 +02001011 "unnamed", paste from the * register |quotestar|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001012 Otherwise, paste from the unnamed register
1013 |quote_quote|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001014 The register can also be '=' followed by an optional
1015 expression. The expression continues until the end of
1016 the command. You need to escape the '|' and '"'
1017 characters to prevent them from terminating the
1018 command. Example: >
1019 :put ='path' . \",/test\"
1020< If there is no expression after '=', Vim uses the
1021 previous expression. You can see it with ":dis =".
1022
1023:[line]pu[t]! [x] Put the text [from register x] before [line] (default
1024 current line).
1025
1026["x]]p or *]p* *]<MiddleMouse>*
1027["x]]<MiddleMouse> Like "p", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1028 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1029 or 'a'. {not in Vi}
1030
1031["x][P or *[P*
1032["x]]P or *]P*
1033["x][p or *[p* *[<MiddleMouse>*
1034["x][<MiddleMouse> Like "P", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1035 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1036 or 'a'. {not in Vi}
1037
1038You can use these commands to copy text from one place to another. Do this
1039by first getting the text into a register with a yank, delete or change
1040command, then inserting the register contents with a put command. You can
1041also use these commands to move text from one file to another, because Vim
1042preserves all registers when changing buffers (the CTRL-^ command is a quick
1043way to toggle between two files).
1044
1045 *linewise-register* *characterwise-register*
1046You can repeat the put commands with "." (except for :put) and undo them. If
1047the command that was used to get the text into the register was |linewise|,
1048Vim inserts the text below ("p") or above ("P") the line where the cursor is.
1049Otherwise Vim inserts the text after ("p") or before ("P") the cursor. With
1050the ":put" command, Vim always inserts the text in the next line. You can
1051exchange two characters with the command sequence "xp". You can exchange two
1052lines with the command sequence "ddp". You can exchange two words with the
1053command sequence "deep" (start with the cursor in the blank space before the
1054first word). You can use the "']" or "`]" command after the put command to
1055move the cursor to the end of the inserted text, or use "'[" or "`[" to move
1056the cursor to the start.
1057
1058 *put-Visual-mode* *v_p* *v_P*
1059When using a put command like |p| or |P| in Visual mode, Vim will try to
1060replace the selected text with the contents of the register. Whether this
1061works well depends on the type of selection and the type of the text in the
1062register. With blockwise selection it also depends on the size of the block
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001063and whether the corners are on an existing character. (Implementation detail:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001064it actually works by first putting the register after the selection and then
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001065deleting the selection.)
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001066The previously selected text is put in the unnamed register. If you want to
1067put the same text into a Visual selection several times you need to use
1068another register. E.g., yank the text to copy, Visually select the text to
1069replace and use "0p . You can repeat this as many times as you like, the
1070unnamed register will be changed each time.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001071
1072 *blockwise-register*
1073If you use a blockwise Visual mode command to get the text into the register,
1074the block of text will be inserted before ("P") or after ("p") the cursor
1075column in the current and next lines. Vim makes the whole block of text start
1076in the same column. Thus the inserted text looks the same as when it was
1077yanked or deleted. Vim may replace some <Tab> characters with spaces to make
1078this happen. However, if the width of the block is not a multiple of a <Tab>
1079width and the text after the inserted block contains <Tab>s, that text may be
1080misaligned.
1081
1082Note that after a characterwise yank command, Vim leaves the cursor on the
1083first yanked character that is closest to the start of the buffer. This means
1084that "yl" doesn't move the cursor, but "yh" moves the cursor one character
1085left.
1086Rationale: In Vi the "y" command followed by a backwards motion would
1087 sometimes not move the cursor to the first yanked character,
1088 because redisplaying was skipped. In Vim it always moves to
1089 the first character, as specified by Posix.
1090With a linewise yank command the cursor is put in the first line, but the
1091column is unmodified, thus it may not be on the first yanked character.
1092
1093There are nine types of registers: *registers* *E354*
10941. The unnamed register ""
10952. 10 numbered registers "0 to "9
10963. The small delete register "-
10974. 26 named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z
10985. four read-only registers ":, "., "% and "#
10996. the expression register "=
11007. The selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
11018. The black hole register "_
11029. Last search pattern register "/
1103
11041. Unnamed register "" *quote_quote* *quotequote*
1105Vim fills this register with text deleted with the "d", "c", "s", "x" commands
1106or copied with the yank "y" command, regardless of whether or not a specific
Bram Moolenaared203462004-06-16 11:19:22 +00001107register was used (e.g. "xdd). This is like the unnamed register is pointing
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001108to the last used register. Thus when appending using an uppercase register
1109name, the unnamed register contains the same text as the named register.
1110An exception is the '_' register: "_dd does not store the deleted text in any
1111register.
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001112Vim uses the contents of the unnamed register for any put command (p or P)
1113which does not specify a register. Additionally you can access it with the
1114name '"'. This means you have to type two double quotes. Writing to the ""
1115register writes to register "0.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001116{Vi: register contents are lost when changing files, no '"'}
1117
11182. Numbered registers "0 to "9 *quote_number* *quote0* *quote1*
1119 *quote2* *quote3* *quote4* *quote9*
1120Vim fills these registers with text from yank and delete commands.
1121 Numbered register 0 contains the text from the most recent yank command,
1122unless the command specified another register with ["x].
1123 Numbered register 1 contains the text deleted by the most recent delete or
1124change command, unless the command specified another register or the text is
1125less than one line (the small delete register is used then). An exception is
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001126made for the delete operator with these movement commands: |%|, |(|, |)|, |`|,
1127|/|, |?|, |n|, |N|, |{| and |}|. Register "1 is always used then (this is Vi
1128compatible). The "- register is used as well if the delete is within a line.
Bram Moolenaarbaca7f72013-09-22 14:42:24 +02001129Note that these characters may be mapped. E.g. |%| is mapped by the matchit
Bram Moolenaar7cba6c02013-09-05 22:13:31 +02001130plugin.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001131 With each successive deletion or change, Vim shifts the previous contents
1132of register 1 into register 2, 2 into 3, and so forth, losing the previous
1133contents of register 9.
1134{Vi: numbered register contents are lost when changing files; register 0 does
1135not exist}
1136
11373. Small delete register "- *quote_-* *quote-*
1138This register contains text from commands that delete less than one line,
1139except when the command specifies a register with ["x].
1140{not in Vi}
1141
11424. Named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z *quote_alpha* *quotea*
1143Vim fills these registers only when you say so. Specify them as lowercase
1144letters to replace their previous contents or as uppercase letters to append
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001145to their previous contents. When the '>' flag is present in 'cpoptions' then
1146a line break is inserted before the appended text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001147
11485. Read-only registers ":, "., "% and "#
1149These are '%', '#', ':' and '.'. You can use them only with the "p", "P",
1150and ":put" commands and with CTRL-R. {not in Vi}
1151 *quote_.* *quote.* *E29*
1152 ". Contains the last inserted text (the same as what is inserted
1153 with the insert mode commands CTRL-A and CTRL-@). Note: this
1154 doesn't work with CTRL-R on the command-line. It works a bit
1155 differently, like inserting the text instead of putting it
1156 ('textwidth' and other options affect what is inserted).
1157 *quote_%* *quote%*
1158 "% Contains the name of the current file.
1159 *quote_#* *quote#*
1160 "# Contains the name of the alternate file.
1161 *quote_:* *quote:* *E30*
1162 ": Contains the most recent executed command-line. Example: Use
1163 "@:" to repeat the previous command-line command.
1164 The command-line is only stored in this register when at least
1165 one character of it was typed. Thus it remains unchanged if
1166 the command was completely from a mapping.
1167 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
1168 feature}
1169
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +000011706. Expression register "= *quote_=* *quote=* *@=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001171This is not really a register that stores text, but is a way to use an
1172expression in commands which use a register. The expression register is
1173read-only; you cannot put text into it. After the '=', the cursor moves to
1174the command-line, where you can enter any expression (see |expression|). All
1175normal command-line editing commands are available, including a special
1176history for expressions. When you end the command-line by typing <CR>, Vim
1177computes the result of the expression. If you end it with <Esc>, Vim abandons
1178the expression. If you do not enter an expression, Vim uses the previous
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001179expression (like with the "/" command).
1180
1181The expression must evaluate to a String. A Number is always automatically
1182converted to a String. For the "p" and ":put" command, if the result is a
1183Float it's converted into a String. If the result is a List each element is
1184turned into a String and used as a line. A Dictionary or FuncRef results in
1185an error message (use string() to convert).
1186
1187If the "= register is used for the "p" command, the String is split up at <NL>
1188characters. If the String ends in a <NL>, it is regarded as a linewise
Bram Moolenaar6bab4d12005-06-16 21:53:56 +00001189register. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001190
11917. Selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001192Use these registers for storing and retrieving the selected text for the GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001193See |quotestar| and |quoteplus|. When the clipboard is not available or not
Bram Moolenaarf4d11452005-12-02 00:46:37 +00001194working, the unnamed register is used instead. For Unix systems the clipboard
1195is only available when the |+xterm_clipboard| feature is present. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001196
1197Note that there is only a distinction between "* and "+ for X11 systems. For
1198an explanation of the difference, see |x11-selection|. Under MS-Windows, use
1199of "* and "+ is actually synonymous and refers to the |gui-clipboard|.
1200
1201 *quote_~* *quote~* *<Drop>*
1202The read-only "~ register stores the dropped text from the last drag'n'drop
1203operation. When something has been dropped onto Vim, the "~ register is
1204filled in and the <Drop> pseudo key is sent for notification. You can remap
1205this key if you want; the default action (for all modes) is to insert the
1206contents of the "~ register at the cursor position. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001207{only available when compiled with the |+dnd| feature, currently only with the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001208GTK GUI}
1209
1210Note: The "~ register is only used when dropping plain text onto Vim.
1211Drag'n'drop of URI lists is handled internally.
1212
12138. Black hole register "_ *quote_*
1214When writing to this register, nothing happens. This can be used to delete
1215text without affecting the normal registers. When reading from this register,
1216nothing is returned. {not in Vi}
1217
12189. Last search pattern register "/ *quote_/* *quote/*
1219Contains the most recent search-pattern. This is used for "n" and 'hlsearch'.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001220It is writable with `:let`, you can change it to have 'hlsearch' highlight
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001221other matches without actually searching. You can't yank or delete into this
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001222register. The search direction is available in |v:searchforward|.
1223Note that the valued is restored when returning from a function
1224|function-search-undo|.
1225{not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001226
1227 *@/*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001228You can write to a register with a `:let` command |:let-@|. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001229 :let @/ = "the"
1230
1231If you use a put command without specifying a register, Vim uses the register
1232that was last filled (this is also the contents of the unnamed register). If
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001233you are confused, use the `:dis` command to find out what Vim will put (this
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001234command displays all named and numbered registers; the unnamed register is
1235labelled '"').
1236
1237The next three commands always work on whole lines.
1238
1239:[range]co[py] {address} *:co* *:copy*
1240 Copy the lines given by [range] to below the line
1241 given by {address}.
1242
1243 *:t*
1244:t Synonym for copy.
1245
1246:[range]m[ove] {address} *:m* *:mo* *:move* *E134*
1247 Move the lines given by [range] to below the line
1248 given by {address}.
1249
1250==============================================================================
12516. Formatting text *formatting*
1252
1253:[range]ce[nter] [width] *:ce* *:center*
1254 Center lines in [range] between [width] columns
1255 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1256 {not in Vi}
1257 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1258 compile time.
1259
1260:[range]ri[ght] [width] *:ri* *:right*
1261 Right-align lines in [range] at [width] columns
1262 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1263 {not in Vi}
1264 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1265 compile time.
1266
1267 *:le* *:left*
1268:[range]le[ft] [indent]
1269 Left-align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
1270 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
1271 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1272 compile time.
1273
1274 *gq*
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001275gq{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001276 Formatting is done with one of three methods:
1277 1. If 'formatexpr' is not empty the expression is
1278 evaluated. This can differ for each buffer.
Bram Moolenaar4c7ed462006-02-15 22:18:42 +00001279 2. If 'formatprg' is not empty an external program
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001280 is used.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001281 3. Otherwise formatting is done internally.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001282
1283 In the third case the 'textwidth' option controls the
1284 length of each formatted line (see below).
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001285 If the 'textwidth' option is 0, the formatted line
1286 length is the screen width (with a maximum width of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001287 79).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001288 The 'formatoptions' option controls the type of
1289 formatting |fo-table|.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001290 The cursor is left on the first non-blank of the last
1291 formatted line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001292 NOTE: The "Q" command formerly performed this
1293 function. If you still want to use "Q" for
1294 formatting, use this mapping: >
1295 :nnoremap Q gq
1296
1297gqgq *gqgq* *gqq*
Bram Moolenaar40af4e32010-07-29 22:33:18 +02001298gqq Format the current line. With a count format that
1299 many lines. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001300
1301 *v_gq*
1302{Visual}gq Format the highlighted text. (for {Visual} see
1303 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1304
1305 *gw*
1306gw{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over. Similar to
1307 |gq| but puts the cursor back at the same position in
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001308 the text. However, 'formatprg' and 'formatexpr' are
1309 not used. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001310
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001311gwgw *gwgw* *gww*
1312gww Format the current line as with "gw". {not in Vi}
1313
1314 *v_gw*
1315{Visual}gw Format the highlighted text as with "gw". (for
1316 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1317
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001318Example: To format the current paragraph use: *gqap* >
1319 gqap
1320
1321The "gq" command leaves the cursor in the line where the motion command takes
1322the cursor. This allows you to repeat formatting repeated with ".". This
1323works well with "gqj" (format current and next line) and "gq}" (format until
1324end of paragraph). Note: When 'formatprg' is set, "gq" leaves the cursor on
1325the first formatted line (as with using a filter command).
1326
1327If you want to format the current paragraph and continue where you were, use: >
1328 gwap
1329If you always want to keep paragraphs formatted you may want to add the 'a'
1330flag to 'formatoptions'. See |auto-format|.
1331
1332If the 'autoindent' option is on, Vim uses the indent of the first line for
1333the following lines.
1334
1335Formatting does not change empty lines (but it does change lines with only
1336white space!).
1337
1338The 'joinspaces' option is used when lines are joined together.
1339
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001340You can set the 'formatexpr' option to an expression or the 'formatprg' option
1341to the name of an external program for Vim to use for text formatting. The
1342'textwidth' and other options have no effect on formatting by an external
1343program.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001344
1345 *right-justify*
1346There is no command in Vim to right justify text. You can do it with
1347an external command, like "par" (e.g.: "!}par" to format until the end of the
1348paragraph) or set 'formatprg' to "par".
1349
1350 *format-comments*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001351An overview of comment formatting is in section |30.6| of the user manual.
1352
1353Vim can automatically insert and format comments in a special way. Vim
1354recognizes a comment by a specific string at the start of the line (ignoring
1355white space). Three types of comments can be used:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001356
1357- A comment string that repeats at the start of each line. An example is the
1358 type of comment used in shell scripts, starting with "#".
1359- A comment string that occurs only in the first line, not in the following
1360 lines. An example is this list with dashes.
1361- Three-piece comments that have a start string, an end string, and optional
1362 lines in between. The strings for the start, middle and end are different.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001363 An example is the C style comment:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001364 /*
1365 * this is a C comment
1366 */
1367
1368The 'comments' option is a comma-separated list of parts. Each part defines a
1369type of comment string. A part consists of:
1370 {flags}:{string}
1371
1372{string} is the literal text that must appear.
1373
1374{flags}:
1375 n Nested comment. Nesting with mixed parts is allowed. If 'comments'
1376 is "n:),n:>" a line starting with "> ) >" is a comment.
1377
1378 b Blank (<Space>, <Tab> or <EOL>) required after {string}.
1379
1380 f Only the first line has the comment string. Do not repeat comment on
1381 the next line, but preserve indentation (e.g., a bullet-list).
1382
1383 s Start of three-piece comment
1384
1385 m Middle of a three-piece comment
1386
1387 e End of a three-piece comment
1388
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001389 l Left align. Used together with 's' or 'e', the leftmost character of
1390 start or end will line up with the leftmost character from the middle.
1391 This is the default and can be omitted. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001392
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001393 r Right align. Same as above but rightmost instead of leftmost. See
1394 below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001395
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001396 O Don't consider this comment for the "O" command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001397
1398 x Allows three-piece comments to be ended by just typing the last
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001399 character of the end-comment string as the first action on a new
1400 line when the middle-comment string has been inserted automatically.
1401 See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001402
1403 {digits}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001404 When together with 's' or 'e': add {digit} amount of offset to an
1405 automatically inserted middle or end comment leader. The offset begins
1406 from a left alignment. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001407
1408 -{digits}
1409 Like {digits} but reduce the indent. This only works when there is
1410 some indent for the start or end part that can be removed.
1411
1412When a string has none of the 'f', 's', 'm' or 'e' flags, Vim assumes the
1413comment string repeats at the start of each line. The flags field may be
1414empty.
1415
1416Any blank space in the text before and after the {string} is part of the
1417{string}, so do not include leading or trailing blanks unless the blanks are a
1418required part of the comment string.
1419
1420When one comment leader is part of another, specify the part after the whole.
1421For example, to include both "-" and "->", use >
1422 :set comments=f:->,f:-
1423
1424A three-piece comment must always be given as start,middle,end, with no other
1425parts in between. An example of a three-piece comment is >
1426 sr:/*,mb:*,ex:*/
1427for C-comments. To avoid recognizing "*ptr" as a comment, the middle string
1428includes the 'b' flag. For three-piece comments, Vim checks the text after
1429the start and middle strings for the end string. If Vim finds the end string,
1430the comment does not continue on the next line. Three-piece comments must
1431have a middle string because otherwise Vim can't recognize the middle lines.
1432
1433Notice the use of the "x" flag in the above three-piece comment definition.
1434When you hit Return in a C-comment, Vim will insert the middle comment leader
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001435for the new line: " * ". To close this comment you just have to type "/"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001436before typing anything else on the new line. This will replace the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001437middle-comment leader with the end-comment leader and apply any specified
1438alignment, leaving just " */". There is no need to hit BackSpace first.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001439
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001440When there is a match with a middle part, but there also is a maching end part
1441which is longer, the end part is used. This makes a C style comment work
1442without requiring the middle part to end with a space.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001443
1444Here is an example of alignment flags at work to make a comment stand out
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001445(kind of looks like a 1 too). Consider comment string: >
1446 :set comments=sr:/***,m:**,ex-2:******/
1447<
1448 /*** ~
1449 **<--right aligned from "r" flag ~
1450 ** ~
1451offset 2 spaces for the "-2" flag--->** ~
1452 ******/ ~
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001453In this case, the first comment was typed, then return was pressed 4 times,
1454then "/" was pressed to end the comment.
1455
1456Here are some finer points of three part comments. There are three times when
1457alignment and offset flags are taken into consideration: opening a new line
1458after a start-comment, opening a new line before an end-comment, and
1459automatically ending a three-piece comment. The end alignment flag has a
1460backwards perspective; the result is that the same alignment flag used with
1461"s" and "e" will result in the same indent for the starting and ending pieces.
1462Only one alignment per comment part is meant to be used, but an offset number
1463will override the "r" and "l" flag.
1464
1465Enabling 'cindent' will override the alignment flags in many cases.
1466Reindenting using a different method like |gq| or |=| will not consult
1467alignment flags either. The same behaviour can be defined in those other
1468formatting options. One consideration is that 'cindent' has additional options
1469for context based indenting of comments but cannot replicate many three piece
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001470indent alignments. However, 'indentexpr' has the ability to work better with
1471three piece comments.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001472
1473Other examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001474 "b:*" Includes lines starting with "*", but not if the "*" is
1475 followed by a non-blank. This avoids a pointer dereference
1476 like "*str" to be recognized as a comment.
1477 "n:>" Includes a line starting with ">", ">>", ">>>", etc.
1478 "fb:-" Format a list that starts with "- ".
1479
1480By default, "b:#" is included. This means that a line that starts with
1481"#include" is not recognized as a comment line. But a line that starts with
1482"# define" is recognized. This is a compromise.
1483
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001484{not available when compiled without the |+comments| feature}
1485
1486 *fo-table*
1487You can use the 'formatoptions' option to influence how Vim formats text.
1488'formatoptions' is a string that can contain any of the letters below. The
1489default setting is "tcq". You can separate the option letters with commas for
1490readability.
1491
1492letter meaning when present in 'formatoptions' ~
1493
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001494t Auto-wrap text using textwidth
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001495c Auto-wrap comments using textwidth, inserting the current comment
1496 leader automatically.
1497r Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting
1498 <Enter> in Insert mode.
1499o Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting 'o' or
1500 'O' in Normal mode.
1501q Allow formatting of comments with "gq".
1502 Note that formatting will not change blank lines or lines containing
1503 only the comment leader. A new paragraph starts after such a line,
1504 or when the comment leader changes.
1505w Trailing white space indicates a paragraph continues in the next line.
1506 A line that ends in a non-white character ends a paragraph.
1507a Automatic formatting of paragraphs. Every time text is inserted or
1508 deleted the paragraph will be reformatted. See |auto-format|.
1509 When the 'c' flag is present this only happens for recognized
1510 comments.
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001511n When formatting text, recognize numbered lists. This actually uses
1512 the 'formatlistpat' option, thus any kind of list can be used. The
1513 indent of the text after the number is used for the next line. The
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001514 default is to find a number, optionally followed by '.', ':', ')',
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001515 ']' or '}'. Note that 'autoindent' must be set too. Doesn't work
1516 well together with "2".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001517 Example: >
1518 1. the first item
1519 wraps
1520 2. the second item
15212 When formatting text, use the indent of the second line of a paragraph
1522 for the rest of the paragraph, instead of the indent of the first
1523 line. This supports paragraphs in which the first line has a
1524 different indent than the rest. Note that 'autoindent' must be set
1525 too. Example: >
1526 first line of a paragraph
1527 second line of the same paragraph
1528 third line.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001529< This also works inside comments, ignoring the comment leader.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001530v Vi-compatible auto-wrapping in insert mode: Only break a line at a
1531 blank that you have entered during the current insert command. (Note:
1532 this is not 100% Vi compatible. Vi has some "unexpected features" or
1533 bugs in this area. It uses the screen column instead of the line
1534 column.)
1535b Like 'v', but only auto-wrap if you enter a blank at or before
1536 the wrap margin. If the line was longer than 'textwidth' when you
1537 started the insert, or you do not enter a blank in the insert before
1538 reaching 'textwidth', Vim does not perform auto-wrapping.
1539l Long lines are not broken in insert mode: When a line was longer than
1540 'textwidth' when the insert command started, Vim does not
1541 automatically format it.
1542m Also break at a multi-byte character above 255. This is useful for
1543 Asian text where every character is a word on its own.
1544M When joining lines, don't insert a space before or after a multi-byte
1545 character. Overrules the 'B' flag.
1546B When joining lines, don't insert a space between two multi-byte
1547 characters. Overruled by the 'M' flag.
15481 Don't break a line after a one-letter word. It's broken before it
1549 instead (if possible).
Bram Moolenaar81340392012-06-06 16:12:59 +02001550j Where it makes sense, remove a comment leader when joining lines. For
1551 example, joining:
1552 int i; // the index ~
1553 // in the list ~
1554 Becomes:
1555 int i; // the index in the list ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001556
1557
1558With 't' and 'c' you can specify when Vim performs auto-wrapping:
1559value action ~
1560"" no automatic formatting (you can use "gq" for manual formatting)
1561"t" automatic formatting of text, but not comments
1562"c" automatic formatting for comments, but not text (good for C code)
1563"tc" automatic formatting for text and comments
1564
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001565Note that when 'textwidth' is 0, Vim does no automatic formatting anyway (but
1566does insert comment leaders according to the 'comments' option). An exception
1567is when the 'a' flag is present. |auto-format|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001568
1569Note that when 'paste' is on, Vim does no formatting at all.
1570
1571Note that 'textwidth' can be non-zero even if Vim never performs auto-wrapping;
1572'textwidth' is still useful for formatting with "gq".
1573
1574If the 'comments' option includes "/*", "*" and/or "*/", then Vim has some
1575built in stuff to treat these types of comments a bit more cleverly.
1576Opening a new line before or after "/*" or "*/" (with 'r' or 'o' present in
1577'formatoptions') gives the correct start of the line automatically. The same
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001578happens with formatting and auto-wrapping. Opening a line after a line
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001579starting with "/*" or "*" and containing "*/", will cause no comment leader to
1580be inserted, and the indent of the new line is taken from the line containing
1581the start of the comment.
1582E.g.:
1583 /* ~
1584 * Your typical comment. ~
1585 */ ~
1586 The indent on this line is the same as the start of the above
1587 comment.
1588
1589All of this should be really cool, especially in conjunction with the new
1590:autocmd command to prepare different settings for different types of file.
1591
1592Some examples:
1593 for C code (only format comments): >
1594 :set fo=croq
1595< for Mail/news (format all, don't start comment with "o" command): >
1596 :set fo=tcrq
1597<
1598
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001599Automatic formatting *auto-format* *autoformat*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001600
1601When the 'a' flag is present in 'formatoptions' text is formatted
1602automatically when inserting text or deleting text. This works nice for
1603editing text paragraphs. A few hints on how to use this:
1604
1605- You need to properly define paragraphs. The simplest is paragraphs that are
1606 separated by a blank line. When there is no separating blank line, consider
1607 using the 'w' flag and adding a space at the end of each line in the
1608 paragraphs except the last one.
1609
1610- You can set the 'formatoptions' based on the type of file |filetype| or
1611 specifically for one file with a |modeline|.
1612
1613- Set 'formatoptions' to "aw2tq" to make text with indents like this:
1614
1615 bla bla foobar bla
1616 bla foobar bla foobar bla
1617 bla bla foobar bla
1618 bla foobar bla bla foobar
1619
1620- Add the 'c' flag to only auto-format comments. Useful in source code.
1621
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001622- Set 'textwidth' to the desired width. If it is zero then 79 is used, or the
1623 width of the screen if this is smaller.
1624
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001625And a few warnings:
1626
1627- When part of the text is not properly separated in paragraphs, making
1628 changes in this text will cause it to be formatted anyway. Consider doing >
1629
1630 :set fo-=a
1631
1632- When using the 'w' flag (trailing space means paragraph continues) and
1633 deleting the last line of a paragraph with |dd|, the paragraph will be
1634 joined with the next one.
1635
1636- Changed text is saved for undo. Formatting is also a change. Thus each
1637 format action saves text for undo. This may consume quite a lot of memory.
1638
1639- Formatting a long paragraph and/or with complicated indenting may be slow.
1640
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001641==============================================================================
16427. Sorting text *sorting*
1643
1644Vim has a sorting function and a sorting command. The sorting function can be
1645found here: |sort()|.
1646
1647 *:sor* *:sort*
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001648:[range]sor[t][!] [i][u][r][n][x][o] [/{pattern}/]
Bram Moolenaare5180522005-12-10 20:19:46 +00001649 Sort lines in [range]. When no range is given all
1650 lines are sorted.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001651
1652 With [!] the order is reversed.
1653
1654 With [i] case is ignored.
1655
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001656 With [n] sorting is done on the first decimal number
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001657 in the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001658 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001659
1660 With [x] sorting is done on the first hexadecimal
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001661 number in the line (after or inside a {pattern}
1662 match). A leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001663 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001664
1665 With [o] sorting is done on the first octal number in
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001666 the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001667
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001668 With [u] only keep the first of a sequence of
1669 identical lines (ignoring case when [i] is used).
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001670 Without this flag, a sequence of identical lines
1671 will be kept in their original order.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001672 Note that leading and trailing white space may cause
1673 lines to be different.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001674
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001675 When /{pattern}/ is specified and there is no [r] flag
1676 the text matched with {pattern} is skipped, so that
1677 you sort on what comes after the match.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001678 Instead of the slash any non-letter can be used.
1679 For example, to sort on the second comma-separated
1680 field: >
1681 :sort /[^,]*,/
1682< To sort on the text at virtual column 10 (thus
1683 ignoring the difference between tabs and spaces): >
1684 :sort /.*\%10v/
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001685< To sort on the first number in the line, no matter
1686 what is in front of it: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001687 :sort /.\{-}\ze\d/
1688< (Explanation: ".\{-}" matches any text, "\ze" sets the
1689 end of the match and \d matches a digit.)
1690 With [r] sorting is done on the matching {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001691 instead of skipping past it as described above.
1692 For example, to sort on only the first three letters
1693 of each line: >
1694 :sort /\a\a\a/ r
1695
1696< If a {pattern} is used, any lines which don't have a
1697 match for {pattern} are kept in their current order,
1698 but separate from the lines which do match {pattern}.
1699 If you sorted in reverse, they will be in reverse
1700 order after the sorted lines, otherwise they will be
1701 in their original order, right before the sorted
1702 lines.
1703
Bram Moolenaar1256e722007-07-10 15:26:20 +00001704 If {pattern} is empty (e.g. // is specified), the
1705 last search pattern is used. This allows trying out
1706 a pattern first.
1707
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001708Note that using `:sort` with `:global` doesn't sort the matching lines, it's
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001709quite useless.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001710
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00001711The details about sorting depend on the library function used. There is no
1712guarantee that sorting is "stable" or obeys the current locale. You will have
1713to try it out.
1714
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001715The sorting can be interrupted, but if you interrupt it too late in the
1716process you may end up with duplicated lines. This also depends on the system
1717library function used.
Bram Moolenaarae5bce12005-08-15 21:41:48 +00001718
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001719 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: