blob: 50ff4ec99dea959fd0c9d85b3765aa6da0596265 [file] [log] [blame]
Christian Brabandt5cf53012024-05-18 10:13:11 +02001*change.txt* For Vim version 9.1. Last change: 2024 May 18
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
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +020037 (join lines).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000038
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
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +020062 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000063
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
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +020072 the end of the line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000073
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
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100101blanks before the start and there are no non-blanks after the end of the
102motion, the delete becomes linewise. This means that the delete also removes
103the line of blanks that you might expect to remain. Use the |o_v| operator to
104force the motion to be characterwise.
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
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100112 below). Fails when on the last line of the buffer.
Bram Moolenaar85eee132018-05-06 17:57:30 +0200113 If [count] is too big it is reduced to the number of
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100114 lines available.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000115
116 *v_J*
117{Visual}J Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
118 lines. Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200119 (see below).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000120
121 *gJ*
122gJ Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200123 Don't insert or remove any spaces.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000124
125 *v_gJ*
126{Visual}gJ Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200127 lines. Don't insert or remove any spaces.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000128
129 *:j* *:join*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000130:[range]j[oin][!] [flags]
131 Join [range] lines. Same as "J", except with [!]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000132 the join does not insert or delete any spaces.
133 If a [range] has equal start and end values, this
134 command does nothing. The default behavior is to
135 join the current line with the line below it.
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.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000143 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000144
145These commands delete the <EOL> between lines. This has the effect of joining
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200146multiple lines into one line. You can repeat these commands (except `:j`) and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000147undo them.
148
149These commands, except "gJ", insert one space in place of the <EOL> unless
150there is trailing white space or the next line starts with a ')'. These
151commands, except "gJ", delete any leading white space on the next line. If
152the 'joinspaces' option is on, these commands insert two spaces after a '.',
153'!' or '?' (but if 'cpoptions' includes the 'j' flag, they insert two spaces
154only after a '.').
155The 'B' and 'M' flags in 'formatoptions' change the behavior for inserting
Bram Moolenaar207f0092020-08-30 17:20:20 +0200156spaces before and after a multibyte character |fo-table|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000157
Bram Moolenaar251835e2014-02-24 02:51:51 +0100158The '[ mark is set at the end of the first line that was joined, '] at the end
159of the resulting line.
160
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000161
162==============================================================================
1632. Delete and insert *delete-insert* *replacing*
164
165 *R*
166R Enter Replace mode: Each character you type replaces
167 an existing character, starting with the character
168 under the cursor. Repeat the entered text [count]-1
169 times. See |Replace-mode| for more details.
170
171 *gR*
172gR Enter Virtual Replace mode: Each character you type
173 replaces existing characters in screen space. So a
174 <Tab> may replace several characters at once.
175 Repeat the entered text [count]-1 times. See
176 |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000177
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
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200209 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000210
211 *v_r*
Bram Moolenaar2c7f8c52020-04-20 19:52:53 +0200212{Visual}r{char} Replace all selected characters by {char}.
Christian Brabandt476733f2023-09-19 20:41:51 +0200213 CTRL-C will be inserted literally.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000214
215 *v_C*
216{Visual}["x]C Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
217 start insert. In Visual block mode it works
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200218 differently |v_b_C|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000219 *v_S*
220{Visual}["x]S Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200221 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000222 *v_R*
223{Visual}["x]R Currently just like {Visual}["x]S. In a next version
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200224 it might work differently.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000225
226Notes:
227- You can end Insert and Replace mode with <Esc>.
228- See the section "Insert and Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl| for the other
229 special characters in these modes.
230- The effect of [count] takes place after Vim exits Insert or Replace mode.
231- When the 'cpoptions' option contains '$' and the change is within one line,
232 Vim continues to show the text to be deleted and puts a '$' at the last
233 deleted character.
234
235See |registers| for an explanation of registers.
236
237Replace mode is just like Insert mode, except that every character you enter
238deletes one character. If you reach the end of a line, Vim appends any
239further characters (just like Insert mode). In Replace mode, the backspace
240key restores the original text (if there was any). (See section "Insert and
241Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl|).
242
243 *cw* *cW*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000244Special case: When the cursor is in a word, "cw" and "cW" do not include the
245white space after a word, they only change up to the end of the word. This is
246because Vim interprets "cw" as change-word, and a word does not include the
247following white space.
248{Vi: "cw" when on a blank followed by other blanks changes only the first
249blank; this is probably a bug, because "dw" deletes all the blanks; use the
250'w' flag in 'cpoptions' to make it work like Vi anyway}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000251
252If you prefer "cw" to include the space after a word, use this mapping: >
253 :map cw dwi
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000254Or use "caw" (see |aw|).
255
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000256 *:c* *:ch* *:change*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000257:{range}c[hange][!] Replace lines of text with some different text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000258 Type a line containing only "." to stop replacing.
259 Without {range}, this command changes only the current
260 line.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000261 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
262 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaara4d131d2021-12-27 21:33:07 +0000263 This command is not supported in |Vim9| script,
264 because it is too easily confused with a variable
265 name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000266
267==============================================================================
2683. Simple changes *simple-change*
269
270 *r*
271r{char} Replace the character under the cursor with {char}.
272 If {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, a line break replaces the
273 character. To replace with a real <CR>, use CTRL-V
274 <CR>. CTRL-V <NL> replaces with a <Nul>.
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.
Bram Moolenaardd60c362023-02-27 15:49:53 +0000300 {char} can be entered like with |r|, but characters
301 that have a special meaning in Insert mode, such as
302 most CTRL-keys, cannot be used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000303
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.
Bram Moolenaara6c27c42019-05-09 19:16:22 +0200317 If a [count] is given, do that many characters.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000318
Bram Moolenaara6c27c42019-05-09 19:16:22 +0200319~{motion} 'tildeop' option: switch case of {motion} text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000320
321 *g~*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200322g~{motion} Switch case of {motion} text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000323
324g~g~ *g~g~* *g~~*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200325g~~ Switch case of current line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000326
327 *v_~*
328{Visual}~ Switch case of highlighted text (for {Visual} see
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200329 |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000330
331 *v_U*
332{Visual}U Make highlighted text uppercase (for {Visual} see
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200333 |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000334
335 *gU* *uppercase*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200336gU{motion} Make {motion} text uppercase.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000337 Example: >
338 :map! <C-F> <Esc>gUiw`]a
339< This works in Insert mode: press CTRL-F to make the
340 word before the cursor uppercase. Handy to type
341 words in lowercase and then make them uppercase.
342
343
344gUgU *gUgU* *gUU*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200345gUU Make current line uppercase.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000346
347 *v_u*
348{Visual}u Make highlighted text lowercase (for {Visual} see
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200349 |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000350
351 *gu* *lowercase*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200352gu{motion} Make {motion} text lowercase.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000353
354gugu *gugu* *guu*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200355guu Make current line lowercase.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000356
357 *g?* *rot13*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200358g?{motion} Rot13 encode {motion} text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000359
360 *v_g?*
361{Visual}g? Rot13 encode the highlighted text (for {Visual} see
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200362 |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000363
364g?g? *g?g?* *g??*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200365g?? Rot13 encode current line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000366
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000367To turn one line into title caps, make every first letter of a word
368uppercase: >
369 :s/\v<(.)(\w*)/\u\1\L\2/g
370
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000371
372Adding and subtracting ~
373 *CTRL-A*
374CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character at
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200375 or after the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000376
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200377 *v_CTRL-A*
378{Visual}CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character in
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200379 the highlighted text.
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200380
381 *v_g_CTRL-A*
382{Visual}g CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character in
383 the highlighted text. If several lines are
384 highlighted, each one will be incremented by an
385 additional [count] (so effectively creating a
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200386 [count] incrementing sequence).
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200387 For Example, if you have this list of numbers:
388 1. ~
389 1. ~
390 1. ~
391 1. ~
392 Move to the second "1." and Visually select three
393 lines, pressing g CTRL-A results in:
394 1. ~
395 2. ~
396 3. ~
397 4. ~
398
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000399 *CTRL-X*
400CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200401 character at or after the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000402
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200403 *v_CTRL-X*
404{Visual}CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200405 character in the highlighted text.
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200406
Bram Moolenaare0fa3742016-02-20 15:47:01 +0100407 On MS-Windows, this is mapped to cut Visual text
408 |dos-standard-mappings|. If you want to disable the
409 mapping, use this: >
410 silent! vunmap <C-X>
411<
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200412 *v_g_CTRL-X*
413{Visual}g CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
414 character in the highlighted text. If several lines
415 are highlighted, each value will be decremented by an
416 additional [count] (so effectively creating a [count]
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200417 decrementing sequence).
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200418
Bram Moolenaar887c1fe2016-01-02 17:56:35 +0100419The CTRL-A and CTRL-X commands can work for:
420- signed and unsigned decimal numbers
421- unsigned binary, octal and hexadecimal numbers
422- alphabetic characters
423
424This depends on the 'nrformats' option:
425- When 'nrformats' includes "bin", Vim assumes numbers starting with '0b' or
426 '0B' are binary.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000427- When 'nrformats' includes "octal", Vim considers numbers starting with a '0'
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000428 to be octal, unless the number includes a '8' or '9'. Other numbers are
429 decimal and may have a preceding minus sign.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000430 If the cursor is on a number, the commands apply to that number; otherwise
431 Vim uses the number to the right of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000432- When 'nrformats' includes "hex", Vim assumes numbers starting with '0x' or
433 '0X' are hexadecimal. The case of the rightmost letter in the number
434 determines the case of the resulting hexadecimal number. If there is no
435 letter in the current number, Vim uses the previously detected case.
436- When 'nrformats' includes "alpha", Vim will change the alphabetic character
437 under or after the cursor. This is useful to make lists with an alphabetic
438 index.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000439
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200440For decimals a leading negative sign is considered for incrementing/
Bram Moolenaarfa735342016-01-03 22:14:44 +0100441decrementing, for binary, octal and hex values, it won't be considered. To
Bram Moolenaar85eee132018-05-06 17:57:30 +0200442ignore the sign Visually select the number before using CTRL-A or CTRL-X.
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200443
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000444For numbers with leading zeros (including all octal and hexadecimal numbers),
445Vim preserves the number of characters in the number when possible. CTRL-A on
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000446"0077" results in "0100", CTRL-X on "0x100" results in "0x0ff".
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000447There is one exception: When a number that starts with a zero is found not to
448be octal (it contains a '8' or '9'), but 'nrformats' does include "octal",
449leading zeros are removed to avoid that the result may be recognized as an
450octal number.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000451
452Note that when 'nrformats' includes "octal", decimal numbers with leading
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000453zeros cause mistakes, because they can be confused with octal numbers.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000454
K.Takata955652f2023-12-20 04:15:47 +0900455Note similarly, when 'nrformats' includes both "bin" and "hex", binary numbers
456with a leading '0x' or '0X' can be interpreted as hexadecimal rather than
457binary since '0b' are valid hexadecimal digits. CTRL-A on "0x0b11" results in
458"0x0b12", not "0x0b100".
459When 'nrformats' includes "bin" and doesn't include "hex", CTRL-A on "0b11" in
460"0x0b11" results in "0x0b100".
Bram Moolenaar887c1fe2016-01-02 17:56:35 +0100461
Bram Moolenaar71badf92023-04-22 22:40:14 +0100462When the number under the cursor is too big to fit into 32 or 64 bit
463(depending on how Vim was build), it will be rounded off to the nearest number
464that can be represented, and the addition/subtraction is skipped. E.g. with
46564 bit support using CTRL-X on 18446744073709551616 results in
46618446744073709551615. Same for larger numbers, such as 18446744073709551618.
467
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000468The CTRL-A command is very useful in a macro. Example: Use the following
469steps to make a numbered list.
470
4711. Create the first list entry, make sure it starts with a number.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004722. qa - start recording into register 'a'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004733. Y - yank the entry
4744. p - put a copy of the entry below the first one
4755. CTRL-A - increment the number
4766. q - stop recording
4777. <count>@a - repeat the yank, put and increment <count> times
478
479
480SHIFTING LINES LEFT OR RIGHT *shift-left-right*
481
482 *<*
483<{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
484
Bram Moolenaarf9514162018-11-22 03:08:29 +0100485 If the 'vartabstop' feature is enabled, and the
486 'shiftwidth' option is set to zero, the amount of
487 indent is calculated at the first non-blank character
488 in the line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000489 *<<*
490<< Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
491
492 *v_<*
493{Visual}[count]< Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200494 leftwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000495
496 *>*
497 >{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
498
Bram Moolenaarf9514162018-11-22 03:08:29 +0100499 If the 'vartabstop' feature is enabled, and the
500 'shiftwidth' option is set to zero, the amount of
501 indent is calculated at the first non-blank character
502 in the line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000503 *>>*
504 >> Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
505
506 *v_>*
507{Visual}[count]> Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200508 rightwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000509
510 *:<*
511:[range]< Shift [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' left. Repeat '<'
512 for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
513
514:[range]< {count} Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' left, starting
515 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
516 Repeat '<' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
517
518:[range]le[ft] [indent] left align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200519 lines to [indent] (default 0).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000520
521 *:>*
Roy Orbitson2103a562023-12-06 01:14:33 +1030522:[range]> [flags] Shift [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' right.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000523 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000524 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000525
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000526:[range]> {count} [flags]
527 Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' right, starting
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000528 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
529 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000530 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000531
532The ">" and "<" commands are handy for changing the indentation within
533programs. Use the 'shiftwidth' option to set the size of the white space
534which these commands insert or delete. Normally the 'shiftwidth' option is 8,
535but you can set it to, say, 3 to make smaller indents. The shift leftwards
536stops when there is no indent. The shift right does not affect empty lines.
537
538If the 'shiftround' option is on, the indent is rounded to a multiple of
539'shiftwidth'.
540
541If the 'smartindent' option is on, or 'cindent' is on and 'cinkeys' contains
Bram Moolenaar8e69b4a2013-11-09 03:41:58 +0100542'#' with a zero value, shift right does not affect lines starting with '#'
543(these are supposed to be C preprocessor lines that must stay in column 1).
Bram Moolenaar7dda86f2018-04-20 22:36:41 +0200544This can be changed with the 'cino' option, see |cino-#|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000545
546When the 'expandtab' option is off (this is the default) Vim uses <Tab>s as
547much as possible to make the indent. You can use ">><<" to replace an indent
548made out of spaces with the same indent made out of <Tab>s (and a few spaces
549if necessary). If the 'expandtab' option is on, Vim uses only spaces. Then
550you can use ">><<" to replace <Tab>s in the indent by spaces (or use
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200551`:retab!`).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000552
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200553To move a line several 'shiftwidth's, use Visual mode or the `:` commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000554For example: >
555 Vjj4> move three lines 4 indents to the right
556 :<<< move current line 3 indents to the left
557 :>> 5 move 5 lines 2 indents to the right
558 :5>> move line 5 2 indents to the right
559
560==============================================================================
5614. Complex changes *complex-change*
562
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005634.1 Filter commands *filter*
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000564
565A filter is a program that accepts text at standard input, changes it in some
566way, and sends it to standard output. You can use the commands below to send
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000567some text through a filter, so that it is replaced by the filter output.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000568Examples of filters are "sort", which sorts lines alphabetically, and
569"indent", which formats C program files (you need a version of indent that
570works like a filter; not all versions do). The 'shell' option specifies the
571shell Vim uses to execute the filter command (See also the 'shelltype'
572option). You can repeat filter commands with ".". Vim does not recognize a
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200573comment (starting with '"') after the `:!` command.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000574
575 *!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000576!{motion}{filter} Filter {motion} text lines through the external
577 program {filter}.
578
579 *!!*
580!!{filter} Filter [count] lines through the external program
581 {filter}.
582
583 *v_!*
584{Visual}!{filter} Filter the highlighted lines through the external
585 program {filter} (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000586
587:{range}![!]{filter} [!][arg] *:range!*
588 Filter {range} lines through the external program
589 {filter}. Vim replaces the optional bangs with the
590 latest given command and appends the optional [arg].
591 Vim saves the output of the filter command in a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100592 temporary file and then reads the file into the buffer
593 |tempfile|. Vim uses the 'shellredir' option to
594 redirect the filter output to the temporary file.
Bram Moolenaar83c465c2005-12-16 21:53:56 +0000595 However, if the 'shelltemp' option is off then pipes
596 are used when possible (on Unix).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000597 When the 'R' flag is included in 'cpoptions' marks in
598 the filtered lines are deleted, unless the
599 |:keepmarks| command is used. Example: >
600 :keepmarks '<,'>!sort
601< When the number of lines after filtering is less than
602 before, marks in the missing lines are deleted anyway.
603
604 *=*
605={motion} Filter {motion} lines through the external program
606 given with the 'equalprg' option. When the 'equalprg'
607 option is empty (this is the default), use the
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200608 internal formatting function |C-indenting| and
609 |'lisp'|. But when 'indentexpr' is not empty, it will
610 be used instead |indent-expression|. When Vim was
611 compiled without internal formatting then the "indent"
612 program is used as a last resort.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000613
614 *==*
615== Filter [count] lines like with ={motion}.
616
617 *v_=*
618{Visual}= Filter the highlighted lines like with ={motion}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000619
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000620
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100621 *tempfile* *setuid*
622Vim uses temporary files for filtering, generating diffs and also for
623tempname(). For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
624accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems (e.g., a symlink
625attack or other people reading your file). When Vim exits the directory and
Christian Brabandt5cf53012024-05-18 10:13:11 +0200626all files in it are deleted (only on Unix, on other systems you will have to
627clean up yourself). When Vim has the setuid bit set this may cause
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100628problems, the temp file is owned by the setuid user but the filter command
629probably runs as the original user.
Bram Moolenaar75ab5902022-04-18 15:36:40 +0100630Directory for temporary files is created in the first of these directories
631that works:
632 Unix: $TMPDIR, /tmp, current-dir, $HOME.
633 Windows: $TMP, $TEMP, c:\TMP, c:\TEMP
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100634For MS-Windows the GetTempFileName() system function is used.
635For other systems the tmpnam() library function is used.
636
637
638
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00006394.2 Substitute *:substitute*
640 *:s* *:su*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000641:[range]s[ubstitute]/{pattern}/{string}/[flags] [count]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000642 For each line in [range] replace a match of {pattern}
643 with {string}.
644 For the {pattern} see |pattern|.
645 {string} can be a literal string, or something
646 special; see |sub-replace-special|.
647 When [range] and [count] are omitted, replace in the
Bram Moolenaar3df01732017-02-17 22:47:16 +0100648 current line only. When [count] is given, replace in
649 [count] lines, starting with the last line in [range].
650 When [range] is omitted start in the current line.
Christian Brabandtac637872023-11-14 20:45:48 +0100651 *E939* *E1510*
652 [count] must be a positive number (max 2147483647)
653 Also see |cmdline-ranges|.
Bram Moolenaar3df01732017-02-17 22:47:16 +0100654
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000655 See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaarebdf3c92020-02-15 21:41:42 +0100656 The delimiter doesn't need to be /, see
657 |pattern-delimiter|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000658
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000659:[range]s[ubstitute] [flags] [count]
660:[range]&[&][flags] [count] *:&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000661 Repeat last :substitute with same search pattern and
662 substitute string, but without the same flags. You
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000663 may add [flags], see |:s_flags|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200664 Note that after `:substitute` the '&' flag can't be
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000665 used, it's recognized as a pattern separator.
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +0200666 The space between `:substitute` and the 'c', 'g',
667 'i', 'I' and 'r' flags isn't required, but in scripts
668 it's a good idea to keep it to avoid confusion.
Bram Moolenaarc8cdf0f2021-03-13 13:28:13 +0100669 Also see the two and three letter commands to repeat
670 :substitute below |:substitute-repeat|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000671
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000672:[range]~[&][flags] [count] *:~*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000673 Repeat last substitute with same substitute string
674 but with last used search pattern. This is like
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200675 `:&r`. See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000676
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000677 *&*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200678& Synonym for `:s` (repeat last substitute). Note
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000679 that the flags are not remembered, thus it might
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200680 actually work differently. You can use `:&&` to keep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000681 the flags.
682
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000683 *g&*
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100684g& Synonym for `:%s//~/&` (repeat last substitute with
685 last search pattern on all lines with the same flags).
Bram Moolenaar34700a62013-03-07 13:20:54 +0100686 For example, when you first do a substitution with
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100687 `:s/pattern/repl/flags` and then `/search` for
688 something else, `g&` will do `:%s/search/repl/flags`.
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200689 Mnemonic: global substitute.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000690
691 *:snomagic* *:sno*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200692:[range]sno[magic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'nomagic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000693
694 *:smagic* *:sm*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200695:[range]sm[agic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'magic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000696
697 *:s_flags*
698The flags that you can use for the substitute commands:
699
Bram Moolenaar51628222016-12-01 23:03:28 +0100700 *:&&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000701[&] Must be the first one: Keep the flags from the previous substitute
702 command. Examples: >
703 :&&
704 :s/this/that/&
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200705< Note that `:s` and `:&` don't keep the flags.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000706
707[c] Confirm each substitution. Vim highlights the matching string (with
708 |hl-IncSearch|). You can type: *:s_c*
709 'y' to substitute this match
710 'l' to substitute this match and then quit ("last")
711 'n' to skip this match
712 <Esc> to quit substituting
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200713 'a' to substitute this and all remaining matches
714 'q' to quit substituting
Bram Moolenaare2c453d2019-08-21 14:37:09 +0200715 CTRL-E to scroll the screen up
716 CTRL-Y to scroll the screen down
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000717 If the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers the [c] flag and
718 toggles it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new
719 search pattern.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000720
Bram Moolenaar95bafa22018-10-02 13:26:25 +0200721 *:s_e*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000722[e] When the search pattern fails, do not issue an error message and, in
723 particular, continue in maps as if no error occurred. This is most
724 useful to prevent the "No match" error from breaking a mapping. Vim
725 does not suppress the following error messages, however:
726 Regular expressions can't be delimited by letters
727 \ should be followed by /, ? or &
728 No previous substitute regular expression
729 Trailing characters
730 Interrupted
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000731
Bram Moolenaar95bafa22018-10-02 13:26:25 +0200732 *:s_g*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000733[g] Replace all occurrences in the line. Without this argument,
734 replacement occurs only for the first occurrence in each line. If
735 the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers this flag and toggles
736 it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new search
737 pattern. If the 'gdefault' option is on, this flag is on by default
738 and the [g] argument switches it off.
739
Bram Moolenaar95bafa22018-10-02 13:26:25 +0200740 *:s_i*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000741[i] Ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' options
742 are not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000743
Bram Moolenaar95bafa22018-10-02 13:26:25 +0200744 *:s_I*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000745[I] Don't ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase'
746 options are not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000747
Bram Moolenaar95bafa22018-10-02 13:26:25 +0200748 *:s_n*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000749[n] Report the number of matches, do not actually substitute. The [c]
750 flag is ignored. The matches are reported as if 'report' is zero.
751 Useful to |count-items|.
Bram Moolenaar9b451252012-08-15 17:43:31 +0200752 If \= |sub-replace-expression| is used, the expression will be
753 evaluated in the |sandbox| at every match.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000754
Bram Moolenaar95bafa22018-10-02 13:26:25 +0200755[p] Print the line containing the last substitute. *:s_p*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000756
Bram Moolenaar95bafa22018-10-02 13:26:25 +0200757[#] Like [p] and prepend the line number. *:s_#*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000758
Bram Moolenaar95bafa22018-10-02 13:26:25 +0200759[l] Like [p] but print the text like |:list|. *:s_l*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000760
Bram Moolenaar95bafa22018-10-02 13:26:25 +0200761 *:s_r*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200762[r] Only useful in combination with `:&` or `:s` without arguments. `:&r`
763 works the same way as `:~`: When the search pattern is empty, use the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000764 previously used search pattern instead of the search pattern from the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200765 last substitute or `:global`. If the last command that did a search
766 was a substitute or `:global`, there is no effect. If the last
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000767 command was a search command such as "/", use the pattern from that
768 command.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200769 For `:s` with an argument this already happens: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000770 :s/blue/red/
771 /green
772 :s//red/ or :~ or :&r
773< The last commands will replace "green" with "red". >
774 :s/blue/red/
775 /green
776 :&
777< The last command will replace "blue" with "red".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000778
779Note that there is no flag to change the "magicness" of the pattern. A
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000780different command is used instead, or you can use |/\v| and friends. The
781reason is that the flags can only be found by skipping the pattern, and in
782order to skip the pattern the "magicness" must be known. Catch 22!
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000783
784If the {pattern} for the substitute command is empty, the command uses the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200785pattern from the last substitute or `:global` command. If there is none, but
Bram Moolenaar662db672011-03-22 14:05:35 +0100786there is a previous search pattern, that one is used. With the [r] flag, the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200787command uses the pattern from the last substitute, `:global`, or search
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000788command.
789
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000790If the {string} is omitted the substitute is done as if it's empty. Thus the
791matched pattern is deleted. The separator after {pattern} can also be left
792out then. Example: >
793 :%s/TESTING
794This deletes "TESTING" from all lines, but only one per line.
Bram Moolenaar1588bc82022-03-08 21:35:07 +0000795 *E1270*
796For compatibility with Vi these two exceptions are allowed in legacy script:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000797"\/{string}/" and "\?{string}?" do the same as "//{string}/r".
798"\&{string}&" does the same as "//{string}/".
Bram Moolenaara2baa732022-02-04 16:09:54 +0000799 *pattern-delimiter* *E146* *E1241* *E1242*
Bram Moolenaar4d8f4762021-06-27 15:18:56 +0200800Instead of the '/' which surrounds the pattern and replacement string, you can
801use another single-byte character. This is useful if you want to include a
802'/' in the search pattern or replacement string. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000803 :s+/+//+
804
Bram Moolenaar4d8f4762021-06-27 15:18:56 +0200805You can use most characters, but not an alphanumeric character, '\', '"' or
806'|'. In Vim9 script you should not use '#' because it may be recognized as
807the start of a comment.
808
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000809For the definition of a pattern, see |pattern|. In Visual block mode, use
810|/\%V| in the pattern to have the substitute work in the block only.
811Otherwise it works on whole lines anyway.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000812
813 *sub-replace-special* *:s\=*
814When the {string} starts with "\=" it is evaluated as an expression, see
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200815|sub-replace-expression|. You can use that for complex replacement or special
816characters.
817
Bram Moolenaar2ecbe532022-07-29 21:36:21 +0100818The substitution is limited in recursion to 4 levels. *E1290*
819
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000820Otherwise these characters in {string} have a special meaning:
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000821 *:s%*
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000822When {string} is equal to "%" and '/' is included with the 'cpoptions' option,
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200823then the {string} of the previous substitute command is used, see |cpo-/|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000824
825magic nomagic action ~
826 & \& replaced with the whole matched pattern *s/\&*
827 \& & replaced with &
828 \0 replaced with the whole matched pattern *\0* *s/\0*
829 \1 replaced with the matched pattern in the first
830 pair of () *s/\1*
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000831 \2 replaced with the matched pattern in the second
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000832 pair of () *s/\2*
833 .. .. *s/\3*
834 \9 replaced with the matched pattern in the ninth
835 pair of () *s/\9*
836 ~ \~ replaced with the {string} of the previous
837 substitute *s~*
838 \~ ~ replaced with ~ *s/\~*
839 \u next character made uppercase *s/\u*
840 \U following characters made uppercase, until \E *s/\U*
841 \l next character made lowercase *s/\l*
842 \L following characters made lowercase, until \E *s/\L*
843 \e end of \u, \U, \l and \L (NOTE: not <Esc>!) *s/\e*
844 \E end of \u, \U, \l and \L *s/\E*
845 <CR> split line in two at this point
846 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s<CR>*
847 \r idem *s/\r*
848 \<CR> insert a carriage-return (CTRL-M)
849 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s/\<CR>*
850 \n insert a <NL> (<NUL> in the file)
851 (does NOT break the line) *s/\n*
852 \b insert a <BS> *s/\b*
853 \t insert a <Tab> *s/\t*
854 \\ insert a single backslash *s/\\*
855 \x where x is any character not mentioned above:
856 Reserved for future expansion
857
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200858The special meaning is also used inside the third argument {sub} of
859the |substitute()| function with the following exceptions:
860 - A % inserts a percent literally without regard to 'cpoptions'.
861 - magic is always set without regard to 'magic'.
862 - A ~ inserts a tilde literally.
863 - <CR> and \r inserts a carriage-return (CTRL-M).
Bram Moolenaarba3ff532018-11-04 14:45:49 +0100864 - \<CR> does not have a special meaning. It's just one of \x.
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200865
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000866Examples: >
867 :s/a\|b/xxx\0xxx/g modifies "a b" to "xxxaxxx xxxbxxx"
868 :s/\([abc]\)\([efg]\)/\2\1/g modifies "af fa bg" to "fa fa gb"
869 :s/abcde/abc^Mde/ modifies "abcde" to "abc", "de" (two lines)
870 :s/$/\^M/ modifies "abcde" to "abcde^M"
Bram Moolenaarefd2bf12006-03-16 21:41:35 +0000871 :s/\w\+/\u\0/g modifies "bla bla" to "Bla Bla"
Bram Moolenaaraa3b15d2016-04-21 08:53:19 +0200872 :s/\w\+/\L\u\0/g modifies "BLA bla" to "Bla Bla"
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200873
874Note: "\L\u" can be used to capitalize the first letter of a word. This is
875not compatible with Vi and older versions of Vim, where the "\u" would cancel
876out the "\L". Same for "\U\l".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000877
878Note: In previous versions CTRL-V was handled in a special way. Since this is
879not Vi compatible, this was removed. Use a backslash instead.
880
881command text result ~
882:s/aa/a^Ma/ aa a<line-break>a
883:s/aa/a\^Ma/ aa a^Ma
884:s/aa/a\\^Ma/ aa a\<line-break>a
885
886(you need to type CTRL-V <CR> to get a ^M here)
887
888The numbering of "\1", "\2" etc. is done based on which "\(" comes first in
889the pattern (going left to right). When a parentheses group matches several
890times, the last one will be used for "\1", "\2", etc. Example: >
891 :s/\(\(a[a-d] \)*\)/\2/ modifies "aa ab x" to "ab x"
Bram Moolenaar7e1479b2016-09-11 15:07:27 +0200892The "\2" is for "\(a[a-d] \)". At first it matches "aa ", secondly "ab ".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000893
894When using parentheses in combination with '|', like in \([ab]\)\|\([cd]\),
895either the first or second pattern in parentheses did not match, so either
896\1 or \2 is empty. Example: >
897 :s/\([ab]\)\|\([cd]\)/\1x/g modifies "a b c d" to "ax bx x x"
898<
899
Bram Moolenaara0f849e2015-10-30 14:37:44 +0100900 *:sc* *:sce* *:scg* *:sci* *:scI* *:scl* *:scp* *:sg* *:sgc*
901 *:sge* *:sgi* *:sgI* *:sgl* *:sgn* *:sgp* *:sgr* *:sI* *:si*
902 *:sic* *:sIc* *:sie* *:sIe* *:sIg* *:sIl* *:sin* *:sIn* *:sIp*
903 *:sip* *:sIr* *:sir* *:sr* *:src* *:srg* *:sri* *:srI* *:srl*
Bram Moolenaarc8cdf0f2021-03-13 13:28:13 +0100904 *:srn* *:srp* *:substitute-repeat*
Bram Moolenaara0f849e2015-10-30 14:37:44 +01009052-letter and 3-letter :substitute commands ~
906
Bram Moolenaarc8cdf0f2021-03-13 13:28:13 +0100907These commands repeat the previous `:substitute` command with the given flags.
908The first letter is always "s", followed by one or two of the possible flag
909characters. For example `:sce` works like `:s///ce`. The table lists the
910possible combinations, not all flags are possible, because the command is
911short for another command.
912
Bram Moolenaara0f849e2015-10-30 14:37:44 +0100913 List of :substitute commands
914 | c e g i I n p l r
Bram Moolenaarc8cdf0f2021-03-13 13:28:13 +0100915 | c :sc :sce :scg :sci :scI :scn :scp :scl
Bram Moolenaara0f849e2015-10-30 14:37:44 +0100916 | e
917 | g :sgc :sge :sg :sgi :sgI :sgn :sgp :sgl :sgr
Bram Moolenaarc8cdf0f2021-03-13 13:28:13 +0100918 | i :sic :sie :si :siI :sin :sip :sir
Bram Moolenaara0f849e2015-10-30 14:37:44 +0100919 | I :sIc :sIe :sIg :sIi :sI :sIn :sIp :sIl :sIr
920 | n
921 | p
922 | l
Bram Moolenaarc8cdf0f2021-03-13 13:28:13 +0100923 | r :src :srg :sri :srI :srn :srp :srl :sr
Bram Moolenaara0f849e2015-10-30 14:37:44 +0100924
925Exceptions:
926 :scr is `:scriptnames`
927 :se is `:set`
928 :sig is `:sign`
929 :sil is `:silent`
930 :sn is `:snext`
931 :sp is `:split`
932 :sl is `:sleep`
933 :sre is `:srewind`
934
935
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000936Substitute with an expression *sub-replace-expression*
Bram Moolenaar92dff182014-02-11 19:15:50 +0100937 *sub-replace-\=* *s/\=*
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000938When the substitute string starts with "\=" the remainder is interpreted as an
Bram Moolenaar6100d022016-10-02 16:51:57 +0200939expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000940
941The special meaning for characters as mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200942not apply except for "<CR>". A <NL> character is used as a line break, you
943can get one with a double-quote string: "\n". Prepend a backslash to get a
944real <NL> character (which will be a NUL in the file).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000945
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200946The "\=" notation can also be used inside the third argument {sub} of
947|substitute()| function. In this case, the special meaning for characters as
948mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does not apply at all. Especially, <CR> and
949<NL> are interpreted not as a line break but as a carriage-return and a
950new-line respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000951
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +0000952When the result is a |List| then the items are joined with separating line
953breaks. Thus each item becomes a line, except that they can contain line
954breaks themselves.
955
Bram Moolenaar9d87a372018-12-18 21:41:50 +0100956The |submatch()| function can be used to obtain matched text. The whole
957matched text can be accessed with "submatch(0)". The text matched with the
958first pair of () with "submatch(1)". Likewise for further sub-matches in ().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000959
960Be careful: The separation character must not appear in the expression!
961Consider using a character like "@" or ":". There is no problem if the result
962of the expression contains the separation character.
963
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000964Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc51cf032022-02-26 12:25:45 +0000965 :s@\n@\="\r" .. expand("$HOME") .. "\r"@
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000966This replaces an end-of-line with a new line containing the value of $HOME. >
967
968 s/E/\="\<Char-0x20ac>"/g
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +0000969This replaces each 'E' character with a euro sign. Read more in |<Char->|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000970
971
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00009724.3 Search and replace *search-replace*
973
974 *:pro* *:promptfind*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000975:promptf[ind] [string]
976 Put up a Search dialog. When [string] is given, it is
977 used as the initial search string.
978 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
979
980 *:promptr* *:promptrepl*
981:promptr[epl] [string]
982 Put up a Search/Replace dialog. When [string] is
983 given, it is used as the initial search string.
984 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
985
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000986
9874.4 Changing tabs *change-tabs*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200988 *:ret* *:retab* *:retab!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000989:[range]ret[ab][!] [new_tabstop]
990 Replace all sequences of white-space containing a
991 <Tab> with new strings of white-space using the new
992 tabstop value given. If you do not specify a new
993 tabstop size or it is zero, Vim uses the current value
994 of 'tabstop'.
995 The current value of 'tabstop' is always used to
996 compute the width of existing tabs.
997 With !, Vim also replaces strings of only normal
998 spaces with tabs where appropriate.
999 With 'expandtab' on, Vim replaces all tabs with the
1000 appropriate number of spaces.
1001 This command sets 'tabstop' to the new value given,
1002 and if performed on the whole file, which is default,
1003 should not make any visible change.
1004 Careful: This command modifies any <Tab> characters
1005 inside of strings in a C program. Use "\t" to avoid
1006 this (that's a good habit anyway).
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001007 `:retab!` may also change a sequence of spaces by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001008 <Tab> characters, which can mess up a printf().
Bram Moolenaar04958cb2018-06-23 19:23:02 +02001009 If the |+vartabs| feature is enabled then a list of
1010 tab widths separated by commas may be used in place of
1011 a single tabstop. Each value in the list represents
1012 the width of one tabstop, except the final value which
1013 applies to all following tabstops.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001014
1015 *retab-example*
1016Example for using autocommands and ":retab" to edit a file which is stored
1017with tabstops at 8 but edited with tabstops set at 4. Warning: white space
1018inside of strings can change! Also see 'softtabstop' option. >
1019
1020 :auto BufReadPost *.xx retab! 4
1021 :auto BufWritePre *.xx retab! 8
1022 :auto BufWritePost *.xx retab! 4
1023 :auto BufNewFile *.xx set ts=4
1024
1025==============================================================================
10265. Copying and moving text *copy-move*
1027
1028 *quote*
Bram Moolenaar7ceefb32020-05-01 16:07:38 +02001029"{register} Use {register} for next delete, yank or put. Use
1030 an uppercase character to append with delete and yank.
1031 Registers ".", "%", "#" and ":" only work with put.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001032
1033 *:reg* *:registers*
Bram Moolenaar3691f1e2019-10-24 20:17:00 +02001034:reg[isters] Display the type and contents of all numbered and
1035 named registers. If a register is written to for
1036 |:redir| it will not be listed.
1037 Type can be one of:
1038 "c" for |characterwise| text
1039 "l" for |linewise| text
1040 "b" for |blockwise-visual| text
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001041
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001042
1043:reg[isters] {arg} Display the contents of the numbered and named
1044 registers that are mentioned in {arg}. For example: >
Bram Moolenaarfa735342016-01-03 22:14:44 +01001045 :reg 1a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001046< to display registers '1' and 'a'. Spaces are allowed
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001047 in {arg}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001048
Bram Moolenaardd60c362023-02-27 15:49:53 +00001049 *:di* *:dis* *:display*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001050:di[splay] [arg] Same as :registers.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001051
1052 *y* *yank*
1053["x]y{motion} Yank {motion} text [into register x]. When no
1054 characters are to be yanked (e.g., "y0" in column 1),
1055 this is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E'
1056 flag.
1057
1058 *yy*
1059["x]yy Yank [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
1060
1061 *Y*
1062["x]Y yank [count] lines [into register x] (synonym for
1063 yy, |linewise|). If you like "Y" to work from the
1064 cursor to the end of line (which is more logical,
1065 but not Vi-compatible) use ":map Y y$".
1066
Christian Brabandt544a38e2021-06-10 19:39:11 +02001067 *zy*
1068["x]zy{motion} Yank {motion} text [into register x]. Only differs
1069 from `y` when selecting a block of text, see |v_zy|.
1070
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001071 *v_y*
1072{Visual}["x]y Yank the highlighted text [into register x] (for
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001073 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001074
1075 *v_Y*
1076{Visual}["x]Y Yank the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001077 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001078
Christian Brabandt544a38e2021-06-10 19:39:11 +02001079 *v_zy*
1080{Visual}["x]zy Yank the highlighted text [into register x]. Trailing
1081 whitespace at the end of each line of a selected block
1082 won't be yanked. Especially useful in combination
1083 with `zp`. (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|)
1084
Bram Moolenaar85de2062011-05-05 14:26:41 +02001085 *:y* *:yank* *E850*
1086:[range]y[ank] [x] Yank [range] lines [into register x]. Yanking to the
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001087 "* or "+ registers is possible only when the
1088 |+clipboard| feature is included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001089
1090:[range]y[ank] [x] {count}
1091 Yank {count} lines, starting with last line number
1092 in [range] (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|),
1093 [into register x].
1094
Bram Moolenaara2baa732022-02-04 16:09:54 +00001095 *p* *put* *E353* *E1240*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001096["x]p Put the text [from register x] after the cursor
Bram Moolenaara6c27c42019-05-09 19:16:22 +02001097 [count] times.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001098
1099 *P*
1100["x]P Put the text [from register x] before the cursor
Bram Moolenaara6c27c42019-05-09 19:16:22 +02001101 [count] times.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001102
1103 *<MiddleMouse>*
1104["x]<MiddleMouse> Put the text from a register before the cursor [count]
1105 times. Uses the "* register, unless another is
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001106 specified.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +00001107 Leaves the cursor at the end of the new text.
1108 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1109 or 'a'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001110 If you have a scrollwheel and often accidentally paste
1111 text, you can use these mappings to disable the
1112 pasting with the middle mouse button: >
1113 :map <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
1114 :imap <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
1115< You might want to disable the multi-click versions
1116 too, see |double-click|.
1117
1118 *gp*
1119["x]gp Just like "p", but leave the cursor just after the new
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001120 text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001121
1122 *gP*
1123["x]gP Just like "P", but leave the cursor just after the new
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001124 text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001125
1126 *:pu* *:put*
1127:[line]pu[t] [x] Put the text [from register x] after [line] (default
1128 current line). This always works |linewise|, thus
1129 this command can be used to put a yanked block as new
1130 lines.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001131 If no register is specified, it depends on the 'cb'
1132 option: If 'cb' contains "unnamedplus", paste from the
1133 + register |quoteplus|. Otherwise, if 'cb' contains
Bram Moolenaarddbb5552012-04-26 20:17:03 +02001134 "unnamed", paste from the * register |quotestar|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001135 Otherwise, paste from the unnamed register
1136 |quote_quote|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001137 The register can also be '=' followed by an optional
1138 expression. The expression continues until the end of
1139 the command. You need to escape the '|' and '"'
1140 characters to prevent them from terminating the
1141 command. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarc51cf032022-02-26 12:25:45 +00001142 :put ='path' .. \",/test\"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001143< If there is no expression after '=', Vim uses the
1144 previous expression. You can see it with ":dis =".
1145
1146:[line]pu[t]! [x] Put the text [from register x] before [line] (default
1147 current line).
1148
1149["x]]p or *]p* *]<MiddleMouse>*
1150["x]]<MiddleMouse> Like "p", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1151 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001152 or 'a'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001153
1154["x][P or *[P*
1155["x]]P or *]P*
1156["x][p or *[p* *[<MiddleMouse>*
1157["x][<MiddleMouse> Like "P", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1158 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001159 or 'a'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001160
Christian Brabandt2fa93842021-05-30 22:17:25 +02001161["x]zp or *zp* *zP*
1162["x]zP Like "p" and "P", except without adding trailing spaces
1163 when pasting a block. Thus the inserted text will not
Christian Brabandt544a38e2021-06-10 19:39:11 +02001164 always be a rectangle. Especially useful in
1165 combination with |v_zy|.
Christian Brabandt2fa93842021-05-30 22:17:25 +02001166
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001167You can use these commands to copy text from one place to another. Do this
1168by first getting the text into a register with a yank, delete or change
1169command, then inserting the register contents with a put command. You can
1170also use these commands to move text from one file to another, because Vim
1171preserves all registers when changing buffers (the CTRL-^ command is a quick
1172way to toggle between two files).
1173
1174 *linewise-register* *characterwise-register*
1175You can repeat the put commands with "." (except for :put) and undo them. If
1176the command that was used to get the text into the register was |linewise|,
1177Vim inserts the text below ("p") or above ("P") the line where the cursor is.
1178Otherwise Vim inserts the text after ("p") or before ("P") the cursor. With
1179the ":put" command, Vim always inserts the text in the next line. You can
1180exchange two characters with the command sequence "xp". You can exchange two
1181lines with the command sequence "ddp". You can exchange two words with the
1182command sequence "deep" (start with the cursor in the blank space before the
1183first word). You can use the "']" or "`]" command after the put command to
1184move the cursor to the end of the inserted text, or use "'[" or "`[" to move
1185the cursor to the start.
1186
1187 *put-Visual-mode* *v_p* *v_P*
1188When using a put command like |p| or |P| in Visual mode, Vim will try to
1189replace the selected text with the contents of the register. Whether this
1190works well depends on the type of selection and the type of the text in the
1191register. With blockwise selection it also depends on the size of the block
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001192and whether the corners are on an existing character. (Implementation detail:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001193it actually works by first putting the register after the selection and then
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001194deleting the selection.)
Shougo Matsushita509142a2022-05-06 11:45:09 +01001195With |p| the previously selected text is put in the unnamed register (and
1196possibly the selection and/or clipboard). This is useful if you want to put
1197that text somewhere else. But you cannot repeat the same change.
1198With |P| the unnamed register is not changed (and neither the selection or
1199clipboard), you can repeat the same change. But the deleted text cannot be
1200used. If you do need it you can use |p| with another register. E.g., yank
1201the text to copy, Visually select the text to replace and use "0p . You can
1202repeat this as many times as you like, and the unnamed register will be
1203changed each time.
Bram Moolenaar9712ff12022-09-18 13:04:22 +01001204 *blockwise-put*
1205When a register contains text from one line (characterwise), using a
1206blockwise Visual selection, putting that register will paste that text
1207repeatedly in each of the selected lines, thus replacing the blockwise
1208selected region by multiple copies of the register text. For example:
1209 - yank the word "TEXT" into a register with `yw`
1210 - select a visual block, marked with "v" in this text:
1211 aaavvaaa
1212 bbbvvbbb
1213 cccvvccc
1214 - press `p`, results in:
1215 aaaTEXTaaa
1216 bbbTEXTbbb
1217 cccTEXTccc
Bram Moolenaarec11aef2013-09-22 15:23:44 +02001218
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001219 *blockwise-register*
1220If you use a blockwise Visual mode command to get the text into the register,
1221the block of text will be inserted before ("P") or after ("p") the cursor
1222column in the current and next lines. Vim makes the whole block of text start
1223in the same column. Thus the inserted text looks the same as when it was
1224yanked or deleted. Vim may replace some <Tab> characters with spaces to make
1225this happen. However, if the width of the block is not a multiple of a <Tab>
1226width and the text after the inserted block contains <Tab>s, that text may be
1227misaligned.
1228
Bram Moolenaar22863042021-10-16 15:23:36 +01001229Use |zP|/|zp| to paste a blockwise yanked register without appending trailing
1230spaces.
1231
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001232Note that after a characterwise yank command, Vim leaves the cursor on the
1233first yanked character that is closest to the start of the buffer. This means
1234that "yl" doesn't move the cursor, but "yh" moves the cursor one character
1235left.
1236Rationale: In Vi the "y" command followed by a backwards motion would
1237 sometimes not move the cursor to the first yanked character,
1238 because redisplaying was skipped. In Vim it always moves to
1239 the first character, as specified by Posix.
1240With a linewise yank command the cursor is put in the first line, but the
1241column is unmodified, thus it may not be on the first yanked character.
1242
Bram Moolenaar5be4cee2019-09-27 19:34:08 +02001243There are ten types of registers: *registers* *{register}* *E354*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000012441. The unnamed register ""
12452. 10 numbered registers "0 to "9
12463. The small delete register "-
12474. 26 named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z
Bram Moolenaar396e8292019-07-13 23:04:31 +020012485. Three read-only registers ":, "., "%
12496. Alternate buffer register "#
12507. The expression register "=
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010012518. The selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
12529. The black hole register "_
125310. Last search pattern register "/
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001254
12551. Unnamed register "" *quote_quote* *quotequote*
1256Vim fills this register with text deleted with the "d", "c", "s", "x" commands
1257or copied with the yank "y" command, regardless of whether or not a specific
Bram Moolenaared203462004-06-16 11:19:22 +00001258register was used (e.g. "xdd). This is like the unnamed register is pointing
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001259to the last used register. Thus when appending using an uppercase register
1260name, the unnamed register contains the same text as the named register.
1261An exception is the '_' register: "_dd does not store the deleted text in any
1262register.
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001263Vim uses the contents of the unnamed register for any put command (p or P)
1264which does not specify a register. Additionally you can access it with the
1265name '"'. This means you have to type two double quotes. Writing to the ""
1266register writes to register "0.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001267{Vi: register contents are lost when changing files, no '"'}
1268
Bram Moolenaaraa3b15d2016-04-21 08:53:19 +020012692. Numbered registers "0 to "9 *quote_number* *quote0* *quote1*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001270 *quote2* *quote3* *quote4* *quote9*
1271Vim fills these registers with text from yank and delete commands.
1272 Numbered register 0 contains the text from the most recent yank command,
1273unless the command specified another register with ["x].
1274 Numbered register 1 contains the text deleted by the most recent delete or
1275change command, unless the command specified another register or the text is
1276less than one line (the small delete register is used then). An exception is
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001277made for the delete operator with these movement commands: |%|, |(|, |)|, |`|,
1278|/|, |?|, |n|, |N|, |{| and |}|. Register "1 is always used then (this is Vi
1279compatible). The "- register is used as well if the delete is within a line.
Bram Moolenaarbaca7f72013-09-22 14:42:24 +02001280Note that these characters may be mapped. E.g. |%| is mapped by the matchit
Bram Moolenaar7cba6c02013-09-05 22:13:31 +02001281plugin.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001282 With each successive deletion or change, Vim shifts the previous contents
1283of register 1 into register 2, 2 into 3, and so forth, losing the previous
1284contents of register 9.
1285{Vi: numbered register contents are lost when changing files; register 0 does
1286not exist}
1287
12883. Small delete register "- *quote_-* *quote-*
1289This register contains text from commands that delete less than one line,
1290except when the command specifies a register with ["x].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001291
12924. Named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z *quote_alpha* *quotea*
1293Vim fills these registers only when you say so. Specify them as lowercase
1294letters to replace their previous contents or as uppercase letters to append
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001295to their previous contents. When the '>' flag is present in 'cpoptions' then
1296a line break is inserted before the appended text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001297
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010012985. Read-only registers ":, ". and "%
Bram Moolenaarcfa8f9a2022-06-03 21:59:47 +01001299These are '%', ':' and '.'. You can use them only with the "p", "P",
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001300and ":put" commands and with CTRL-R.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001301 *quote_.* *quote.* *E29*
1302 ". Contains the last inserted text (the same as what is inserted
1303 with the insert mode commands CTRL-A and CTRL-@). Note: this
1304 doesn't work with CTRL-R on the command-line. It works a bit
1305 differently, like inserting the text instead of putting it
1306 ('textwidth' and other options affect what is inserted).
1307 *quote_%* *quote%*
1308 "% Contains the name of the current file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001309 *quote_:* *quote:* *E30*
1310 ": Contains the most recent executed command-line. Example: Use
1311 "@:" to repeat the previous command-line command.
1312 The command-line is only stored in this register when at least
1313 one character of it was typed. Thus it remains unchanged if
1314 the command was completely from a mapping.
1315 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
1316 feature}
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +01001317 *quote_#* *quote#*
13186. Alternate file register "#
1319Contains the name of the alternate file for the current window. It will
1320change how the |CTRL-^| command works.
1321This register is writable, mainly to allow for restoring it after a plugin has
1322changed it. It accepts buffer number: >
1323 let altbuf = bufnr(@#)
1324 ...
1325 let @# = altbuf
1326It will give error |E86| if you pass buffer number and this buffer does not
1327exist.
1328It can also accept a match with an existing buffer name: >
1329 let @# = 'buffer_name'
1330Error |E93| if there is more than one buffer matching the given name or |E94|
1331if none of buffers matches the given name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001332
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010013337. Expression register "= *quote_=* *quote=* *@=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001334This is not really a register that stores text, but is a way to use an
1335expression in commands which use a register. The expression register is
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001336read-write.
1337
1338When typing the '=' after " or CTRL-R the cursor moves to the command-line,
1339where you can enter any expression (see |expression|). All normal
1340command-line editing commands are available, including a special history for
1341expressions. When you end the command-line by typing <CR>, Vim computes the
1342result of the expression. If you end it with <Esc>, Vim abandons the
1343expression. If you do not enter an expression, Vim uses the previous
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001344expression (like with the "/" command).
1345
1346The expression must evaluate to a String. A Number is always automatically
1347converted to a String. For the "p" and ":put" command, if the result is a
1348Float it's converted into a String. If the result is a List each element is
Yegappan Lakshmananf01493c2024-04-14 23:21:02 +02001349turned into a String and used as a line. A Dictionary is converted into a
h-east53753f62024-05-05 18:42:31 +02001350String. A Funcref results in an error message (use string() to convert).
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001351
1352If the "= register is used for the "p" command, the String is split up at <NL>
1353characters. If the String ends in a <NL>, it is regarded as a linewise
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001354register.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001355
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010013568. Selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001357Use these registers for storing and retrieving the selected text for the GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001358See |quotestar| and |quoteplus|. When the clipboard is not available or not
Bram Moolenaarf4d11452005-12-02 00:46:37 +00001359working, the unnamed register is used instead. For Unix systems the clipboard
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001360is only available when the |+xterm_clipboard| feature is present.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001361
1362Note that there is only a distinction between "* and "+ for X11 systems. For
1363an explanation of the difference, see |x11-selection|. Under MS-Windows, use
1364of "* and "+ is actually synonymous and refers to the |gui-clipboard|.
1365
1366 *quote_~* *quote~* *<Drop>*
1367The read-only "~ register stores the dropped text from the last drag'n'drop
1368operation. When something has been dropped onto Vim, the "~ register is
1369filled in and the <Drop> pseudo key is sent for notification. You can remap
1370this key if you want; the default action (for all modes) is to insert the
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001371contents of the "~ register at the cursor position.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001372{only available when compiled with the |+dnd| feature, currently only with the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001373GTK GUI}
1374
1375Note: The "~ register is only used when dropping plain text onto Vim.
1376Drag'n'drop of URI lists is handled internally.
1377
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010013789. Black hole register "_ *quote_*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001379When writing to this register, nothing happens. This can be used to delete
1380text without affecting the normal registers. When reading from this register,
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001381nothing is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001382
Bram Moolenaar5be4cee2019-09-27 19:34:08 +0200138310. Last search pattern register "/ *quote_/* *quote/*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001384Contains the most recent search-pattern. This is used for "n" and 'hlsearch'.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001385It is writable with `:let`, you can change it to have 'hlsearch' highlight
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001386other matches without actually searching. You can't yank or delete into this
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001387register. The search direction is available in |v:searchforward|.
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001388Note that the value is restored when returning from a function
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001389|function-search-undo|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001390
1391 *@/*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001392You can write to a register with a `:let` command |:let-@|. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001393 :let @/ = "the"
1394
1395If you use a put command without specifying a register, Vim uses the register
1396that was last filled (this is also the contents of the unnamed register). If
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001397you are confused, use the `:dis` command to find out what Vim will put (this
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001398command displays all named and numbered registers; the unnamed register is
1399labelled '"').
1400
1401The next three commands always work on whole lines.
1402
1403:[range]co[py] {address} *:co* *:copy*
1404 Copy the lines given by [range] to below the line
1405 given by {address}.
1406
1407 *:t*
1408:t Synonym for copy.
Bram Moolenaara4d131d2021-12-27 21:33:07 +00001409 This command is not supported in |Vim9| script,
1410 because it is too easily confused with a variable
1411 name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001412
1413:[range]m[ove] {address} *:m* *:mo* *:move* *E134*
1414 Move the lines given by [range] to below the line
1415 given by {address}.
Christian Brabandt946f61c2024-06-17 13:17:58 +02001416 Any text properties in [range] are cleared
1417 |text-prop-cleared|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001418
1419==============================================================================
14206. Formatting text *formatting*
1421
1422:[range]ce[nter] [width] *:ce* *:center*
1423 Center lines in [range] between [width] columns
1424 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001425
1426:[range]ri[ght] [width] *:ri* *:right*
1427 Right-align lines in [range] at [width] columns
1428 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001429
1430 *:le* *:left*
1431:[range]le[ft] [indent]
1432 Left-align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001433 lines to [indent] (default 0).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001434
1435 *gq*
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001436gq{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001437 Formatting is done with one of three methods:
1438 1. If 'formatexpr' is not empty the expression is
1439 evaluated. This can differ for each buffer.
Bram Moolenaar4c7ed462006-02-15 22:18:42 +00001440 2. If 'formatprg' is not empty an external program
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001441 is used.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001442 3. Otherwise formatting is done internally.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001443
1444 In the third case the 'textwidth' option controls the
1445 length of each formatted line (see below).
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001446 If the 'textwidth' option is 0, the formatted line
1447 length is the screen width (with a maximum width of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001448 79).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001449 The 'formatoptions' option controls the type of
1450 formatting |fo-table|.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001451 The cursor is left on the first non-blank of the last
1452 formatted line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001453 NOTE: The "Q" command formerly performed this
1454 function. If you still want to use "Q" for
1455 formatting, use this mapping: >
1456 :nnoremap Q gq
1457
1458gqgq *gqgq* *gqq*
Bram Moolenaar40af4e32010-07-29 22:33:18 +02001459gqq Format the current line. With a count format that
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001460 many lines.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001461
1462 *v_gq*
1463{Visual}gq Format the highlighted text. (for {Visual} see
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001464 |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001465
1466 *gw*
1467gw{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over. Similar to
1468 |gq| but puts the cursor back at the same position in
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001469 the text. However, 'formatprg' and 'formatexpr' are
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001470 not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001471
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001472gwgw *gwgw* *gww*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001473gww Format the current line as with "gw".
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001474
1475 *v_gw*
1476{Visual}gw Format the highlighted text as with "gw". (for
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +02001477 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001478
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001479Example: To format the current paragraph use: *gqap* >
1480 gqap
1481
1482The "gq" command leaves the cursor in the line where the motion command takes
1483the cursor. This allows you to repeat formatting repeated with ".". This
1484works well with "gqj" (format current and next line) and "gq}" (format until
1485end of paragraph). Note: When 'formatprg' is set, "gq" leaves the cursor on
1486the first formatted line (as with using a filter command).
1487
1488If you want to format the current paragraph and continue where you were, use: >
1489 gwap
1490If you always want to keep paragraphs formatted you may want to add the 'a'
1491flag to 'formatoptions'. See |auto-format|.
1492
1493If the 'autoindent' option is on, Vim uses the indent of the first line for
1494the following lines.
1495
1496Formatting does not change empty lines (but it does change lines with only
1497white space!).
1498
1499The 'joinspaces' option is used when lines are joined together.
1500
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001501You can set the 'formatexpr' option to an expression or the 'formatprg' option
1502to the name of an external program for Vim to use for text formatting. The
1503'textwidth' and other options have no effect on formatting by an external
1504program.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001505
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +02001506 *format-formatexpr*
Bram Moolenaard473c8c2018-08-11 18:00:22 +02001507The 'formatexpr' option can be set to a Vim script function that performs
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +02001508reformatting of the buffer. This should usually happen in an |ftplugin|,
1509since formatting is highly dependent on the type of file. It makes
1510sense to use an |autoload| script, so the corresponding script is only loaded
1511when actually needed and the script should be called <filetype>format.vim.
1512
1513For example, the XML filetype plugin distributed with Vim in the $VIMRUNTIME
1514directory, sets the 'formatexpr' option to: >
1515
1516 setlocal formatexpr=xmlformat#Format()
1517
1518That means, you will find the corresponding script, defining the
1519xmlformat#Format() function, in the directory:
1520`$VIMRUNTIME/autoload/xmlformat.vim`
1521
1522Here is an example script that removes trailing whitespace from the selected
1523text. Put it in your autoload directory, e.g. ~/.vim/autoload/format.vim: >
1524
1525 func! format#Format()
1526 " only reformat on explicit gq command
1527 if mode() != 'n'
Bram Moolenaard1caa942020-04-10 22:10:56 +02001528 " fall back to Vim's internal reformatting
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +02001529 return 1
1530 endif
1531 let lines = getline(v:lnum, v:lnum + v:count - 1)
1532 call map(lines, {key, val -> substitute(val, '\s\+$', '', 'g')})
1533 call setline('.', lines)
1534
1535 " do not run internal formatter!
1536 return 0
1537 endfunc
1538
1539You can then enable the formatting by executing: >
1540 setlocal formatexpr=format#Format()
Bram Moolenaard473c8c2018-08-11 18:00:22 +02001541
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +02001542Note: this function explicitly returns non-zero when called from insert mode
1543(which basically means, text is inserted beyond the 'textwidth' limit). This
1544causes Vim to fall back to reformat the text by using the internal formatter.
1545
1546However, if the |gq| command is used to reformat the text, the function
1547will receive the selected lines, trim trailing whitespace from those lines and
1548put them back in place. If you are going to split single lines into multiple
1549lines, be careful not to overwrite anything.
1550
1551If you want to allow reformatting of text from insert or replace mode, one has
1552to be very careful, because the function might be called recursively. For
1553debugging it helps to set the 'debug' option.
1554
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001555 *right-justify*
1556There is no command in Vim to right justify text. You can do it with
1557an external command, like "par" (e.g.: "!}par" to format until the end of the
1558paragraph) or set 'formatprg' to "par".
1559
1560 *format-comments*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001561An overview of comment formatting is in section |30.6| of the user manual.
1562
1563Vim can automatically insert and format comments in a special way. Vim
1564recognizes a comment by a specific string at the start of the line (ignoring
1565white space). Three types of comments can be used:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001566
1567- A comment string that repeats at the start of each line. An example is the
1568 type of comment used in shell scripts, starting with "#".
1569- A comment string that occurs only in the first line, not in the following
1570 lines. An example is this list with dashes.
1571- Three-piece comments that have a start string, an end string, and optional
1572 lines in between. The strings for the start, middle and end are different.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001573 An example is the C style comment:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001574 /*
1575 * this is a C comment
1576 */
1577
1578The 'comments' option is a comma-separated list of parts. Each part defines a
1579type of comment string. A part consists of:
1580 {flags}:{string}
1581
1582{string} is the literal text that must appear.
1583
1584{flags}:
1585 n Nested comment. Nesting with mixed parts is allowed. If 'comments'
1586 is "n:),n:>" a line starting with "> ) >" is a comment.
1587
1588 b Blank (<Space>, <Tab> or <EOL>) required after {string}.
1589
1590 f Only the first line has the comment string. Do not repeat comment on
1591 the next line, but preserve indentation (e.g., a bullet-list).
1592
1593 s Start of three-piece comment
1594
1595 m Middle of a three-piece comment
1596
1597 e End of a three-piece comment
1598
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001599 l Left align. Used together with 's' or 'e', the leftmost character of
1600 start or end will line up with the leftmost character from the middle.
1601 This is the default and can be omitted. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001602
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001603 r Right align. Same as above but rightmost instead of leftmost. See
1604 below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001605
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001606 O Don't consider this comment for the "O" command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001607
1608 x Allows three-piece comments to be ended by just typing the last
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001609 character of the end-comment string as the first action on a new
1610 line when the middle-comment string has been inserted automatically.
1611 See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001612
1613 {digits}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001614 When together with 's' or 'e': add {digit} amount of offset to an
1615 automatically inserted middle or end comment leader. The offset begins
1616 from a left alignment. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001617
1618 -{digits}
1619 Like {digits} but reduce the indent. This only works when there is
1620 some indent for the start or end part that can be removed.
1621
1622When a string has none of the 'f', 's', 'm' or 'e' flags, Vim assumes the
1623comment string repeats at the start of each line. The flags field may be
1624empty.
1625
1626Any blank space in the text before and after the {string} is part of the
1627{string}, so do not include leading or trailing blanks unless the blanks are a
1628required part of the comment string.
1629
1630When one comment leader is part of another, specify the part after the whole.
1631For example, to include both "-" and "->", use >
1632 :set comments=f:->,f:-
1633
1634A three-piece comment must always be given as start,middle,end, with no other
1635parts in between. An example of a three-piece comment is >
1636 sr:/*,mb:*,ex:*/
1637for C-comments. To avoid recognizing "*ptr" as a comment, the middle string
1638includes the 'b' flag. For three-piece comments, Vim checks the text after
1639the start and middle strings for the end string. If Vim finds the end string,
1640the comment does not continue on the next line. Three-piece comments must
1641have a middle string because otherwise Vim can't recognize the middle lines.
1642
1643Notice the use of the "x" flag in the above three-piece comment definition.
1644When you hit Return in a C-comment, Vim will insert the middle comment leader
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001645for the new line: " * ". To close this comment you just have to type "/"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001646before typing anything else on the new line. This will replace the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001647middle-comment leader with the end-comment leader and apply any specified
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001648alignment, leaving just " */". There is no need to hit Backspace first.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001649
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001650When there is a match with a middle part, but there also is a matching end
1651part which is longer, the end part is used. This makes a C style comment work
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001652without requiring the middle part to end with a space.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001653
1654Here is an example of alignment flags at work to make a comment stand out
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001655(kind of looks like a 1 too). Consider comment string: >
1656 :set comments=sr:/***,m:**,ex-2:******/
1657<
1658 /*** ~
1659 **<--right aligned from "r" flag ~
1660 ** ~
1661offset 2 spaces for the "-2" flag--->** ~
1662 ******/ ~
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001663In this case, the first comment was typed, then return was pressed 4 times,
1664then "/" was pressed to end the comment.
1665
1666Here are some finer points of three part comments. There are three times when
1667alignment and offset flags are taken into consideration: opening a new line
1668after a start-comment, opening a new line before an end-comment, and
1669automatically ending a three-piece comment. The end alignment flag has a
1670backwards perspective; the result is that the same alignment flag used with
1671"s" and "e" will result in the same indent for the starting and ending pieces.
1672Only one alignment per comment part is meant to be used, but an offset number
1673will override the "r" and "l" flag.
1674
1675Enabling 'cindent' will override the alignment flags in many cases.
1676Reindenting using a different method like |gq| or |=| will not consult
1677alignment flags either. The same behaviour can be defined in those other
1678formatting options. One consideration is that 'cindent' has additional options
1679for context based indenting of comments but cannot replicate many three piece
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001680indent alignments. However, 'indentexpr' has the ability to work better with
1681three piece comments.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001682
1683Other examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001684 "b:*" Includes lines starting with "*", but not if the "*" is
1685 followed by a non-blank. This avoids a pointer dereference
1686 like "*str" to be recognized as a comment.
1687 "n:>" Includes a line starting with ">", ">>", ">>>", etc.
1688 "fb:-" Format a list that starts with "- ".
1689
1690By default, "b:#" is included. This means that a line that starts with
1691"#include" is not recognized as a comment line. But a line that starts with
1692"# define" is recognized. This is a compromise.
1693
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001694 *fo-table*
1695You can use the 'formatoptions' option to influence how Vim formats text.
1696'formatoptions' is a string that can contain any of the letters below. The
1697default setting is "tcq". You can separate the option letters with commas for
1698readability.
1699
1700letter meaning when present in 'formatoptions' ~
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001701 *fo-t*
Bram Moolenaar2bf875f2022-05-07 14:54:11 +01001702t Auto-wrap text using 'textwidth'
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001703 *fo-c*
Bram Moolenaar2bf875f2022-05-07 14:54:11 +01001704c Auto-wrap comments using 'textwidth', inserting the current comment
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001705 leader automatically.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001706 *fo-r*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001707r Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting
1708 <Enter> in Insert mode.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001709 *fo-o*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001710o Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting 'o' or
Bram Moolenaar04fb9162021-12-30 20:24:12 +00001711 'O' in Normal mode. In case comment is unwanted in a specific place
1712 use CTRL-U to quickly delete it. |i_CTRL-U|
Bram Moolenaar2bf875f2022-05-07 14:54:11 +01001713 *fo-/*
1714/ When 'o' is included: do not insert the comment leader for a //
1715 comment after a statement, only when // is at the start of the line.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001716 *fo-q*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001717q Allow formatting of comments with "gq".
1718 Note that formatting will not change blank lines or lines containing
1719 only the comment leader. A new paragraph starts after such a line,
1720 or when the comment leader changes.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001721 *fo-w*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001722w Trailing white space indicates a paragraph continues in the next line.
1723 A line that ends in a non-white character ends a paragraph.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001724 *fo-a*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001725a Automatic formatting of paragraphs. Every time text is inserted or
1726 deleted the paragraph will be reformatted. See |auto-format|.
1727 When the 'c' flag is present this only happens for recognized
1728 comments.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001729 *fo-n*
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001730n When formatting text, recognize numbered lists. This actually uses
1731 the 'formatlistpat' option, thus any kind of list can be used. The
1732 indent of the text after the number is used for the next line. The
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001733 default is to find a number, optionally followed by '.', ':', ')',
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001734 ']' or '}'. Note that 'autoindent' must be set too. Doesn't work
1735 well together with "2".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001736 Example: >
1737 1. the first item
1738 wraps
1739 2. the second item
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001740< *fo-2*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000017412 When formatting text, use the indent of the second line of a paragraph
1742 for the rest of the paragraph, instead of the indent of the first
1743 line. This supports paragraphs in which the first line has a
1744 different indent than the rest. Note that 'autoindent' must be set
1745 too. Example: >
1746 first line of a paragraph
1747 second line of the same paragraph
1748 third line.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001749< This also works inside comments, ignoring the comment leader.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001750 *fo-v*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001751v Vi-compatible auto-wrapping in insert mode: Only break a line at a
1752 blank that you have entered during the current insert command. (Note:
1753 this is not 100% Vi compatible. Vi has some "unexpected features" or
1754 bugs in this area. It uses the screen column instead of the line
1755 column.)
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001756 *fo-b*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001757b Like 'v', but only auto-wrap if you enter a blank at or before
1758 the wrap margin. If the line was longer than 'textwidth' when you
1759 started the insert, or you do not enter a blank in the insert before
1760 reaching 'textwidth', Vim does not perform auto-wrapping.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001761 *fo-l*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001762l Long lines are not broken in insert mode: When a line was longer than
1763 'textwidth' when the insert command started, Vim does not
1764 automatically format it.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001765 *fo-m*
Bram Moolenaar207f0092020-08-30 17:20:20 +02001766m Also break at a multibyte character above 255. This is useful for
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001767 Asian text where every character is a word on its own.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001768 *fo-M*
Bram Moolenaar207f0092020-08-30 17:20:20 +02001769M When joining lines, don't insert a space before or after a multibyte
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001770 character. Overrules the 'B' flag.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001771 *fo-B*
Bram Moolenaar207f0092020-08-30 17:20:20 +02001772B When joining lines, don't insert a space between two multibyte
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001773 characters. Overruled by the 'M' flag.
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001774 *fo-1*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000017751 Don't break a line after a one-letter word. It's broken before it
1776 instead (if possible).
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001777 *fo-]*
Bram Moolenaar2bf875f2022-05-07 14:54:11 +01001778] Respect 'textwidth' rigorously. With this flag set, no line can be
1779 longer than 'textwidth', unless line-break-prohibition rules make this
Bram Moolenaare52702f2020-06-04 18:22:13 +02001780 impossible. Mainly for CJK scripts and works only if 'encoding' is
1781 "utf-8".
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001782 *fo-j*
Bram Moolenaar81340392012-06-06 16:12:59 +02001783j Where it makes sense, remove a comment leader when joining lines. For
1784 example, joining:
1785 int i; // the index ~
1786 // in the list ~
1787 Becomes:
1788 int i; // the index in the list ~
Bram Moolenaare0e39172021-01-25 21:14:57 +01001789 *fo-p*
Bram Moolenaarc3c31582019-01-11 22:15:05 +01001790p Don't break lines at single spaces that follow periods. This is
1791 intended to complement 'joinspaces' and |cpo-J|, for prose with
1792 sentences separated by two spaces. For example, with 'textwidth' set
1793 to 28: >
1794 Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!
1795< Becomes: >
1796 Surely you're joking,
1797 Mr. Feynman!
1798< Instead of: >
1799 Surely you're joking, Mr.
1800 Feynman!
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001801
1802
1803With 't' and 'c' you can specify when Vim performs auto-wrapping:
1804value action ~
1805"" no automatic formatting (you can use "gq" for manual formatting)
1806"t" automatic formatting of text, but not comments
1807"c" automatic formatting for comments, but not text (good for C code)
1808"tc" automatic formatting for text and comments
1809
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001810Note that when 'textwidth' is 0, Vim does no automatic formatting anyway (but
1811does insert comment leaders according to the 'comments' option). An exception
1812is when the 'a' flag is present. |auto-format|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001813
1814Note that when 'paste' is on, Vim does no formatting at all.
1815
1816Note that 'textwidth' can be non-zero even if Vim never performs auto-wrapping;
1817'textwidth' is still useful for formatting with "gq".
1818
1819If the 'comments' option includes "/*", "*" and/or "*/", then Vim has some
1820built in stuff to treat these types of comments a bit more cleverly.
1821Opening a new line before or after "/*" or "*/" (with 'r' or 'o' present in
1822'formatoptions') gives the correct start of the line automatically. The same
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001823happens with formatting and auto-wrapping. Opening a line after a line
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001824starting with "/*" or "*" and containing "*/", will cause no comment leader to
1825be inserted, and the indent of the new line is taken from the line containing
1826the start of the comment.
1827E.g.:
1828 /* ~
1829 * Your typical comment. ~
1830 */ ~
1831 The indent on this line is the same as the start of the above
1832 comment.
1833
1834All of this should be really cool, especially in conjunction with the new
1835:autocmd command to prepare different settings for different types of file.
1836
1837Some examples:
1838 for C code (only format comments): >
1839 :set fo=croq
1840< for Mail/news (format all, don't start comment with "o" command): >
1841 :set fo=tcrq
1842<
1843
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001844Automatic formatting *auto-format* *autoformat*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001845
1846When the 'a' flag is present in 'formatoptions' text is formatted
Bram Moolenaar2547aa92020-07-26 17:00:44 +02001847automatically when inserting text or deleting text. This works nicely for
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001848editing text paragraphs. A few hints on how to use this:
1849
1850- You need to properly define paragraphs. The simplest is paragraphs that are
1851 separated by a blank line. When there is no separating blank line, consider
1852 using the 'w' flag and adding a space at the end of each line in the
1853 paragraphs except the last one.
1854
1855- You can set the 'formatoptions' based on the type of file |filetype| or
1856 specifically for one file with a |modeline|.
1857
1858- Set 'formatoptions' to "aw2tq" to make text with indents like this:
1859
Bram Moolenaardd60c362023-02-27 15:49:53 +00001860 bla bla foobar bla
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001861 bla foobar bla foobar bla
Bram Moolenaardd60c362023-02-27 15:49:53 +00001862 bla bla foobar bla
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001863 bla foobar bla bla foobar
1864
1865- Add the 'c' flag to only auto-format comments. Useful in source code.
1866
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001867- Set 'textwidth' to the desired width. If it is zero then 79 is used, or the
1868 width of the screen if this is smaller.
1869
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001870And a few warnings:
1871
1872- When part of the text is not properly separated in paragraphs, making
1873 changes in this text will cause it to be formatted anyway. Consider doing >
1874
1875 :set fo-=a
1876
1877- When using the 'w' flag (trailing space means paragraph continues) and
1878 deleting the last line of a paragraph with |dd|, the paragraph will be
1879 joined with the next one.
1880
1881- Changed text is saved for undo. Formatting is also a change. Thus each
1882 format action saves text for undo. This may consume quite a lot of memory.
1883
1884- Formatting a long paragraph and/or with complicated indenting may be slow.
1885
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001886==============================================================================
18877. Sorting text *sorting*
1888
1889Vim has a sorting function and a sorting command. The sorting function can be
Bram Moolenaar327aa022014-03-25 18:24:23 +01001890found here: |sort()|, |uniq()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001891
1892 *:sor* *:sort*
Bram Moolenaar55e29612020-11-01 13:57:44 +01001893:[range]sor[t][!] [b][f][i][l][n][o][r][u][x] [/{pattern}/]
Bram Moolenaare5180522005-12-10 20:19:46 +00001894 Sort lines in [range]. When no range is given all
1895 lines are sorted.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001896
1897 With [!] the order is reversed.
1898
1899 With [i] case is ignored.
1900
Bram Moolenaar3132cdd2020-11-05 20:41:49 +01001901 With [l] sort uses the current collation locale.
1902 Implementation details: strcoll() is used to compare
1903 strings. See |:language| to check or set the collation
1904 locale. Example: >
1905 :language collate en_US.UTF-8
1906 :%sort l
1907< |v:collate| can also used to check the current locale.
1908 Sorting using the locale typically ignores case.
1909 This does not work properly on Mac.
Bram Moolenaar55e29612020-11-01 13:57:44 +01001910
Bram Moolenaarf7edf402016-01-19 23:36:15 +01001911 Options [n][f][x][o][b] are mutually exclusive.
1912
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001913 With [n] sorting is done on the first decimal number
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001914 in the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001915 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001916
Bram Moolenaarf7edf402016-01-19 23:36:15 +01001917 With [f] sorting is done on the Float in the line.
1918 The value of Float is determined similar to passing
1919 the text (after or inside a {pattern} match) to
1920 str2float() function. This option is available only
1921 if Vim was compiled with Floating point support.
1922
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001923 With [x] sorting is done on the first hexadecimal
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001924 number in the line (after or inside a {pattern}
1925 match). A leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001926 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001927
1928 With [o] sorting is done on the first octal number in
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001929 the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001930
Bram Moolenaar887c1fe2016-01-02 17:56:35 +01001931 With [b] sorting is done on the first binary number in
1932 the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
1933
Bram Moolenaarf7edf402016-01-19 23:36:15 +01001934 With [u] (u stands for unique) only keep the first of
1935 a sequence of identical lines (ignoring case when [i]
1936 is used). Without this flag, a sequence of identical
1937 lines will be kept in their original order.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001938 Note that leading and trailing white space may cause
1939 lines to be different.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001940
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001941 When /{pattern}/ is specified and there is no [r] flag
1942 the text matched with {pattern} is skipped, so that
1943 you sort on what comes after the match.
Bram Moolenaar4466ad62020-11-21 13:16:30 +01001944 'ignorecase' applies to the pattern, but 'smartcase'
1945 is not used.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001946 Instead of the slash any non-letter can be used.
1947 For example, to sort on the second comma-separated
1948 field: >
1949 :sort /[^,]*,/
1950< To sort on the text at virtual column 10 (thus
1951 ignoring the difference between tabs and spaces): >
1952 :sort /.*\%10v/
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001953< To sort on the first number in the line, no matter
1954 what is in front of it: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001955 :sort /.\{-}\ze\d/
1956< (Explanation: ".\{-}" matches any text, "\ze" sets the
1957 end of the match and \d matches a digit.)
1958 With [r] sorting is done on the matching {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001959 instead of skipping past it as described above.
1960 For example, to sort on only the first three letters
1961 of each line: >
1962 :sort /\a\a\a/ r
1963
1964< If a {pattern} is used, any lines which don't have a
1965 match for {pattern} are kept in their current order,
1966 but separate from the lines which do match {pattern}.
1967 If you sorted in reverse, they will be in reverse
1968 order after the sorted lines, otherwise they will be
1969 in their original order, right before the sorted
1970 lines.
1971
Bram Moolenaar1256e722007-07-10 15:26:20 +00001972 If {pattern} is empty (e.g. // is specified), the
1973 last search pattern is used. This allows trying out
1974 a pattern first.
1975
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001976Note that using `:sort` with `:global` doesn't sort the matching lines, it's
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001977quite useless.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001978
Bram Moolenaar55e29612020-11-01 13:57:44 +01001979`:sort` does not use the current locale unless the l flag is used.
Bram Moolenaar8bb1c3e2014-07-04 16:43:17 +02001980Vim does do a "stable" sort.
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00001981
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001982The sorting can be interrupted, but if you interrupt it too late in the
1983process you may end up with duplicated lines. This also depends on the system
1984library function used.
Bram Moolenaarae5bce12005-08-15 21:41:48 +00001985
Bram Moolenaar91f84f62018-07-29 15:07:52 +02001986 vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: