eval.txt For Vim version 7.4. Last change: 2014 Dec 07LINK
VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
Expression evaluation expression expr E15 evalLINK
Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual usr_41.txt.
Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
done, the features in this document are not available. See +eval and
1. Variables variables
1.1 Variable types
1.2 Function references Funcref
1.3 Lists Lists
1.4 Dictionaries Dictionaries
1.5 More about variables more-variables
2. Expression syntax expression-syntax
3. Internal variable internal-variables
4. Builtin Functions functions
5. Defining functions user-functions
6. Curly braces names curly-braces-names
7. Commands expression-commands
8. Exception handling exception-handling
9. Examples eval-examples
10. No +eval feature no-eval-feature
11. The sandbox eval-sandbox
12. Textlock textlock
{Vi does not have any of these commands}
==============================================================================
1. Variables variablesLINK
1.1 Variable types
E712LINK
There are six types of variables:
Number A 32 or 64 bit signed number. expr-number NumberLINK
Examples: -123 0x10 0177
Float A floating point number. floating-point-format FloatLINK
{only when compiled with the +float feature}
Examples: 123.456 1.15e-6 -1.1e3
String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
expr-string Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
Funcref A reference to a function Funcref.
Example: function("strlen")
List An ordered sequence of items List.
Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
value. Dictionary
Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
are used.
Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
the Number. Examples:
Number 123 --> String "123"
Number 0 --> String "0"
Number -1 --> String "-1"
octalLINK
Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples:
String "456" --> Number 456
String "6bar" --> Number 6
String "foo" --> Number 0
String "0xf1" --> Number 241
String "0100" --> Number 64
String "-8" --> Number -8
String "+8" --> Number 0
To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it:
:echo "0100" + 0
64
To avoid a leading zero to cause octal conversion, or for using a different
base, use str2nr().
For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
Note that in the command
:if "foo"
"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
use empty():
:if !empty("foo")
E745 E728 E703 E729 E730 E731LINK
List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
E805 E806 E808LINK
When mixing Number and Float the Number is converted to Float. Otherwise
there is no automatic conversion of Float. You can use str2float() for String
to Float, printf() for Float to String and float2nr() for Float to Number.
E706 sticky-type-checkingLINK
You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
to :unlet it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
equivalent though, as well are Float and Number. Consider this sequence of
commands:
:let l = "string"
:let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
:let l = [1, 2, 3] " error! l is still a Number
:let l = 4.4 " changes type from Number to Float
:let l = "string" " error!
1.2 Function references
Funcref E695 E718LINK
A Funcref variable is obtained with the function() function. It can be used
in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example:
:let Fn = function("MyFunc")
:echo Fn()
E704 E705 E707LINK
A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:", "t:" or "b:". You
can use "g:" but the following name must still start with a capital. You
cannot have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
Dictionary entry. Example:
:function dict.init() dict
: let self.val = 0
:endfunction
The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
function name is not used here. Also see numbered-function.
A Funcref can also be used with the :call command:
:call Fn()
:call dict.init()
The name of the referenced function can be obtained with string().
:let func = string(Fn)
You can use call() to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
arguments:
:let r = call(Fn, mylist)
1.3 Lists
list List Lists E686LINK
A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
position in the sequence.
List creation
E696 E697LINK
A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Examples:
:let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
:let emptylist = []
An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
List of Lists:
:let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
List index
list-index E684LINK
An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero.
:let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
:let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated:
:let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc.
:let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
To avoid an error for an invalid index use the get() function. When an item
is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify:
:echo get(mylist, idx)
:echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
List concatenation
Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator:
:let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
:let mylist += [7, 8]
To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
it. To change a list in-place see list-modification below.
Sublist
A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
separated by a colon in square brackets:
:let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
similar to -1.
:let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
:let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
:let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
If the first index is beyond the last item of the List or the second item is
before the first item, the result is an empty list. There is no error
message.
If the second index is equal to or greater than the length of the list the
length minus one is used:
:let mylist = [0, 1, 2, 3]
:echo mylist[2:8] " result: [2, 3]
NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
mylist[s : e].
List identity
list-identityLINK
When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
change "bb":
:let aa = [1, 2, 3]
:let bb = aa
:call add(aa, 4)
:echo bb
[1, 2, 3, 4]
Making a copy of a list is done with the copy() function. Using [:] also
works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list:
:let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
:let bb = copy(aa)
:call add(aa, 4)
:let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
:echo aa
[[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4]
:echo bb
[[1, aaa], 2, 3]
To make a completely independent list use deepcopy(). This also makes a
copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
the same value.
:let alist = [1, 2, 3]
:let blist = [1, 2, 3]
:echo alist is blist
0
:echo alist == blist
1
Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
variables. Example:
echo 4 == "4"
1
echo [4] == ["4"]
0
Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a list:
:let a = 5
:let b = "5"
:echo a == b
1
:echo [a] == [b]
0
List unpack
To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
square brackets, like list items:
:let [var1, var2] = mylist
When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
and a variable name:
:let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
This works like:
:let var1 = mylist[0]
:let var2 = mylist[1]
:let rest = mylist[2:]
Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
empty list then.
List modification
list-modificationLINK
To change a specific item of a list use :let this way:
:let list[4] = "four"
:let listlist[0][3] = item
To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range:
:let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
examples:
:call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
:call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
:call add(list, "new") " append String item
:call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
:call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
:let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
:unlet list[3] " idem
:let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
:unlet list[3 : ] " idem
:call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Changing the order of items in a list:
:call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
:call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
:call uniq(sort(list)) " sort and remove duplicates
For loop
The :for loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
to each item in the list in sequence. Example:
:for item in mylist
: call Doit(item)
:endfor
This works like:
:let index = 0
:while index < len(mylist)
: let item = mylist[index]
: :call Doit(item)
: let index = index + 1
:endwhile
Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
results in error E706. To avoid this :unlet the variable at the end of
the loop.
If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the map()
function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Just like the :let command, :for also accepts a list of variables. This
requires the argument to be a list of lists.
:for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
: call Doit(lnum, col)
:endfor
This works like a :let command is done for each list item. Again, the types
must remain the same to avoid an error.
It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable:
:for [i, j; rest] in listlist
: call Doit(i, j)
: if !empty(rest)
: echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
: endif
:endfor
List functions
E714LINK
Functions that are useful with a List:
:let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
:if empty(list) " check if list is empty
:let l = len(list) " number of items in list
:let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
:let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
:let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
:let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
:let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
:call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
:let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
:let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
:let s = string(list) " String representation of list
:call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
example, to add up all the numbers in a list:
:exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
1.4 Dictionaries
dict Dictionaries DictionaryLINK
A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
ordering.
Dictionary creation
E720 E721 E722 E723LINK
A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
only appear once. Examples:
:let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
:let emptydict = {}
E713 E716 E717LINK
A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
Number will be converted to the String '4'.
A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
nested Dictionary:
:let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
Accessing entries
The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets:
:let val = mydict["one"]
:let mydict["four"] = 4
You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
form can be used expr-entry:
:let val = mydict.one
:let mydict.four = 4
Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
key lookup can be repeated:
:echo dict.key[idx].key
Dictionary to List conversion
You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to :for.
Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the keys() function:
:for key in keys(mydict)
: echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
:endfor
The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first:
:for key in sort(keys(mydict))
To loop over the values use the values() function:
:for v in values(mydict)
: echo "value: " . v
:endfor
If you want both the key and the value use the items() function. It returns
a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value:
:for [key, value] in items(mydict)
: echo key . ': ' . value
:endfor
Dictionary identity
dict-identityLINK
Just like Lists you need to use copy() and deepcopy() to make a copy of a
Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
Dictionary:
:let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
:let adict = onedict
:let adict['a'] = 11
:echo onedict['a']
11
Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
more info see list-identity.
Dictionary modification
dict-modificationLINK
To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
use :let this way:
:let dict[4] = "four"
:let dict['one'] = item
Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with remove() or :unlet.
Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict:
:let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
:unlet dict.aaa
:unlet dict['aaa']
Merging a Dictionary with another is done with extend():
:call extend(adict, bdict)
This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
adict.
Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with filter():
:call filter(dict, 'v:val =~ "x"')
This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Dictionary function
Dictionary-function self E725 E862LINK
When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
special way with a dictionary. Example:
:function Mylen() dict
: return len(self.data)
:endfunction
:let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
:echo mydict.len()
This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
Dictionary is a Funcref. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
the function was invoked from.
It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
numbered-function anonymous-functionLINK
To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
assigned to a Dictionary in this way:
:let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
:function mydict.len() dict
: return len(self.data)
:endfunction
:echo mydict.len()
The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a Funcref
that references this function. The function can only be used through a
Funcref. It will automatically be deleted when there is no Funcref
remaining that refers to it.
It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
If you get an error for a numbered function, you can find out what it is with
a trick. Assuming the function is 42, the command is:
:function {42}
Functions for Dictionaries
E715LINK
Functions that can be used with a Dictionary:
:if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
:if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
:let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
:let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
:let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
:let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
:let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
:call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
1.5 More about variables
more-variablesLINK
If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the type()
function.
When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
stored in the viminfo file viminfo-file.
When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
stored in the session file session-file.
variable name can be stored where
my_var_6 not
My_Var_6 session file
MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
==============================================================================
2. Expression syntax expression-syntaxLINK
Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
expr1 expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
expr2 expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
expr3 expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
expr4 expr5 == expr5 equal
expr5 != expr5 not equal
expr5 > expr5 greater than
expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
expr5 < expr5 smaller than
expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
matching case
expr5 is expr5 same List instance
expr5 isnot expr5 different List instance
expr5 expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
expr6 expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
expr7 / expr7 .. number division
expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
expr7 ! expr7 logical NOT
- expr7 unary minus
+ expr7 unary plus
expr8 expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a List
expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a List
expr8.name entry in a Dictionary
expr8(expr1, ...) function call with Funcref variable
expr9 number number constant
"string" string constant, backslash is special
'string' string constant, ' is doubled
[expr1, ...] List
{expr1: expr1, ...} Dictionary
&option option value
(expr1) nested expression
variable internal variable
va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
$VAR environment variable
@r contents of register 'r'
function(expr1, ...) function call
func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
Example:
&nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
expr1 expr1 E109LINK
-----
expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
Example:
:echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
Example:
:echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
To keep this readable, using line-continuation is suggested:
:echo lnum == 1
:\ ? "top"
:\ : lnum == 1000
:\ ? "last"
:\ : lnum
You should always put a space before the ':', otherwise it can be mistaken for
use in a variable such as "a:1".
expr2 and expr3 expr2 expr3LINK
---------------
expr-barbar expr-&&LINK
The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
input output
n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2
zero zero zero zero
zero non-zero non-zero zero
non-zero zero non-zero zero
non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
The operators can be concatenated, for example:
&nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of:
&nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example:
let a = 1
echo a || b
This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below:
echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
expr4 expr4LINK
-----
expr5 {cmp} expr5
Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
if it evaluates to true.
expr-== expr-!= expr-> expr->=LINK
expr-< expr-<= expr-=~ expr-!~LINK
expr-==# expr-!=# expr-># expr->=#LINK
expr-<# expr-<=# expr-=~# expr-!~#LINK
expr-==? expr-!=? expr->? expr->=?LINK
expr-<? expr-<=? expr-=~? expr-!~?LINK
expr-is expr-isnot expr-is# expr-isnot#LINK
expr-is? expr-isnot?LINK
use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case
equal == ==# ==?
not equal != !=# !=?
greater than > ># >?
greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
smaller than < <# <?
smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
same instance is is# is?
different instance isnot isnot# isnot?
Examples:
"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
E691 E692LINK
A List can only be compared with a List and only "equal", "not equal" and
"is" can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively.
Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
E735 E736LINK
A Dictionary can only be compared with a Dictionary and only "equal", "not
equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the Dictionary
recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
E693 E694LINK
A Funcref can only be compared with a Funcref and only "equal" and "not
equal" can be used. Case is never ignored.
When using "is" or "isnot" with a List or a Dictionary this checks if the
expressions are referring to the same List or Dictionary instance. A copy
of a List is different from the original List. When using "is" without
a List or a Dictionary it is equivalent to using "equal", using "isnot"
equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a different type means the
values are different: "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'" is false and "0 is []" is
false and not an error. "is#"/"isnot#" and "is?"/"isnot?" can be used to match
and ignore case.
When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
When using the operators with a trailing '#', or the short version and
'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp(): case matters.
When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp(): case is ignored.
'smartcase' is not used.
The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
argument, which is used as a pattern. See pattern for what a pattern is.
This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
single-quote string, see literal-string.
Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
"foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
"foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
expr5 and expr6 expr5 expr6LINK
---------------
expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or List concatenation expr-+LINK
expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction expr--LINK
expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation expr-.LINK
For Lists only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The
result is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
expr7 * expr7 .. Number multiplication expr-starLINK
expr7 / expr7 .. Number division expr-/LINK
expr7 % expr7 .. Number modulo expr-%LINK
For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
For bitwise operators see and(), or() and xor().
Note the difference between "+" and ".":
"123" + "456" = 579
"123" . "456" = "123456"
Since '.' has the same precedence as '+' and '-', you need to read:
1 . 90 + 90.0
As:
(1 . 90) + 90.0
That works, since the String "190" is automatically converted to the Number
190, which can be added to the Float 90.0. However:
1 . 90 * 90.0
Should be read as:
1 . (90 * 90.0)
Since '.' has lower precedence than '*'. This does NOT work, since this
attempts to concatenate a Float and a String.
When dividing a Number by zero the result depends on the value:
0 / 0 = -0x80000000 (like NaN for Float)
>0 / 0 = 0x7fffffff (like positive infinity)
<0 / 0 = -0x7fffffff (like negative infinity)
(before Vim 7.2 it was always 0x7fffffff)
When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
None of these work for Funcrefs.
. and % do not work for Float. E804LINK
expr7 expr7LINK
-----
! expr7 logical NOT expr-!LINK
- expr7 unary minus expr-unary--LINK
+ expr7 unary plus expr-unary-+LINK
For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
For '+' the number is unchanged.
A String will be converted to a Number first.
These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
!-1 == 0
!!8 == 1
--9 == 9
expr8 expr8LINK
-----
expr8[expr1] item of String or List expr-[] E111LINK
If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Number. This doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings, see byteidx() for
an alternative.
Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
cursor:
:let c = getline(".")[col(".") - 1]
If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
If expr8 is a List then it results the item at index expr1. See list-index
for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
error. Example:
:let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
Generally, if a List index is equal to or higher than the length of the
List, or more negative than the length of the List, this results in an
error.
expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist expr-[:]LINK
If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
expr1b are used as a Number. This doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings, see
byteidx() for computing the indexes.
If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
string minus one is used.
A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
Examples:
:let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
:let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
:let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
:let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
sublist sliceLINK
If expr8 is a List this results in a new List with the items indicated by
the indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained
just above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples:
:let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
:let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
:let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a Funcref results in an
error.
expr8.name entry in a Dictionary expr-entryLINK
If expr8 is a Dictionary and it is followed by a dot, then the following
name will be used as a key in the Dictionary. This is just like:
expr8[name].
The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
There must not be white space before or after the dot.
Examples:
:let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
:echo dict.one
:echo dict .2
Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
expr8(expr1, ...) Funcref function call
When expr8 is a Funcref type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
expr9LINK
number
------
number number constant expr-number LINK
hex-number octal-numberLINK
Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
floating-point-formatLINK
Floating point numbers can be written in two forms:
[-+]{N}.{M}
[-+]{N}.{M}e[-+]{exp}
{N} and {M} are numbers. Both {N} and {M} must be present and can only
contain digits.
[-+] means there is an optional plus or minus sign.
{exp} is the exponent, power of 10.
Only a decimal point is accepted, not a comma. No matter what the current
locale is.
{only when compiled with the +float feature}
Examples:
123.456
+0.0001
55.0
-0.123
1.234e03
1.0E-6
-3.1416e+88
These are INVALID:
3. empty {M}
1e40 missing .{M}
float-pi float-eLINK
A few useful values to copy&paste:
:let pi = 3.14159265359
:let e = 2.71828182846
Rationale:
Before floating point was introduced, the text "123.456" was interpreted as
the two numbers "123" and "456", both converted to a string and concatenated,
resulting in the string "123456". Since this was considered pointless, and we
could not find it intentionally being used in Vim scripts, this backwards
incompatibility was accepted in favor of being able to use the normal notation
for floating point numbers.
floating-point-precisionLINK
The precision and range of floating points numbers depends on what "double"
means in the library Vim was compiled with. There is no way to change this at
runtime.
The default for displaying a Float is to use 6 decimal places, like using
printf("%g", f). You can select something else when using the printf()
function. Example:
:echo printf('%.15e', atan(1))
7.853981633974483e-01
string string expr-string E114LINK
------
"string" string constant expr-quoteLINK
Note that double quotes are used.
A string constant accepts these special characters:
\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
\X.. same as \x..
\X. same as \x.
\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
\U.... same as \u....
\b backspace <BS>
\e escape <Esc>
\f formfeed <FF>
\n newline <NL>
\r return <CR>
\t tab <Tab>
\\ backslash
\" double quote
\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W. This is for use
in mappings, the 0x80 byte is escaped. Don't use <Char-xxxx> to get a
utf-8 character, use \uxxxx as mentioned above.
Note that "\xff" is stored as the byte 255, which may be invalid in some
encodings. Use "\u00ff" to store character 255 according to the current value
of 'encoding'.
Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
literal-string literal-string E115LINK
---------------
'string' string constant expr-'LINK
Note that single quotes are used.
This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent:
if a =~ "\\s*"
if a =~ '\s*'
option expr-option E112 E113LINK
------
&option option value, local value if possible
&g:option global option value
&l:option local option value
Examples:
echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
if &insertmode
Any option name can be used here. See options. When using the local value
and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
anyway.
register expr-register @rLINK
--------
@r contents of register 'r'
The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
register use @" or @@. See registers for an explanation of the available
registers.
When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
evaluates to. Use eval() to evaluate it.
nesting expr-nesting E110LINK
-------
(expr1) nested expression
environment variable expr-envLINK
--------------------
$VAR environment variable
The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
result is an empty string.
expr-env-expandLINK
Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example:
:echo $shell
:echo expand("$shell")
The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $shell
variable (if your shell supports it).
internal variable expr-variableLINK
-----------------
variable internal variable
See below internal-variables.
function call expr-function E116 E118 E119 E120LINK
-------------
function(expr1, ...) function call
See below functions.
==============================================================================
3. Internal variable internal-variables E461LINK
An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
An internal variable is created with the ":let" command :let.
An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
been destroyed results in an error.
There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
specified by what is prepended:
(nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
buffer-variable b: Local to the current buffer.
window-variable w: Local to the current window.
tabpage-variable t: Local to the current tab page.
global-variable g: Global.
local-variable l: Local to a function.
script-variable s: Local to a :source'ed Vim script.
function-argument a: Function argument (only inside a function).
vim-variable v: Global, predefined by Vim.
The scope name by itself can be used as a Dictionary. For example, to
delete all script-local variables:
:for k in keys(s:)
: unlet s:[k]
:endfor
buffer-variable b:var b:LINK
A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
One local buffer variable is predefined:
b:changedtick changetickLINK
b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
the buffer has changed. Example:
:if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
: let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
: call My_Update()
:endif
window-variable w:var w:LINK
A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
is deleted when the window is closed.
tabpage-variable t:var t:LINK
A variable name that is preceded with "t:" is local to the current tab page,
It is deleted when the tab page is closed. {not available when compiled
without the +windows feature}
global-variable g:var g:LINK
Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
place if you like.
local-variable l:var l:LINK
Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
But you can also prepend "l:" if you like. However, without prepending "l:"
you may run into reserved variable names. For example "count". By itself it
refers to "v:count". Using "l:count" you can have a local variable with the
same name.
script-variable s:varLINK
In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
They can be used in:
- commands executed while the script is sourced
- functions defined in the script
- autocommands defined in the script
- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
defined in the script (recursively)
- user defined commands defined in the script
Thus not in:
- other scripts sourced from this one
- mappings
- menus
- etc.
Script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
Take this example:
let s:counter = 0
function MyCounter()
let s:counter = s:counter + 1
echo s:counter
endfunction
command Tick call MyCounter()
You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
"Tick" was defined is used.
Another example that does the same:
let s:counter = 0
command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
defined.
The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
function that is defined in a script. Example:
let s:counter = 0
function StartCounting(incr)
if a:incr
function MyCounter()
let s:counter = s:counter + 1
endfunction
else
function MyCounter()
let s:counter = s:counter - 1
endfunction
endif
endfunction
This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
maintain a counter:
if !exists("s:counter")
let s:counter = 1
echo "script executed for the first time"
else
let s:counter = s:counter + 1
echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
endif
Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead b:var.
Predefined Vim variables: vim-variable v:var v:LINK
v:beval_col beval_col-variableLINK
v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
This is the byte index in the v:beval_lnum line.
Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
v:beval_bufnr beval_bufnr-variableLINK
v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
v:beval_lnum beval_lnum-variableLINK
v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
v:beval_text beval_text-variableLINK
v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
highlighted text is used.
Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
v:beval_winnr beval_winnr-variableLINK
v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option. The first
window has number zero (unlike most other places where a
window gets a number).
v:char char-variableLINK
v:char Argument for evaluating 'formatexpr' and used for the typed
character when using <expr> in an abbreviation :map-<expr>.
It is also used by the InsertCharPre and InsertEnter events.
v:charconvert_from charconvert_from-variableLINK
v:charconvert_from
The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
v:charconvert_to charconvert_to-variableLINK
v:charconvert_to
The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
v:cmdarg cmdarg-variableLINK
v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
possible to append this variable directly after the
read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
included here, because it will be executed anyway.
2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
in 'printexpr'.
v:cmdbang cmdbang-variableLINK
v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
can only be used in autocommands. For user commands <bang>
can be used.
v:count count-variableLINK
v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example:
:map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
get when typing ':' after a count.
When there are two counts, as in "3d2w", they are multiplied,
just like what happens in the command, "d6w" for the example.
Also used for evaluating the 'formatexpr' option.
"count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
v:count1 count1-variableLINK
v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
used.
v:ctype ctype-variableLINK
v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
This variable can not be set directly, use the :language
command.
See multi-lang.
v:dying dying-variableLINK
v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
Example:
:au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
Note: if another deadly signal is caught when v:dying is one,
VimLeave autocommands will not be executed.
v:errmsg errmsg-variableLINK
v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
Example:
:let v:errmsg = ""
:silent! next
:if v:errmsg != ""
: ... handle error
"errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
v:exception exception-variableLINK
v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
finished. See also v:throwpoint and throw-variables.
Example:
:try
: throw "oops"
:catch /.*/
: echo "caught" v:exception
:endtry
Output: "caught oops".
v:fcs_reason fcs_reason-variableLINK
v:fcs_reason The reason why the FileChangedShell event was triggered.
Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
deleted file no longer exists
conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
changed and buffer is modified
changed file contents has changed
mode mode of file changed
time only file timestamp changed
v:fcs_choice fcs_choice-variableLINK
v:fcs_choice What should happen after a FileChangedShell event was
triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
do with the affected buffer:
reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
the file was deleted).
ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
was no autocommand. Except that when
only the timestamp changed nothing
will happen.
<empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
everything that needs to be done.
The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
v:fname_in fname_in-variableLINK
v:fname_in The name of the input file. Valid while evaluating:
option used for
'charconvert' file to be converted
'diffexpr' original file
'patchexpr' original file
'printexpr' file to be printed
And set to the swap file name for SwapExists.
v:fname_out fname_out-variableLINK
v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
evaluating:
option used for
'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
'diffexpr' output of diff
'patchexpr' resulting patched file
(*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
file and different from v:fname_in.
v:fname_new fname_new-variableLINK
v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
evaluating 'diffexpr'.
v:fname_diff fname_diff-variableLINK
v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
evaluating 'patchexpr'.
v:folddashes folddashes-variableLINK
v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
fold.
Read-only in the sandbox. fold-foldtext
v:foldlevel foldlevel-variableLINK
v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Read-only in the sandbox. fold-foldtext
v:foldend foldend-variableLINK
v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Read-only in the sandbox. fold-foldtext
v:foldstart foldstart-variableLINK
v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Read-only in the sandbox. fold-foldtext
v:hlsearch hlsearch-variableLINK
v:hlsearch Variable that indicates whether search highlighting is on.
Setting it makes sense only if 'hlsearch' is enabled which
requires +extra_search. Setting this variable to zero acts
the like :nohlsearch command, setting it to one acts like
let &hlsearch = &hlsearch
v:insertmode insertmode-variableLINK
v:insertmode Used for the InsertEnter and InsertChange autocommand
events. Values:
i Insert mode
r Replace mode
v Virtual Replace mode
v:key key-variableLINK
v:key Key of the current item of a Dictionary. Only valid while
evaluating the expression used with map() and filter().
Read-only.
v:lang lang-variableLINK
v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
The value is system dependent.
This variable can not be set directly, use the :language
command.
It can be different from v:ctype when messages are desired
in a different language than what is used for character
encoding. See multi-lang.
v:lc_time lc_time-variableLINK
v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
This variable can not be set directly, use the :language
command. See multi-lang.
v:lnum lnum-variableLINK
v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' fold-expr, 'formatexpr' and
'indentexpr' expressions, tab page number for 'guitablabel'
and 'guitabtooltip'. Only valid while one of these
expressions is being evaluated. Read-only when in the
v:mouse_win mouse_win-variableLINK
v:mouse_win Window number for a mouse click obtained with getchar().
First window has number 1, like with winnr(). The value is
zero when there was no mouse button click.
v:mouse_lnum mouse_lnum-variableLINK
v:mouse_lnum Line number for a mouse click obtained with getchar().
This is the text line number, not the screen line number. The
value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
v:mouse_col mouse_col-variableLINK
v:mouse_col Column number for a mouse click obtained with getchar().
This is the screen column number, like with virtcol(). The
value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
v:oldfiles oldfiles-variableLINK
v:oldfiles List of file names that is loaded from the viminfo file on
startup. These are the files that Vim remembers marks for.
The length of the List is limited by the ' argument of the
'viminfo' option (default is 100).
When the viminfo file is not used the List is empty.
The List can be modified, but this has no effect on what is
stored in the viminfo file later. If you use values other
than String this will cause trouble.
{only when compiled with the +viminfo feature}
v:operator operator-variableLINK
v:operator The last operator given in Normal mode. This is a single
character except for commands starting with <g> or <z>,
in which case it is two characters. Best used alongside
v:prevcount and v:register. Useful if you want to cancel
Operator-pending mode and then use the operator, e.g.:
:omap O <Esc>:call MyMotion(v:operator)<CR>
The value remains set until another operator is entered, thus
don't expect it to be empty.
v:operator is not set for :delete, :yank or other Ex
commands.
Read-only.
v:prevcount prevcount-variableLINK
v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
you want to cancel Visual or Operator-pending mode and then
use the count, e.g.:
:vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
Read-only.
v:profiling profiling-variableLINK
v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
See profiling.
v:progname progname-variableLINK
v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for view,
evim etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
Read-only.
v:progpath progpath-variableLINK
v:progpath Contains the command with which Vim was invoked, including the
path. Useful if you want to message a Vim server using a
To get the full path use:
echo exepath(v:progpath)
NOTE: This does not work when the command is a relative path
and the current directory has changed.
Read-only.
v:register register-variableLINK
v:register The name of the register in effect for the current normal mode
command (regardless of whether that command actually used a
register). Or for the currently executing normal mode mapping
(use this in custom commands that take a register).
If none is supplied it is the default register '"', unless
'clipboard' contains "unnamed" or "unnamedplus", then it is
'*' or '+'.
Also see getreg() and setreg()
v:scrollstart scrollstart-variableLINK
v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
typed command.
This can be used to find out why your script causes the
hit-enter prompt.
v:servername servername-variableLINK
v:servername The resulting registered x11-clientserver name if any.
Read-only.
v:searchforward v:searchforward searchforward-variableLINK
Search direction: 1 after a forward search, 0 after a
backward search. It is reset to forward when directly setting
the last search pattern, see quote/.
Note that the value is restored when returning from a
function. function-search-undo.
Read-write.
v:shell_error shell_error-variableLINK
v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
executed. Read-only.
Example:
:!mv foo bar
:if v:shell_error
: echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
:endif
"shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
v:statusmsg statusmsg-variableLINK
v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
v:swapname swapname-variableLINK
v:swapname Only valid when executing SwapExists autocommands: Name of
the swap file found. Read-only.
v:swapchoice swapchoice-variableLINK
v:swapchoice SwapExists autocommands can set this to the selected choice
for handling an existing swap file:
'o' Open read-only
'e' Edit anyway
'r' Recover
'd' Delete swapfile
'q' Quit
'a' Abort
The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
v:swapcommand swapcommand-variableLINK
v:swapcommand Normal mode command to be executed after a file has been
opened. Can be used for a SwapExists autocommand to have
another Vim open the file and jump to the right place. For
example, when jumping to a tag the value is ":tag tagname\r".
For ":edit +cmd file" the value is ":cmd\r".
v:termresponse termresponse-variableLINK
v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the t_RV
termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
digits, ';' and '.' in between.
When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
fired, so that you can react to the response from the
terminal.
The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
{only when compiled with +termresponse feature}
v:this_session this_session-variableLINK
v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
:mksession. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
"this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
v:throwpoint throwpoint-variableLINK
v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
also v:exception and throw-variables.
Example:
:try
: throw "oops"
:catch /.*/
: echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
:endtry
Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
v:val val-variableLINK
v:val Value of the current item of a List or Dictionary. Only
valid while evaluating the expression used with map() and
filter(). Read-only.
v:version version-variableLINK
v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
compatibility.
Use has() to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.:
if has("patch-7.4.123")
Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
completely different.
v:warningmsg warningmsg-variableLINK
v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
v:windowid windowid-variableLINK
v:windowid When any X11 based GUI is running or when running in a
terminal and Vim connects to the X server (-X) this will be
set to the window ID.
When an MS-Windows GUI is running this will be set to the
window handle.
Otherwise the value is zero.
Note: for windows inside Vim use winnr().
==============================================================================
4. Builtin Functions functionsLINK
See function-list for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION
abs( {expr}) Float or Number absolute value of {expr}
acos( {expr}) Float arc cosine of {expr}
add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to List {list}
and( {expr}, {expr}) Number bitwise AND
append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
argc() Number number of files in the argument list
argidx() Number current index in the argument list
arglistid( [{winnr}, [ {tabnr}]])
Number argument list id
argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
argv( ) List the argument list
asin( {expr}) Float arc sine of {expr}
atan( {expr}) Float arc tangent of {expr}
atan2( {expr}, {expr}) Float arc tangent of {expr1} / {expr2}
browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
String put up a file requester
browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
byteidxcomp( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
ceil( {expr}) Float round {expr} up
changenr() Number current change number
char2nr( {expr}[, {utf8}]) Number ASCII/UTF8 value of first char in {expr}
cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
clearmatches() none clear all matches
col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
complete( {startcol}, {matches}) none set Insert mode completion
complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
Number number of choice picked by user
copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
cos( {expr}) Float cosine of {expr}
cosh( {expr}) Float hyperbolic cosine of {expr}
count( {list}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]])
Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
Number checks existence of cscope connection
cursor( {lnum}, {col} [, {off}])
Number move cursor to {lnum}, {col}, {off}
cursor( {list}) Number move cursor to position in {list}
deepcopy( {expr} [, {noref}]) any make a full copy of {expr}
delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
exepath( {expr}) String full path of the command {expr}
exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
extend( {expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}])
List/Dict insert items of {expr2} into {expr1}
exp( {expr}) Float exponential of {expr}
expand( {expr} [, {nosuf} [, {list}]])
any expand special keywords in {expr}
feedkeys( {string} [, {mode}]) Number add key sequence to typeahead buffer
filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
{string} is 0
finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
String find directory {name} in {path}
findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
String find file {name} in {path}
float2nr( {expr}) Number convert Float {expr} to a Number
floor( {expr}) Float round {expr} down
fmod( {expr1}, {expr2}) Float remainder of {expr1} / {expr2}
fnameescape( {fname}) String escape special characters in {fname}
fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
foldtextresult( {lnum}) String text for closed fold at {lnum}
foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
garbagecollect( [{atexit}]) none free memory, breaking cyclic references
get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
getbufvar( {expr}, {varname} [, {def}])
any variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
getcmdline() String return the current command-line
getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
getcmdtype() String return current command-line type
getcmdwintype() String return current command-line window type
getcurpos() List position of the cursor
getcwd() String the current working directory
getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
getloclist( {nr}) List list of location list items
getmatches() List list of current matches
getpid() Number process ID of Vim
getpos( {expr}) List position of cursor, mark, etc.
getqflist() List list of quickfix items
getreg( [{regname} [, 1 [, {list}]]])
String or List contents of register
getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
gettabvar( {nr}, {varname} [, {def}])
any variable {varname} in tab {nr} or {def}
gettabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {name} [, {def}])
any {name} in {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}
getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
getwinvar( {nr}, {varname} [, {def}])
any variable {varname} in window {nr}
glob( {expr} [, {nosuf} [, {list}]])
any expand file wildcards in {expr}
globpath( {path}, {expr} [, {nosuf} [, {list}]])
String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
haslocaldir() Number TRUE if current window executed :lcd
hasmapto( {what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
String get input from the user
inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
inputlist( {textlist}) Number let the user pick from a choice list
inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
invert( {expr}) Number bitwise invert
isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
items( {dict}) List key-value pairs in {dict}
join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
keys( {dict}) List keys in {dict}
len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
localtime() Number current time
log( {expr}) Float natural logarithm (base e) of {expr}
log10( {expr}) Float logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10
luaeval( {expr}[, {expr}]) any evaluate Lua expression
map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
maparg( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr} [, {dict}]]])
String or Dict
rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
mapcheck( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
String check for mappings matching {name}
match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
matchadd( {group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
Number highlight {pattern} with {group}
matchaddpos( {group}, {list}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
Number highlight positions with {group}
matcharg( {nr}) List arguments of :match
matchdelete( {id}) Number delete match identified by {id}
matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
max( {list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
min( {list}) Number minimum value of items in {list}
mkdir( {name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
Number create directory {name}
mode( [expr]) String current editing mode
mzeval( {expr}) any evaluate MzScheme expression
nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
nr2char( {expr}[, {utf8}]) String single char with ASCII/UTF8 value {expr}
or( {expr}, {expr}) Number bitwise OR
pathshorten( {expr}) String shorten directory names in a path
pow( {x}, {y}) Float {x} to the power of {y}
prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
pumvisible() Number whether popup menu is visible
pyeval( {expr}) any evaluate Python expression
py3eval( {expr}) any evaluate python3 expression
range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
List items from {expr} to {max}
readfile( {fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
List get list of lines from file {fname}
reltime( [{start} [, {end}]]) List get time value
reltimestr( {time}) String turn time value into a String
remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
String send expression
remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
Number check for reply string
remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
String send key sequence
remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
round( {expr}) Float round off {expr}
screenattr( {row}, {col}) Number attribute at screen position
screenchar( {row}, {col}) Number character at screen position
screencol() Number current cursor column
screenrow() Number current cursor row
search( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
Number search for {pattern}
searchdecl( {name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
Number search for variable declaration
searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Number search for other end of start/end pair
searchpairpos( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
List search for other end of start/end pair
searchpos( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
List search for {pattern}
server2client( {clientid}, {string})
Number send reply string
serverlist() String get a list of available servers
setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
setloclist( {nr}, {list}[, {action}])
Number modify location list using {list}
setmatches( {list}) Number restore a list of matches
setpos( {expr}, {list}) Number set the {expr} position to {list}
setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number modify quickfix list using {list}
setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
settabvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in tab page {nr} to {val}
settabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window
{winnr} in tab page {tabnr} to {val}
setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
sha256( {string}) String SHA256 checksum of {string}
shellescape( {string} [, {special}])
String escape {string} for use as shell
command argument
shiftwidth() Number effective value of 'shiftwidth'
simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
sin( {expr}) Float sine of {expr}
sinh( {expr}) Float hyperbolic sine of {expr}
sort( {list} [, {func} [, {dict}]])
List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
List spelling suggestions
split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
List make List from {pat} separated {expr}
sqrt( {expr}) Float square root of {expr}
str2float( {expr}) Float convert String to Float
str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) Number convert String to Number
strchars( {expr}) Number character length of the String {expr}
strdisplaywidth( {expr} [, {col}]) Number display length of the String {expr}
strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
strwidth( {expr}) Number display cell length of the String {expr}
submatch( {nr}[, {list}]) String or List
specific match in ":s" or substitute()
substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
synconcealed( {lnum}, {col}) List info about concealing
synstack( {lnum}, {col}) List stack of syntax IDs at {lnum} and {col}
system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
systemlist( {expr} [, {input}]) List output of shell command/filter {expr}
tabpagebuflist( [{arg}]) List list of buffer numbers in tab page
tabpagenr( [{arg}]) Number number of current or last tab page
tabpagewinnr( {tabarg}[, {arg}])
Number number of current window in tab page
taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
tagfiles() List tags files used
tempname() String name for a temporary file
tan( {expr}) Float tangent of {expr}
tanh( {expr}) Float hyperbolic tangent of {expr}
tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
to chars in {tostr}
trunc( {expr}) Float truncate Float {expr}
type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
undofile( {name}) String undo file name for {name}
undotree() List undo file tree
uniq( {list} [, {func} [, {dict}]])
List remove adjacent duplicates from a list
values( {dict}) List values in {dict}
virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
wildmenumode() Number whether 'wildmenu' mode is active
winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
wincol() Number window column of the cursor
winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
winline() Number window line of the cursor
winnr( [{expr}]) Number number of current window
winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
winrestview( {dict}) none restore view of current window
winsaveview() Dict save view of current window
winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
writefile( {list}, {fname} [, {flags}])
Number write list of lines to file {fname}
xor( {expr}, {expr}) Number bitwise XOR
abs({expr}) abs()LINK
Return the absolute value of {expr}. When {expr} evaluates to
a Float abs() returns a Float. When {expr} can be
converted to a Number abs() returns a Number. Otherwise
abs() gives an error message and returns -1.
Examples:
echo abs(1.456)
1.456
echo abs(-5.456)
5.456
echo abs(-4)
4
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
acos({expr}) acos()LINK
Return the arc cosine of {expr} measured in radians, as a
Float in the range of [0, pi].
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number in the range
[-1, 1].
Examples:
:echo acos(0)
1.570796
:echo acos(-0.5)
2.094395
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
add({list}, {expr}) add()LINK
Append the item {expr} to List {list}. Returns the
resulting List. Examples:
:let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
:call add(mylist, "woodstock")
Note that when {expr} is a List it is appended as a single
item. Use extend() to concatenate Lists.
Use insert() to add an item at another position.
and({expr}, {expr}) and()LINK
Bitwise AND on the two arguments. The arguments are converted
to a number. A List, Dict or Float argument causes an error.
Example:
:let flag = and(bits, 0x80)
append({lnum}, {expr}) append()LINK
When {expr} is a List: Append each item of the List as a
text line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
the current buffer.
{lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
0 for success. Example:
:let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
:let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
argc()LINK
argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
current window. See arglist.
argidx()LINK
argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See arglist.
arglistid()LINK
arglistid([{winnr}, [ {tabnr} ]])
Return the argument list ID. This is a number which
identifies the argument list being used. Zero is used for the
global argument list. See arglist.
Return -1 if the arguments are invalid.
Without arguments use the current window.
With {winnr} only use this window in the current tab page.
With {winnr} and {tabnr} use the window in the specified tab
page.
argv()LINK
argv([{nr}]) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
current window. See arglist. "argv(0)" is the first one.
Example:
:let i = 0
:while i < argc()
: let f = escape(fnameescape(argv(i)), '.')
: exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
: let i = i + 1
:endwhile
Without the {nr} argument a List with the whole arglist is
returned.
asin({expr}) asin()LINK
Return the arc sine of {expr} measured in radians, as a Float
in the range of [-pi/2, pi/2].
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number in the range
[-1, 1].
Examples:
:echo asin(0.8)
0.927295
:echo asin(-0.5)
-0.523599
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
atan({expr}) atan()LINK
Return the principal value of the arc tangent of {expr}, in
the range [-pi/2, +pi/2] radians, as a Float.
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo atan(100)
1.560797
:echo atan(-4.01)
-1.326405
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
atan2({expr1}, {expr2}) atan2()LINK
Return the arc tangent of {expr1} / {expr2}, measured in
radians, as a Float in the range [-pi, pi].
{expr1} and {expr2} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo atan2(-1, 1)
-0.785398
:echo atan2(1, -1)
2.356194
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
browse()LINK
browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
The input fields are:
{save} when non-zero, select file to write
{title} title for the requester
{initdir} directory to start browsing in
{default} default file name
When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
browsedir()LINK
browsedir({title}, {initdir})
Put up a directory requester. This only works when
"has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
to be used.
The input fields are:
{title} title for the requester
{initdir} directory to start browsing in
When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
bufexists({expr}) bufexists()LINK
The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
{expr} exists.
If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
exactly. The name can be:
- Relative to the current directory.
- A full path.
- The name of a buffer with 'buftype' set to "nofile".
- A URL name.
Unlisted buffers will be found.
Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
output of :buffers, but bufexists() requires using their
long name to be able to find them.
bufexists() may report a buffer exists, but to use the name
with a :buffer command you may need to use expand(). Esp
for MS-Windows 8.3 names in the form "c:\DOCUME~1"
Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
file name.
buffer_exists()LINK
Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
buflisted({expr}) buflisted()LINK
The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
{expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
The {expr} argument is used like with bufexists().
bufloaded({expr}) bufloaded()LINK
The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
{expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
The {expr} argument is used like with bufexists().
bufname({expr}) bufname()LINK
The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
":ls" command.
If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
If {expr} is a String, it is used as a file-pattern to match
with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
match an empty string is returned.
"" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
alternate buffer.
A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
or middle of the buffer name is accepted. If you only want a
full match then put "^" at the start and "$" at the end of the
pattern.
Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
buffers are searched for.
If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it:
:echo bufname("3" + 0)
If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
string is returned.
bufname("#") alternate buffer name
bufname(3) name of buffer 3
bufname("%") name of current buffer
bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
buffer_name()LINK
Obsolete name: buffer_name().
bufnr()LINK
bufnr({expr} [, {create}])
The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see bufname()
above.
If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned. Or, if the
{create} argument is present and not zero, a new, unlisted,
buffer is created and its number is returned.
bufnr("$") is the last buffer:
:let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
buffer_number()LINK
Obsolete name: buffer_number().
last_buffer_nr()LINK
Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
bufwinnr({expr}) bufwinnr()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
see bufname() above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example:
echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
The number can be used with CTRL-W_w and ":wincmd w"
Only deals with the current tab page.
byte2line({byte}) byte2line()LINK
Return the line number that contains the character at byte
count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
one.
Also see line2byte(), go and :goto.
{not available when compiled without the +byte_offset
feature}
byteidx({expr}, {nr}) byteidx()LINK
Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
{expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
This function is only useful when there are multibyte
characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
Composing characters are not counted separately, their byte
length is added to the preceding base character. See
byteidxcomp() below for counting composing characters
separately.
Example :
echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
same:
let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
in bytes is returned.
byteidxcomp({expr}, {nr}) byteidxcomp()LINK
Like byteidx(), except that a composing character is counted
as a separate character. Example:
let s = 'e' . nr2char(0x301)
echo byteidx(s, 1)
echo byteidxcomp(s, 1)
echo byteidxcomp(s, 2)
The first and third echo result in 3 ('e' plus composing
character is 3 bytes), the second echo results in 1 ('e' is
one byte).
Only works different from byteidx() when 'encoding' is set to
a Unicode encoding.
call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) call() E699LINK
Call function {func} with the items in List {arglist} as
arguments.
{func} can either be a Funcref or the name of a function.
a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
Returns the return value of the called function.
{dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
used to set the local variable "self". Dictionary-function
ceil({expr}) ceil()LINK
Return the smallest integral value greater than or equal to
{expr} as a Float (round up).
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
echo ceil(1.456)
2.0
echo ceil(-5.456)
-5.0
echo ceil(4.0)
4.0
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
changenr() changenr()LINK
Return the number of the most recent change. This is the same
number as what is displayed with :undolist and can be used
with the :undo command.
When a change was made it is the number of that change. After
redo it is the number of the redone change. After undo it is
one less than the number of the undone change.
char2nr({expr}[, {utf8}]) char2nr()LINK
Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples:
char2nr(" ") returns 32
char2nr("ABC") returns 65
When {utf8} is omitted or zero, the current 'encoding' is used.
Example for "utf-8":
char2nr("á") returns 225
char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
With {utf8} set to 1, always treat as utf-8 characters.
A combining character is a separate character.
nr2char() does the opposite.
cindent({lnum}) cindent()LINK
Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
relevant. {lnum} is used just like in getline().
When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the +cindent
feature, -1 is returned.
See C-indenting.
clearmatches() clearmatches()LINK
Clears all matches previously defined by matchadd() and the
:match commands.
col()LINK
col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
. the cursor position
$ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
number of bytes in the cursor line plus one)
'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
returned)
v In Visual mode: the start of the Visual area (the
cursor is the end). When not in Visual mode
returns the cursor position. Differs from '< in
that it's updated right away.
Additionally {expr} can be [lnum, col]: a List with the line
and column number. Most useful when the column is "$", to get
the last column of a specific line. When "lnum" or "col" is
out of range then col() returns zero.
To get the line number use line(). To get both use
For the screen column position use virtcol().
Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
Examples:
col(".") column of cursor
col("$") length of cursor line plus one
col("'t") column of mark t
col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
For an uppercase mark the column may actually be in another
buffer.
For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode:
:imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
\<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
\<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
\let &ve = save_ve<CR>
complete({startcol}, {matches}) complete() E785LINK
Set the matches for Insert mode completion.
Can only be used in Insert mode. You need to use a mapping
with CTRL-R = i_CTRL-R. It does not work after CTRL-O or
with an expression mapping.
{startcol} is the byte offset in the line where the completed
text start. The text up to the cursor is the original text
that will be replaced by the matches. Use col('.') for an
empty string. "col('.') - 1" will replace one character by a
match.
{matches} must be a List. Each List item is one match.
See complete-items for the kind of items that are possible.
Note that the after calling this function you need to avoid
inserting anything that would cause completion to stop.
The match can be selected with CTRL-N and CTRL-P as usual with
Insert mode completion. The popup menu will appear if
specified, see ins-completion-menu.
Example:
inoremap <F5> <C-R>=ListMonths()<CR>
func! ListMonths()
call complete(col('.'), ['January', 'February', 'March',
\ 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September',
\ 'October', 'November', 'December'])
return ''
endfunc
This isn't very useful, but it shows how it works. Note that
an empty string is returned to avoid a zero being inserted.
complete_add({expr}) complete_add()LINK
Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
the list.
See complete-functions for an explanation of {expr}. It is
the same as one item in the list that 'omnifunc' would return.
complete_check() complete_check()LINK
Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
zero otherwise.
Only to be used by the function specified with the
'completefunc' option.
confirm()LINK
confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
choice this is 1.
Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
support, see +dialog_con and +dialog_gui.
{msg} is displayed in a dialog with {choices} as the
alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
used (and translated).
{msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
{choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
by '\n', e.g.
confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
not need to be the first letter:
confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
the default shortcut key.
The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
{default} is omitted, 1 is used.
The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
is only used for the icon of the GTK, Mac, Motif and Win32
GUI. It can be one of these values: "Error", "Question",
"Info", "Warning" or "Generic". Only the first character is
relevant. When {type} is omitted, "Generic" is used.
If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
An example:
:let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
:if choice == 0
: echo "make up your mind!"
:elseif choice == 3
: echo "tasteful"
:else
: echo "I prefer bananas myself."
:endif
In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
the horizontal layout is always used.
copy()LINK
copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
different from using {expr} directly.
When {expr} is a List a shallow copy is created. This means
that the original List can be changed without changing the
copy, and vice versa. But the items are identical, thus
changing an item changes the contents of both Lists. Also
see deepcopy().
cos({expr}) cos()LINK
Return the cosine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a Float.
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo cos(100)
0.862319
:echo cos(-4.01)
-0.646043
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
cosh({expr}) cosh()LINK
Return the hyperbolic cosine of {expr} as a Float in the range
[1, inf].
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo cosh(0.5)
1.127626
:echo cosh(-0.5)
-1.127626
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) count()LINK
Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
in List or Dictionary {comp}.
If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
{start} can only be used with a List.
When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
cscope_connection()LINK
cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
Checks for the existence of a cscope connection. If no
parameters are specified, then the function returns:
0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
if there are no cscope connections;
1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
{num} Description of existence check
----- ------------------------------
0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
{dbpath}.
2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
{dbpath}.
3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
{dbpath} and {prepend}.
4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
{dbpath} and {prepend}.
Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"):
# pid database name prepend path
0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
Invocation Return Val
---------- ----------
cscope_connection() 1
cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
cursor({lnum}, {col} [, {off}]) cursor()LINK
cursor({list})
Positions the cursor at the column (byte count) {col} in the
line {lnum}. The first column is one.
When there is one argument {list} this is used as a List
with two, three or four item:
[{lnum}, {col}, {off}]
[{lnum}, {col}, {off}, {curswant}]
This is like the return value of getpos() or getcurpos(),
but without the first item.
Does not change the jumplist.
If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
line.
If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
If {curswant} is given it is used to set the preferred column
for vertical movement. Otherwise {col} is used.
When 'virtualedit' is used {off} specifies the offset in
screen columns from the start of the character. E.g., a
position within a <Tab> or after the last character.
Returns 0 when the position could be set, -1 otherwise.
deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) deepcopy() E698LINK
Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
different from using {expr} directly.
When {expr} is a List a full copy is created. This means
that the original List can be changed without changing the
copy, and vice versa. When an item is a List, a copy for it
is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
not change the contents of the original List.
When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained List or
Dictionary is only copied once. All references point to
this single copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a
List or Dictionary results in a new copy. This also means
that a cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
E724LINK
Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
{noref} set to 1 will fail.
Also see copy().
delete({fname}) delete()LINK
Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
when the deletion failed.
Use remove() to delete an item from a List.
To delete a line from the buffer use :delete. Use :exe
when the line number is in a variable.
did_filetype()LINK
did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
that detect the file type. FileType
When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
file.
diff_filler({lnum}) diff_filler()LINK
Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
display but don't exist in the buffer.
{lnum} is used like with getline(). Thus "." is the current
line, "'m" mark m, etc.
Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) diff_hlID()LINK
Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
{col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
diff change zero is returned.
{lnum} is used like with getline(). Thus "." is the current
line, "'m" mark m, etc.
{col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
line.
The highlight ID can be used with synIDattr() to obtain
syntax information about the highlighting.
empty({expr}) empty()LINK
Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
A List or Dictionary is empty when it does not have any
items. A Number is empty when its value is zero.
For a long List this is much faster than comparing the
length with zero.
escape({string}, {chars}) escape()LINK
Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
backslash. Example:
:echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
results in:
c:\\program\ files\\vim
Also see shellescape().
eval()LINK
eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
turn the result of string() back into the original value.
This works for Numbers, Floats, Strings and composites of
them. Also works for Funcrefs that refer to existing
functions.
eventhandler() eventhandler()LINK
Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
executable({expr}) executable()LINK
This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
arguments.
executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
searchpath for programs. PATHEXTLINK
On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
extension.
On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
On MS-Windows an executable in the same directory as Vim is
always found. Since this directory is added to $PATH it
should also work to execute it win32-PATH.
The result is a Number:
1 exists
0 does not exist
-1 not implemented on this system
exepath({expr}) exepath()LINK
If {expr} is an executable and is either an absolute path, a
relative path or found in $PATH, return the full path.
Note that the current directory is used when {expr} starts
with "./", which may be a problem for Vim:
echo exepath(v:progpath)
If {expr} cannot be found in $PATH or is not executable then
an empty string is returned.
exists()LINK
exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
which contains one of these:
&option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
not if it really works)
+option-name Vim option that works.
$ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
done by comparing with an empty
string)
*funcname built-in function (see functions)
or user defined function (see
user-functions). Also works for a
variable that is a Funcref.
varname internal variable (see
internal-variables). Also works
for curly-braces-names, Dictionary
entries, List items, etc. Beware
that evaluating an index may cause an
error message for an invalid
expression. E.g.:
:let l = [1, 2, 3]
:echo exists("l[5]")
0
:echo exists("l[xx]")
E121: Undefined variable: xx
0
:cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
command or command modifier :command.
Returns:
1 for match with start of a command
2 full match with a command
3 matches several user commands
To check for a supported command
always check the return value to be 2.
:2match The :2match command.
:3match The :3match command.
#event autocommand defined for this event
#event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
pattern (the pattern is taken
literally and compared to the
autocommand patterns character by
character)
#group autocommand group exists
#group#event autocommand defined for this group and
event.
#group#event#pattern
autocommand defined for this group,
event and pattern.
##event autocommand for this event is
supported.
For checking for a supported feature use has().
Examples:
exists("&shortname")
exists("$HOSTNAME")
exists("*strftime")
exists("*s:MyFunc")
exists("bufcount")
exists(":Make")
exists("#CursorHold")
exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
exists("#filetypeindent")
exists("#filetypeindent#FileType")
exists("#filetypeindent#FileType#*")
exists("##ColorScheme")
There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
name.
There must be no extra characters after the name, although in
a few cases this is ignored. That may become more strict in
the future, thus don't count on it!
Working example:
exists(":make")
NOT working example:
exists(":make install")
Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
variable itself. For example:
exists(bufcount)
This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
but gets the value of "bufcount", and checks if that exists.
exp({expr}) exp()LINK
Return the exponential of {expr} as a Float in the range
[0, inf].
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo exp(2)
7.389056
:echo exp(-1)
0.367879
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
expand({expr} [, {nosuf} [, {list}]]) expand()LINK
Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
'wildignorecase' applies.
If {list} is given and it is non-zero, a List will be returned.
Otherwise the result is a String and when there are several
matches, they are separated by <NL> characters. [Note: in
version 5.0 a space was used, which caused problems when a
file name contains a space]
If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
for a non-existing file is not included, unless {expr} does
not start with '%', '#' or '<', see below.
When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
like for the cmdline-special variables with their associated
modifiers. Here is a short overview:
% current file name
# alternate file name
#n alternate file name n
<cfile> file name under the cursor
<afile> autocmd file name
<abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
<amatch> autocmd matched name
<sfile> sourced script file or function name
<slnum> sourced script file line number
<cword> word under the cursor
<cWORD> WORD under the cursor
<client> the {clientid} of the last received
message server2client()
Modifiers:
:p expand to full path
:h head (last path component removed)
:t tail (last path component only)
:r root (one extension removed)
:e extension only
Example:
:let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
'<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work:
:let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
Use this:
:let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
"~/" expanded into the path of the home directory:
:echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
There cannot be white space between the variables and the
following modifier. The fnamemodify() function can be used
to modify normal file names.
When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
'/' added.
When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
{nosuf} argument is given and it is non-zero.
Names for non-existing files are included. The "**" item can
be used to search in a directory tree. For example, to find
all "README" files in the current directory and below:
:echo expand("**/README")
Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
slow, because a shell may be used to do the expansion. See
The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
"$FOOBAR".
See glob() for finding existing files. See system() for
getting the raw output of an external command.
extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) extend()LINK
{expr1} and {expr2} must be both Lists or both
If they are Lists: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
{expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
{expr2} is appended.
Examples:
:echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
:call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
When {expr1} is the same List as {expr2} then the number of
items copied is equal to the original length of the List.
E.g., when {expr3} is 1 you get N new copies of the first item
(where N is the original length of the List).
Use add() to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
two lists into a new list use the + operator:
:let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
If they are Dictionaries:
Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
used to decide what to do:
{expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
{expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
{expr3} = "error": give an error message E737LINK
When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
{expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
make a copy of {expr1} first.
{expr2} remains unchanged.
Returns {expr1}.
feedkeys({string} [, {mode}]) feedkeys()LINK
Characters in {string} are queued for processing as if they
come from a mapping or were typed by the user. They are added
to the end of the typeahead buffer, thus if a mapping is still
being executed these characters come after them.
The function does not wait for processing of keys contained in
{string}.
To include special keys into {string}, use double-quotes
and "\..." notation expr-quote. For example,
feedkeys("\<CR>") simulates pressing of the <Enter> key. But
feedkeys('\<CR>') pushes 5 characters.
If {mode} is absent, keys are remapped.
{mode} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
'm' Remap keys. This is default.
'n' Do not remap keys.
't' Handle keys as if typed; otherwise they are handled as
if coming from a mapping. This matters for undo,
opening folds, etc.
Return value is always 0.
filereadable({file}) filereadable()LINK
The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
expression, which is used as a String.
If you don't care about the file being readable you can use
file_readable()LINK
Obsolete name: file_readable().
filewritable({file}) filewritable()LINK
The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If {file} is a
directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
filter({expr}, {string}) filter()LINK
{expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
is zero remove the item from the List or Dictionary.
Inside {string} v:val has the value of the current item.
For a Dictionary v:key has the key of the current item.
Examples:
:call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
Removes the items where "OLD" appears.
:call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
Removes the items with a key below 8.
:call filter(var, 0)
Removes all the items, thus clears the List or Dictionary.
Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
literal-string to avoid having to double backslashes.
The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first:
:let l = filter(copy(mylist), 'v:val =~ "KEEP"')
Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
further items in {expr} are processed.
finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) finddir()LINK
Find directory {name} in {path}. Supports both downwards and
upwards recursive directory searches. See file-searching
for the syntax of {path}.
Returns the path of the first found match. When the found
directory is below the current directory a relative path is
returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
{name} in {path} instead of the first one.
When {count} is negative return all the matches in a List.
This is quite similar to the ex-command :find.
{only available when compiled with the +file_in_path
feature}
findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) findfile()LINK
Just like finddir(), but find a file instead of a directory.
Uses 'suffixesadd'.
Example:
:echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
Searches from the directory of the current file upwards until
it finds the file "tags.vim".
float2nr({expr}) float2nr()LINK
Convert {expr} to a Number by omitting the part after the
decimal point.
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
When the value of {expr} is out of range for a Number the
result is truncated to 0x7fffffff or -0x7fffffff. NaN results
in -0x80000000.
Examples:
echo float2nr(3.95)
3
echo float2nr(-23.45)
-23
echo float2nr(1.0e100)
2147483647
echo float2nr(-1.0e150)
-2147483647
echo float2nr(1.0e-100)
0
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
floor({expr}) floor()LINK
Return the largest integral value less than or equal to
{expr} as a Float (round down).
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
echo floor(1.856)
1.0
echo floor(-5.456)
-6.0
echo floor(4.0)
4.0
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
fmod({expr1}, {expr2}) fmod()LINK
Return the remainder of {expr1} / {expr2}, even if the
division is not representable. Returns {expr1} - i * {expr2}
for some integer i such that if {expr2} is non-zero, the
result has the same sign as {expr1} and magnitude less than
the magnitude of {expr2}. If {expr2} is zero, the value
returned is zero. The value returned is a Float.
{expr1} and {expr2} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo fmod(12.33, 1.22)
0.13
:echo fmod(-12.33, 1.22)
-0.13
{only available when compiled with +float feature}
fnameescape({string}) fnameescape()LINK
Escape {string} for use as file name command argument. All
characters that have a special meaning, such as '%' and '|'
are escaped with a backslash.
For most systems the characters escaped are
" \t\n*?[{`$\\%#'\"|!<". For systems where a backslash
appears in a filename, it depends on the value of 'isfname'.
A leading '+' and '>' is also escaped (special after :edit
and :write). And a "-" by itself (special after :cd).
Example:
:let fname = '+some str%nge|name'
:exe "edit " . fnameescape(fname)
results in executing:
edit \+some\ str\%nge\|name
fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) fnamemodify()LINK
Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
string of characters like it is used for file names on the
command line. See filename-modifiers.
Example:
:echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
results in:
/home/mool/vim/vim/src
Note: Environment variables don't work in {fname}, use
expand() first then.
foldclosed({lnum}) foldclosed()LINK
The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
foldclosedend({lnum}) foldclosedend()LINK
The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
foldlevel({lnum}) foldlevel()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
previous line is usually available.
foldtext()LINK
foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
v:foldstart, v:foldend and v:folddashes variables.
The returned string looks like this:
+-- 45 lines: abcdef
The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
options is removed.
{not available when compiled without the +folding feature}
foldtextresult({lnum}) foldtextresult()LINK
Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
{lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
returned.
{lnum} is used like with getline(). Thus "." is the current
line, "'m" mark m, etc.
Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
{not available when compiled without the +folding feature}
foreground()LINK
foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
a client to a Vim server. remote_send()
On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
remote_foreground() instead.
{only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
Win32 console version}
function({name}) function() E700LINK
Return a Funcref variable that refers to function {name}.
{name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
garbagecollect([{atexit}]) garbagecollect()LINK
Cleanup unused Lists and Dictionaries that have circular
references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
freed when they become unused.
This is useful if you have deleted a very big List and/or
Dictionary with circular references in a script that runs
for a long time.
When the optional {atexit} argument is one, garbage
collection will also be done when exiting Vim, if it wasn't
done before. This is useful when checking for memory leaks.
get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) get()LINK
Get item {idx} from List {list}. When this item is not
available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
omitted.
get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
Get item with key {key} from Dictionary {dict}. When this
item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
{default} is omitted.
getbufline()LINK
getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Return a List with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
(inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a
List with only the line {lnum} is returned.
For the use of {expr}, see bufname() above.
For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
lines in the buffer, an empty List is returned.
When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is
returned.
This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
non-existing buffers, an empty List is returned.
Example:
:let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
getbufvar({expr}, {varname} [, {def}]) getbufvar()LINK
The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
{varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
must be used.
When {varname} is empty returns a dictionary with all the
buffer-local variables.
This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
window-local option.
For the use of {expr}, see bufname() above.
When the buffer or variable doesn't exist {def} or an empty
string is returned, there is no error message.
Examples:
:let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
:echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
getchar([expr]) getchar()LINK
Get a single character from the user or input stream.
If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
Return zero otherwise.
If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
not consumed. Return zero if no character available.
Without [expr] and when [expr] is 0 a whole character or
special key is returned. If it is an 8-bit character, the
result is a number. Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
Otherwise a String is returned with the encoded character.
For a special key it's a sequence of bytes starting with 0x80
(decimal: 128). This is the same value as the string
"\<Key>", e.g., "\<Left>". The returned value is also a
String when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used that is
not included in the character.
When [expr] is 0 and Esc is typed, there will be a short delay
while Vim waits to see if this is the start of an escape
sequence.
When [expr] is 1 only the first byte is returned. For a
one-byte character it is the character itself as a number.
Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
Use getcharmod() to obtain any additional modifiers.
When the user clicks a mouse button, the mouse event will be
returned. The position can then be found in v:mouse_col,
v:mouse_lnum and v:mouse_win. This example positions the
mouse as it would normally happen:
let c = getchar()
if c == "\<LeftMouse>" && v:mouse_win > 0
exe v:mouse_win . "wincmd w"
exe v:mouse_lnum
exe "normal " . v:mouse_col . "|"
endif
There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
user that a character has to be typed.
There is no mapping for the character.
Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
sequence. Examples:
getchar() == "\<Del>"
getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
This example redefines "f" to ignore case:
:nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
:function FindChar()
: let c = nr2char(getchar())
: while col('.') < col('$') - 1
: normal l
: if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
: break
: endif
: endwhile
:endfunction
You may also receive syntetic characters, such as
<CursorHold>. Often you will want to ignore this and get
another character:
:function GetKey()
: let c = getchar()
: while c == "\<CursorHold>"
: let c = getchar()
: endwhile
: return c
:endfunction
getcharmod() getcharmod()LINK
The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
These values are added together:
2 shift
4 control
8 alt (meta)
16 meta (when it's different from ALT)
32 mouse double click
64 mouse triple click
96 mouse quadruple click (== 32 + 64)
128 command (Macintosh only)
Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
without a modifier.
getcmdline() getcmdline()LINK
Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
line is being edited, thus requires use of c_CTRL-\_e or
Example:
:cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Also see getcmdtype(), getcmdpos() and setcmdpos().
getcmdpos() getcmdpos()LINK
Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
byte count. The first column is 1.
Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
c_CTRL-\_e or c_CTRL-R_= or an expression mapping.
Returns 0 otherwise.
Also see getcmdtype(), setcmdpos() and getcmdline().
getcmdtype() getcmdtype()LINK
Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
are:
: normal Ex command
> debug mode command debug-mode
/ forward search command
? backward search command
@ input() command
Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
c_CTRL-\_e or c_CTRL-R_= or an expression mapping.
Returns an empty string otherwise.
Also see getcmdpos(), setcmdpos() and getcmdline().
getcmdwintype() getcmdwintype()LINK
Return the current command-line-window type. Possible return
values are the same as getcmdtype(). Returns an empty string
when not in the command-line window.
getcurpos()LINK
getcurpos() Get the position of the cursor. This is like getpos('.'), but
includes an extra item in the list:
[bufnum, lnum, col, off, curswant]
The "curswant" number is the preferred column when moving the
cursor vertically.
This can be used to save and restore the cursor position:
let save_cursor = getcurpos()
MoveTheCursorAround
call setpos('.', save_cursor)
getcwd()LINK
getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
working directory.
getfsize({fname}) getfsize()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
given file {fname}.
If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
If the size of {fname} is too big to fit in a Number then -2
is returned.
getfontname([{name}]) getfontname()LINK
Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
Only works when the GUI is running, thus not in your vimrc or
gvimrc file. Use the GUIEnter autocommand to use this
function just after the GUI has started.
Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
for a valid name does not work.
getfperm({fname}) getfperm()LINK
The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
permissions of the given file {fname}.
If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
empty string is returned.
The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
"rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
is replaced with the string "-". Examples:
:echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
:echo getfperm(expand("~/.vimrc"))
This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
getftime({fname}) getftime()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
localtime() and strftime().
If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
getftype({fname}) getftype()LINK
The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
file of the given file {fname}.
If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
results:
Normal file "file"
Directory "dir"
Symbolic link "link"
Block device "bdev"
Character device "cdev"
Socket "socket"
FIFO "fifo"
All other "other"
Example:
getftype("/home")
Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
"file" are returned.
getline()LINK
getline({lnum} [, {end}])
Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
from the current buffer. Example:
getline(1)
When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
To get the line under the cursor:
getline(".")
When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
When {end} is given the result is a List where each item is
a line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
including line {end}.
{end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is returned.
Example:
:let start = line('.')
:let end = search("^$") - 1
:let lines = getline(start, end)
To get lines from another buffer see getbufline()
getloclist({nr}) getloclist()LINK
Returns a list with all the entries in the location list for
window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
For a location list window, the displayed location list is
returned. For an invalid window number {nr}, an empty list is
returned. Otherwise, same as getqflist().
getmatches() getmatches()LINK
Returns a List with all matches previously defined by
matchadd() and the :match commands. getmatches() is
useful in combination with setmatches(), as setmatches()
can restore a list of matches saved by getmatches().
Example:
:echo getmatches()
[{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}]
:let m = getmatches()
:call clearmatches()
:echo getmatches()
[]
:call setmatches(m)
:echo getmatches()
[{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}]
:unlet m
getpid()LINK
getpid() Return a Number which is the process ID of the Vim process.
On Unix and MS-Windows this is a unique number, until Vim
exits. On MS-DOS it's always zero.
getpos()LINK
getpos({expr}) Get the position for {expr}. For possible values of {expr}
see line(). For getting the cursor position see
The result is a List with four numbers:
[bufnum, lnum, col, off]
"bufnum" is zero, unless a mark like '0 or 'A is used, then it
is the buffer number of the mark.
"lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
column is 1.
The "off" number is zero, unless 'virtualedit' is used. Then
it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
character.
Note that for '< and '> Visual mode matters: when it is "V"
(visual line mode) the column of '< is zero and the column of
'> is a large number.
This can be used to save and restore the position of a mark:
let save_a_mark = getpos("'a")
...
call setpos("'a", save_a_mark)
Also see getcurpos() and setpos().
getqflist() getqflist()LINK
Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
list item is a dictionary with these entries:
bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
bufname() to get the name
lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
col column number (first column is 1)
vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
zero: "col" is byte index
nr error number
pattern search pattern used to locate the error
text description of the error
type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
valid non-zero: recognized error message
When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
returned. Quickfix list entries with non-existing buffer
number are returned with "bufnr" set to zero.
Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
do something with them:
:vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
:for d in getqflist()
: echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
:endfor
getreg([{regname} [, 1 [, {list}]]]) getreg()LINK
The result is a String, which is the contents of register
{regname}. Example:
:let cliptext = getreg('*')
getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
register. (For use in maps.)
getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
be restored with setreg(). For other registers the extra
argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
If {list} is present and non-zero result type is changed to
List. Each list item is one text line. Use it if you care
about zero bytes possibly present inside register: without
third argument both NLs and zero bytes are represented as NLs
(see NL-used-for-Nul).
If {regname} is not specified, v:register is used.
getregtype([{regname}]) getregtype()LINK
The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
The value will be one of:
"v" for characterwise text
"V" for linewise text
"<CTRL-V>{width}" for blockwise-visual text
"" for an empty or unknown register
<CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
If {regname} is not specified, v:register is used.
gettabvar({tabnr}, {varname} [, {def}]) gettabvar()LINK
Get the value of a tab-local variable {varname} in tab page
{tabnr}. t:var
Tabs are numbered starting with one.
When {varname} is empty a dictionary with all tab-local
variables is returned.
Note that the name without "t:" must be used.
When the tab or variable doesn't exist {def} or an empty
string is returned, there is no error message.
gettabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname} [, {def}]) gettabwinvar()LINK
Get the value of window-local variable {varname} in window
{winnr} in tab page {tabnr}.
When {varname} starts with "&" get the value of a window-local
option.
When {varname} is empty a dictionary with all window-local
variables is returned.
Note that {varname} must be the name without "w:".
Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
use getwinvar().
When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
or buffer-local variable.
When the tab, window or variable doesn't exist {def} or an
empty string is returned, there is no error message.
Examples:
:let list_is_on = gettabwinvar(1, 2, '&list')
:echo "myvar = " . gettabwinvar(3, 1, 'myvar')
getwinposx()LINK
getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
-1 if the information is not available.
getwinposy()LINK
getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
information is not available.
getwinvar({winnr}, {varname} [, {def}]) getwinvar()LINK
Like gettabwinvar() for the current tabpage.
Examples:
:let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
:echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
glob({expr} [, {nosuf} [, {list}]]) glob()LINK
Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. See wildcards for the
use of special characters.
Unless the optional {nosuf} argument is given and is non-zero,
the 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' options apply: Names matching
one of the patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped and
'suffixes' affect the ordering of matches.
'wildignorecase' always applies.
When {list} is present and it is non-zero the result is a List
with all matching files. The advantage of using a List is,
you also get filenames containing newlines correctly.
Otherwise the result is a String and when there are several
matches, they are separated by <NL> characters.
If the expansion fails, the result is an empty String or List.
A name for a non-existing file is not included. A symbolic
link is only included if it points to an existing file.
For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
any external command. Example:
:let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
:let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
See expand() for expanding special Vim variables. See
system() for getting the raw output of an external command.
globpath({path}, {expr} [, {nosuf} [, {list}]]) globpath()LINK
Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
the results. Example:
:echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
{path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
error message.
Unless the optional {nosuf} argument is given and is non-zero,
the 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' options apply: Names matching
one of the patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped and
'suffixes' affect the ordering of matches.
When {list} is present and it is non-zero the result is a List
with all matching files. The advantage of using a List is, you
also get filenames containing newlines correctly. Otherwise
the result is a String and when there are several matches,
they are separated by <NL> characters. Example:
:echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim", 0, 1)
The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
in 'runtimepath' and below:
:echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
Upwards search and limiting the depth of "**" is not
supported, thus using 'path' will not always work properly.
has()LINK
has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
string. See feature-list below.
Also see exists().
has_key({dict}, {key}) has_key()LINK
The result is a Number, which is 1 if Dictionary {dict} has
an entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
haslocaldir() haslocaldir()LINK
The result is a Number, which is 1 when the current
window has set a local path via :lcd, and 0 otherwise.
hasmapto({what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) hasmapto()LINK
The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
{mode}.
When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
instead of mappings. Don't forget to specify Insert and/or
Command-line mode.
Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
buffer are checked for a match.
If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
n Normal mode
v Visual mode
o Operator-pending mode
i Insert mode
l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
c Command-line mode
When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
to a function in a Vim script. Example:
:if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
: map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
:endif
This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
histadd({history}, {item}) histadd()LINK
Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
one of: hist-namesLINK
"cmd" or ":" command line history
"search" or "/" search pattern history
"expr" or "=" typed expression history
"input" or "@" input line history
"debug" or ">" debug command history
The {history} string does not need to be the whole name, one
character is sufficient.
If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
shifted to become the newest entry.
The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
otherwise 0 is returned.
Example:
:call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
:let date=input("Enter date: ")
This function is not available in the sandbox.
histdel({history} [, {item}]) histdel()LINK
Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See hist-names
for the possible values of {history}.
If the parameter {item} evaluates to a String, it is used as a
regular expression. All entries matching that expression will
be removed from the history (if there are any).
Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used /\c.
If {item} evaluates to a Number, it will be interpreted as
an index, see :history-indexing. The respective entry will
be removed if it exists.
The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
otherwise 0 is returned.
Examples:
Clear expression register history:
:call histdel("expr")
Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history:
:call histdel("/", '^\*')
The following three are equivalent:
:call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
:call histdel("search", -1)
:call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
the "n" command and 'hlsearch':
:call histdel("search", -1)
:let @/ = histget("search", -1)
histget({history} [, {index}]) histget()LINK
The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
{history}. See hist-names for the possible values of
{history}, and :history-indexing for {index}. If there is
no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
Examples:
Redo the second last search from history.
:execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
the {num}th entry from the output of :history.
:command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
histnr({history}) histnr()LINK
The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
See hist-names for the possible values of {history}.
If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
Example:
:let inp_index = histnr("expr")
hlexists({name}) hlexists()LINK
The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
item.
highlight_exists()LINK
Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
hlID()LINK
hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
zero is returned.
This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
group. For example, to get the background color of the
"Comment" group:
:echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
highlightID()LINK
Obsolete name: highlightID().
hostname() hostname()LINK
The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
256 characters long are truncated.
iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) iconv()LINK
The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
When the conversion completely fails an empty string is
returned. When some characters could not be converted they
are replaced with "?".
The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the +iconv
feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
can be done.
This can be used to display messages with special characters,
no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
UTF-8 and use:
echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
{only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
indent()LINK
indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) index()LINK
Return the lowest index in List {list} where the item has a
value equal to {expr}. There is no automatic conversion, so
the String "4" is different from the Number 4. And the number
4 is different from the Float 4.0. The value of 'ignorecase'
is not used here, case always matters.
If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
{start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
case must match.
-1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
Example:
:let idx = index(words, "the")
:if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) input()LINK
The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
the command-line. The {prompt} argument is either a prompt
string, or a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used
in the prompt to start a new line.
The highlighting set with :echohl is used for the prompt.
The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
for lines typed for input().
Example:
:if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
: echo "Cheers!"
:endif
If the optional {text} argument is present and not empty, this
is used for the default reply, as if the user typed this.
Example:
:let color = input("Color? ", "white")
The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
"-complete=" argument. Refer to :command-completion for
more information. Example:
let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
Use inputsave() before input() and inputrestore()
after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
Example with a mapping:
:nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
:function GetFoo()
: call inputsave()
: let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
: call inputrestore()
:endfunction
inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) inputdialog()LINK
Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs
are supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
Example:
:let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", shiftwidth())
:if n != ""
: let &sw = n
:endif
When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
omitted an empty string is returned.
Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
<Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
inputlist({textlist}) inputlist()LINK
{textlist} must be a List of strings. This List is
displayed, one string per line. The user will be prompted to
enter a number, which is returned.
The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
above the first item a negative number is returned. When
clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
is returned.
Make sure {textlist} has less than 'lines' entries, otherwise
it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
the start of the string. And put a prompt in the first item.
Example:
let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
\ '2. green', '3. blue'])
inputrestore() inputrestore()LINK
Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
inputsave() inputsave()LINK
Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
be used several times, in which case there must be just as
many inputrestore() calls.
Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) inputsecret()LINK
This function acts much like the input() function with but
two exceptions:
a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
history stack.
The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) insert()LINK
Insert {item} at the start of List {list}.
If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
{idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
list-index. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Returns the resulting List. Examples:
:let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
:call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
:call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
The last example can be done simpler with add().
Note that when {item} is a List it is inserted as a single
item. Use extend() to concatenate Lists.
invert({expr}) invert()LINK
Bitwise invert. The argument is converted to a number. A
List, Dict or Float argument causes an error. Example:
:let bits = invert(bits)
isdirectory({directory}) isdirectory()LINK
The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
is any expression, which is used as a String.
islocked({expr}) islocked() E786LINK
The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
name of a locked variable.
{expr} must be the name of a variable, List item or
Dictionary entry, not the variable itself! Example:
:let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
:lockvar 1 alist
:echo islocked('alist') " 1
:echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
message. Use exists() to check for existence.
items({dict}) items()LINK
Return a List with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
List item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict}
entry and the value of this entry. The List is in arbitrary
order.
join({list} [, {sep}]) join()LINK
Join the items in {list} together into one String.
When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
{sep} is omitted a single space is used.
Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
add it there too:
let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
String items are used as-is. Lists and Dictionaries are
converted into a string like with string().
The opposite function is split().
keys({dict}) keys()LINK
Return a List with all the keys of {dict}. The List is in
arbitrary order.
len() E701LINK
len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
used, as with strlen().
When {expr} is a List the number of items in the List is
returned.
When {expr} is a Dictionary the number of entries in the
Dictionary is returned.
Otherwise an error is given.
libcall() E364 E368LINK
libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
with single argument {argument}.
This is useful to call functions in a library that you
especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
limited.
The result is the String returned by the function. If the
function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
to Vim.
If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
null-terminated string.
This function will fail in restricted-mode.
libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
very probably crash.
For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
the DLL is not in the usual places.
For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
{only in Win32 and some Unix versions, when the +libcall
feature is present}
Examples:
:echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
libcallnr()LINK
libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
int instead of a string.
{only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the +libcall
feature is present}
Examples:
:echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
:call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
:call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
line()LINK
line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
. the cursor position
$ the last line in the current buffer
'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
returned)
w0 first line visible in current window
w$ last line visible in current window
v In Visual mode: the start of the Visual area (the
cursor is the end). When not in Visual mode
returns the cursor position. Differs from '< in
that it's updated right away.
Note that a mark in another file can be used. The line number
then applies to another buffer.
To get the column number use col(). To get both use
Examples:
line(".") line number of the cursor
line("'t") line number of mark t
line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
last-position-jumpLINK
This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
just after opening it, if the '" mark is set:
:au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 1 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal! g`\"" | endif
line2byte({lnum}) line2byte()LINK
Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
{lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
line returns 1. 'encoding' matters, 'fileencoding' is ignored.
This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
below the last line:
line2byte(line("$") + 1)
This is the buffer size plus one. If 'fileencoding' is empty
it is the file size plus one.
When {lnum} is invalid, or the +byte_offset feature has been
disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
Also see byte2line(), go and :goto.
lispindent({lnum}) lispindent()LINK
Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
relevant. {lnum} is used just like in getline().
When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
+lispindent feature, -1 is returned.
localtime() localtime()LINK
Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
1970. See also strftime() and getftime().
log({expr}) log()LINK
Return the natural logarithm (base e) of {expr} as a Float.
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number in the range
(0, inf].
Examples:
:echo log(10)
2.302585
:echo log(exp(5))
5.0
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
log10({expr}) log10()LINK
Return the logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10 as a Float.
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo log10(1000)
3.0
:echo log10(0.01)
-2.0
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
luaeval({expr}[, {expr}]) luaeval()LINK
Evaluate Lua expression {expr} and return its result converted
to Vim data structures. Second {expr} may hold additional
argument accessible as _A inside first {expr}.
Strings are returned as they are.
Boolean objects are converted to numbers.
Numbers are converted to Float values if vim was compiled
with +float and to numbers otherwise.
Dictionaries and lists obtained by vim.eval() are returned
as-is.
Other objects are returned as zero without any errors.
See lua-luaeval for more details.
{only available when compiled with the +lua feature}
map({expr}, {string}) map()LINK
{expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
{string}.
Inside {string} v:val has the value of the current item.
For a Dictionary v:key has the key of the current item
and for a List v:key has the index of the current item.
Example:
:call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
literal-string to avoid having to double backslashes. You
still have to double ' quotes
The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first:
:let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' v:val . "\t"')
Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
further items in {expr} are processed.
maparg({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr} [, {dict}]]]) maparg()LINK
When {dict} is omitted or zero: Return the rhs of mapping
{name} in mode {mode}. The returned String has special
characters translated like in the output of the ":map" command
listing.
When there is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is
returned.
The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
command.
{mode} can be one of these strings:
"n" Normal
"v" Visual (including Select)
"o" Operator-pending
"i" Insert
"c" Cmd-line
"s" Select
"x" Visual
"l" langmap language-mapping
"" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
When {mode} is omitted, the modes for "" are used.
When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
instead of mappings.
When {dict} is there and it is non-zero return a dictionary
containing all the information of the mapping with the
following items:
"lhs" The {lhs} of the mapping.
"rhs" The {rhs} of the mapping as typed.
"silent" 1 for a :map-silent mapping, else 0.
"noremap" 1 if the {rhs} of the mapping is not remappable.
"expr" 1 for an expression mapping (:map-<expr>).
"buffer" 1 for a buffer local mapping (:map-local).
"mode" Modes for which the mapping is defined. In
addition to the modes mentioned above, these
characters will be used:
" " Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
"!" Insert and Commandline mode
"sid" The script local ID, used for <sid> mappings
(<SID>).
"nowait" Do not wait for other, longer mappings.
The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
then the global mappings.
This function can be used to map a key even when it's already
mapped, and have it do the original mapping too. Sketch:
exe 'nnoremap <Tab> ==' . maparg('<Tab>', 'n')
mapcheck({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) mapcheck()LINK
Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
{mode}. See maparg() for {mode} and special names in
{name}.
When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
instead of mappings.
A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc"
mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
mapcheck("ax") yes no no
mapcheck("b") no no no
The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
mapping for {name} exactly.
When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
{name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
then the global mappings.
This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
without being ambiguous. Example:
:if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
: map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
:endif
This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) match()LINK
When {expr} is a List then this returns the index of the
first item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a
String, Lists and Dictionaries are used as echoed.
Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
{pat} matches.
A match at the first character or List item returns zero.
If there is no match -1 is returned.
For getting submatches see matchlist().
Example:
:echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
:echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 1
See string-match for how {pat} is used.
strpbrk()LINK
Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do:
:let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
strcasestr()LINK
Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
"\c" to the pattern to ignore case:
:let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
{start} in a String or item {start} in a List.
The result, however, is still the index counted from the
first character/item. Example:
:echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
result is again "4".
:echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
result is again "4".
:echo match("testing", "t", 2)
result is "3".
For a String, if {start} > 0 then it is like the string starts
{start} bytes later, thus "^" will match at {start}. Except
when {count} is given, then it's like matches before the
{start} byte are ignored (this is a bit complicated to keep it
backwards compatible).
For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
the index is counted from the end.
If {start} is out of range ({start} > strlen({expr}) for a
String or {start} > len({expr}) for a List) -1 is returned.
When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
is found in a String the search for the next one starts one
character further. Thus this example results in 1:
echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
In a List the search continues in the next item.
Note that when {count} is added the way {start} works changes,
see above.
See pattern for the patterns that are accepted.
The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
matchadd() E798 E799 E801LINK
matchadd({group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
Defines a pattern to be highlighted in the current window (a
"match"). It will be highlighted with {group}. Returns an
identification number (ID), which can be used to delete the
match using matchdelete().
Matching is case sensitive and magic, unless case sensitivity
or magicness are explicitly overridden in {pattern}. The
'magic', 'smartcase' and 'ignorecase' options are not used.
The optional {priority} argument assigns a priority to the
match. A match with a high priority will have its
highlighting overrule that of a match with a lower priority.
A priority is specified as an integer (negative numbers are no
exception). If the {priority} argument is not specified, the
default priority is 10. The priority of 'hlsearch' is zero,
hence all matches with a priority greater than zero will
overrule it. Syntax highlighting (see 'syntax') is a separate
mechanism, and regardless of the chosen priority a match will
always overrule syntax highlighting.
The optional {id} argument allows the request for a specific
match ID. If a specified ID is already taken, an error
message will appear and the match will not be added. An ID
is specified as a positive integer (zero excluded). IDs 1, 2
and 3 are reserved for :match, :2match and :3match,
respectively. If the {id} argument is not specified,
matchadd() automatically chooses a free ID.
The number of matches is not limited, as it is the case with
the :match commands.
Example:
:highlight MyGroup ctermbg=green guibg=green
:let m = matchadd("MyGroup", "TODO")
Deletion of the pattern:
:call matchdelete(m)
A list of matches defined by matchadd() and :match are
available from getmatches(). All matches can be deleted in
one operation by clearmatches().
matchaddpos({group}, {pos}[, {priority}[, {id}]]) matchaddpos()LINK
Same as matchadd(), but requires a list of positions {pos}
instead of a pattern. This command is faster than matchadd()
because it does not require to handle regular expressions and
sets buffer line boundaries to redraw screen. It is supposed
to be used when fast match additions and deletions are
required, for example to highlight matching parentheses.
The list {pos} can contain one of these items:
- A number. This whole line will be highlighted. The first
line has number 1.
- A list with one number, e.g., [23]. The whole line with this
number will be highlighted.
- A list with two numbers, e.g., [23, 11]. The first number is
the line number, the second one is the column number (first
column is 1, the value must correspond to the byte index as
col() would return). The character at this position will
be highlighted.
- A list with three numbers, e.g., [23, 11, 3]. As above, but
the third number gives the length of the highlight in bytes.
The maximum number of positions is 8.
Example:
:highlight MyGroup ctermbg=green guibg=green
:let m = matchaddpos("MyGroup", [[23, 24], 34])
Deletion of the pattern:
:call matchdelete(m)
Matches added by matchaddpos() are returned by
getmatches() with an entry "pos1", "pos2", etc., with the
value a list like the {pos} item.
These matches cannot be set via setmatches(), however they
can still be deleted by clearmatches().
matcharg({nr}) matcharg()LINK
Selects the {nr} match item, as set with a :match,
Return a List with two elements:
The name of the highlight group used
The pattern used.
When {nr} is not 1, 2 or 3 returns an empty List.
When there is no match item set returns ['', ''].
This is useful to save and restore a :match.
Highlighting matches using the :match commands are limited
to three matches. matchadd() does not have this limitation.
matchdelete({id}) matchdelete() E802 E803LINK
Deletes a match with ID {id} previously defined by matchadd()
or one of the :match commands. Returns 0 if successful,
otherwise -1. See example for matchadd(). All matches can
be deleted in one operation by clearmatches().
matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) matchend()LINK
Same as match(), but return the index of first character
after the match. Example:
:echo matchend("testing", "ing")
results in "7".
strspn() strcspn()LINK
Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
do it with matchend():
:let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
:let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match().
:echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
results in "7".
:echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
result is "-1".
When {expr} is a List the result is equal to match().
matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) matchlist()LINK
Same as match(), but return a List. The first item in the
list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
in :substitute. When an optional submatch didn't match an
empty string is used. Example:
echo matchlist('acd', '\(a\)\?\(b\)\?\(c\)\?\(.*\)')
Results in: ['acd', 'a', '', 'c', 'd', '', '', '', '', '']
When there is no match an empty list is returned.
matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) matchstr()LINK
Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example:
:echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
results in "ing".
When there is no match "" is returned.
The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match().
:echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
results in "ing".
:echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
result is "".
When {expr} is a List then the matching item is returned.
The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
max()LINK
max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
be used as a Number this results in an error.
An empty List results in zero.
min()LINK
min({list}) Return the minimum value of all items in {list}.
If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
be used as a Number this results in an error.
An empty List results in zero.
mkdir() E739LINK
mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
Create directory {name}.
If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
for others. This is only used for the last part of {name}.
Thus if you create /tmp/foo/bar then /tmp/foo will be created
with 0755.
Example:
:call mkdir($HOME . "/tmp/foo/bar", "p", 0700)
This function is not available in the sandbox.
Not available on all systems. To check use:
:if exists("*mkdir")
mode()LINK
mode([expr]) Return a string that indicates the current mode.
If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
a non-empty String (non-zero-arg), then the full mode is
returned, otherwise only the first letter is returned. Note
that " " and "0" are also non-empty strings.
n Normal
no Operator-pending
v Visual by character
V Visual by line
CTRL-V Visual blockwise
s Select by character
S Select by line
CTRL-S Select blockwise
i Insert
R Replace R
Rv Virtual Replace gR
c Command-line
cv Vim Ex mode gQ
ce Normal Ex mode Q
r Hit-enter prompt
rm The -- more -- prompt
r? A :confirm query of some sort
! Shell or external command is executing
This is useful in the 'statusline' option or when used
with remote_expr() In most other places it always returns
"c" or "n".
Also see visualmode().
mzeval({expr}) mzeval()LINK
Evaluate MzScheme expression {expr} and return its result
converted to Vim data structures.
Numbers and strings are returned as they are.
Pairs (including lists and improper lists) and vectors are
returned as Vim Lists.
Hash tables are represented as Vim Dictionary type with keys
converted to strings.
All other types are converted to string with display function.
Examples:
:mz (define l (list 1 2 3))
:mz (define h (make-hash)) (hash-set! h "list" l)
:echo mzeval("l")
:echo mzeval("h")
{only available when compiled with the +mzscheme feature}
nextnonblank({lnum}) nextnonblank()LINK
Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
that is not blank. Example:
if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
below it, zero is returned.
See also prevnonblank().
nr2char({expr}[, {utf8}]) nr2char()LINK
Return a string with a single character, which has the number
value {expr}. Examples:
nr2char(64) returns "@"
nr2char(32) returns " "
When {utf8} is omitted or zero, the current 'encoding' is used.
Example for "utf-8":
nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
With {utf8} set to 1, always return utf-8 characters.
Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
string, thus results in an empty string.
or({expr}, {expr}) or()LINK
Bitwise OR on the two arguments. The arguments are converted
to a number. A List, Dict or Float argument causes an error.
Example:
:let bits = or(bits, 0x80)
pathshorten({expr}) pathshorten()LINK
Shorten directory names in the path {expr} and return the
result. The tail, the file name, is kept as-is. The other
components in the path are reduced to single letters. Leading
'~' and '.' characters are kept. Example:
:echo pathshorten('~/.vim/autoload/myfile.vim')
~/.v/a/myfile.vim
It doesn't matter if the path exists or not.
pow({x}, {y}) pow()LINK
Return the power of {x} to the exponent {y} as a Float.
{x} and {y} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo pow(3, 3)
27.0
:echo pow(2, 16)
65536.0
:echo pow(32, 0.20)
2.0
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
prevnonblank({lnum}) prevnonblank()LINK
Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
that is not blank. Example:
let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
above it, zero is returned.
Also see nextnonblank().
printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) printf()LINK
Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example:
printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
May result in:
" 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas"
Often used items are:
%s string
%6S string right-aligned in 6 display cells
%6s string right-aligned in 6 bytes
%.9s string truncated to 9 bytes
%c single byte
%d decimal number
%5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
%x hex number
%04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
%X hex number using upper case letters
%o octal number
%f floating point number in the form 123.456
%e floating point number in the form 1.234e3
%E floating point number in the form 1.234E3
%g floating point number, as %f or %e depending on value
%G floating point number, as %f or %E depending on value
%% the % character itself
Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
the result.
The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
arguments appear in sequence:
% [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
flags
Zero or more of the following flags:
# The value should be converted to an "alternate
form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
of the number is increased to force the first
character of the output string to a zero (except
if a zero value is printed with an explicit
precision of zero).
For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
prepended to it.
0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
value is padded on the left with zeros rather
than blanks. If a precision is given with a
numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
is ignored.
- A negative field width flag; the converted value
is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
The converted value is padded on the right with
blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
number produced by a signed conversion (d).
+ A sign must always be placed before a number
produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
a space if both are used.
field-width
An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
field width. If the converted value has fewer bytes
than the field width, it will be padded with spaces on
the left (or right, if the left-adjustment flag has
been given) to fill out the field width.
.precision
An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
bytes to be printed from a string for s conversions.
For floating point it is the number of digits after
the decimal point.
type
A character that specifies the type of conversion to
be applied, see below.
A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
treated as though it were missing. Example:
:echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
"width" bytes.
The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
printf-d printf-o printf-x printf-XLINK
doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
(d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
conversions.
The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
digits that must appear; if the converted value
requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
zeros.
In no case does a non-existent or small field width
cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
is expanded to contain the conversion result.
printf-cLINK
c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
resulting character is written.
printf-sLINK
s The text of the String argument is used. If a
precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
specified are used.
S The text of the String argument is used. If a
precision is specified, no more display cells than the
number specified are used. Without the +multi_byte
feature works just like 's'.
printf-f E807LINK
f The Float argument is converted into a string of the
form 123.456. The precision specifies the number of
digits after the decimal point. When the precision is
zero the decimal point is omitted. When the precision
is not specified 6 is used. A really big number
(out of range or dividing by zero) results in "inf".
"0.0 / 0.0" results in "nan".
Example:
echo printf("%.2f", 12.115)
12.12
Note that roundoff depends on the system libraries.
Use round() when in doubt.
printf-e printf-ELINK
e E The Float argument is converted into a string of the
form 1.234e+03 or 1.234E+03 when using 'E'. The
precision specifies the number of digits after the
decimal point, like with 'f'.
printf-g printf-GLINK
g G The Float argument is converted like with 'f' if the
value is between 0.001 (inclusive) and 10000000.0
(exclusive). Otherwise 'e' is used for 'g' and 'E'
for 'G'. When no precision is specified superfluous
zeroes and '+' signs are removed, except for the zero
immediately after the decimal point. Thus 10000000.0
results in 1.0e7.
printf-%LINK
% A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
complete conversion specification is "%%".
When a Number argument is expected a String argument is also
accepted and automatically converted.
When a Float or String argument is expected a Number argument
is also accepted and automatically converted.
Any other argument type results in an error message.
E766 E767LINK
The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
pumvisible() pumvisible()LINK
Returns non-zero when the popup menu is visible, zero
otherwise. See ins-completion-menu.
This can be used to avoid some things that would remove the
popup menu.
E860LINK
py3eval({expr}) py3eval()LINK
Evaluate Python expression {expr} and return its result
converted to Vim data structures.
Numbers and strings are returned as they are (strings are
copied though, unicode strings are additionally converted to
Lists are represented as Vim List type.
Dictionaries are represented as Vim Dictionary type with
keys converted to strings.
{only available when compiled with the +python3 feature}
E858 E859LINK
pyeval({expr}) pyeval()LINK
Evaluate Python expression {expr} and return its result
converted to Vim data structures.
Numbers and strings are returned as they are (strings are
copied though).
Lists are represented as Vim List type.
Dictionaries are represented as Vim Dictionary type,
non-string keys result in error.
{only available when compiled with the +python feature}
E726 E727LINK
range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) range()LINK
Returns a List with Numbers:
- If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
- If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
- If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
{max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
producing a value past {max}).
When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
start this is an error.
Examples:
range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
range(0) " []
range(2, 0) " error!
readfile()LINK
readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Read file {fname} and return a List, each line of the file
as an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
NL appears somewhere).
All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
When {binary/append} contains "b" binary mode is used:
- When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
added.
- No CR characters are removed.
Otherwise:
- CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
- Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
- When 'encoding' is Unicode any UTF-8 byte order mark is
removed from the text.
When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
lines of a file:
:for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
: if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
:endfor
When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
are returned, or as many as there are.
When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
file into a buffer if you need to.
When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
the result is an empty list.
Also see writefile().
reltime([{start} [, {end}]]) reltime()LINK
Return an item that represents a time value. The format of
the item depends on the system. It can be passed to
reltimestr() to convert it to a string.
Without an argument it returns the current time.
With one argument is returns the time passed since the time
specified in the argument.
With two arguments it returns the time passed between {start}
and {end}.
The {start} and {end} arguments must be values returned by
reltime().
{only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
reltimestr({time}) reltimestr()LINK
Return a String that represents the time value of {time}.
This is the number of seconds, a dot and the number of
microseconds. Example:
let start = reltime()
call MyFunction()
echo reltimestr(reltime(start))
Note that overhead for the commands will be added to the time.
The accuracy depends on the system.
Leading spaces are used to make the string align nicely. You
can use split() to remove it.
echo split(reltimestr(reltime(start)))[0]
Also see profiling.
{only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
remote_expr() E449LINK
remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
The result must be a String or a List. A List is turned
into a String by joining the items with a line break in
between (not at the end), like with join(expr, "\n").
If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
variable and a {serverid} for later use with
remote_read() is stored there.
See also clientserver RemoteReply.
This function is not available in the sandbox.
{only available when compiled with the +clientserver feature}
Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
and the result will be the empty string.
Examples:
:echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
:echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
remote_foreground({server}) remote_foreground()LINK
Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
This works like:
remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
to bring itself to the foreground.
Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
like foreground() does.
This function is not available in the sandbox.
{only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
Win32 console version}
remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) remote_peek()LINK
Returns a positive number if there are available strings
from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
{retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
name of a variable.
Returns zero if none are available.
Returns -1 if something is wrong.
See also clientserver.
This function is not available in the sandbox.
{only available when compiled with the +clientserver feature}
Examples:
:let repl = ""
:echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
remote_read({serverid}) remote_read()LINK
Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
it. It blocks until a reply is available.
See also clientserver.
This function is not available in the sandbox.
{only available when compiled with the +clientserver feature}
Example:
:echo remote_read(id)
remote_send() E241LINK
remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
the keys are not mapped :map.
If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a variable
and a {serverid} for later use with remote_read() is stored
there.
See also clientserver RemoteReply.
This function is not available in the sandbox.
{only available when compiled with the +clientserver feature}
Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
up the display.
Examples:
:echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
\ remote_read(serverid)
:autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
\ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
:echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
\ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) remove()LINK
Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from List {list} and
return the item.
With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
return a List with these items. When {idx} points to the same
item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
See list-index for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Example:
:echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
:call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
remove({dict}, {key})
Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example:
:echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
Use delete() to remove a file.
rename({from}, {to}) rename()LINK
Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
should also work to move files across file systems. The
result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
NOTE: If {to} exists it is overwritten without warning.
This function is not available in the sandbox.
repeat({expr}, {count}) repeat()LINK
Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
result. Example:
:let separator = repeat('-', 80)
When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
When {expr} is a List the result is {expr} concatenated
{count} times. Example:
:let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
resolve({filename}) resolve() E655LINK
On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
stopped after 100 iterations.
On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
The simplification step is done as by simplify().
resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
current directory (provided the result is still a relative
path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
reverse()LINK
reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
{list}.
If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first:
:let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
round({expr}) round()LINK
Round off {expr} to the nearest integral value and return it
as a Float. If {expr} lies halfway between two integral
values, then use the larger one (away from zero).
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
echo round(0.456)
0.0
echo round(4.5)
5.0
echo round(-4.5)
-5.0
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
screenattr(row, col) screenattr()LINK
Like screenchar(), but return the attribute. This is a rather
arbitrary number that can only be used to compare to the
attribute at other positions.
screenchar(row, col) screenchar()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the character at position
[row, col] on the screen. This works for every possible
screen position, also status lines, window separators and the
command line. The top left position is row one, column one
The character excludes composing characters. For double-byte
encodings it may only be the first byte.
This is mainly to be used for testing.
Returns -1 when row or col is out of range.
screencol() screencol()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the current screen column of
the cursor. The leftmost column has number 1.
This function is mainly used for testing.
Note: Always returns the current screen column, thus if used
in a command (e.g. ":echo screencol()") it will return the
column inside the command line, which is 1 when the command is
executed. To get the cursor position in the file use one of
the following mappings:
nnoremap <expr> GG ":echom ".screencol()."\n"
nnoremap <silent> GG :echom screencol()<CR>
screenrow() screenrow()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the current screen row of the
cursor. The top line has number one.
This function is mainly used for testing.
Note: Same restrictions as with screencol().
search({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) search()LINK
Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
cursor position (you can use cursor() to set it).
When a match has been found its line number is returned.
If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
move. No error message is given.
{flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
'b' search backward instead of forward
'c' accept a match at the cursor position
'e' move to the End of the match
'n' do Not move the cursor
'p' return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
'w' wrap around the end of the file
'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
flag.
'ignorecase', 'smartcase' and 'magic' are used.
When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
after searching this line. This is useful to restrict the
search to a range of lines. Examples:
let match = search('(', 'b', line("w0"))
let end = search('END', '', line("w$"))
When {stopline} is used and it is not zero this also implies
that the search does not wrap around the end of the file.
A zero value is equal to not giving the argument.
When the {timeout} argument is given the search stops when
more than this many milliseconds have passed. Thus when
{timeout} is 500 the search stops after half a second.
The value must not be negative. A zero value is like not
giving the argument.
{only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
search()-sub-matchLINK
With the 'p' flag the returned value is one more than the
first sub-match in \(\). One if none of them matched but the
whole pattern did match.
To get the column number too use searchpos().
The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
flag is used.
Example (goes over all files in the argument list):
:let n = 1
:while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
: exe "argument " . n
: " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
: " first search to find match at start of file
: normal G$
: let flags = "w"
: while search("foo", flags) > 0
: s/foo/bar/g
: let flags = "W"
: endwhile
: update " write the file if modified
: let n = n + 1
:endwhile
Example for using some flags:
:echo search('\<if\|\(else\)\|\(endif\)', 'ncpe')
This will search for the keywords "if", "else", and "endif"
under or after the cursor. Because of the 'p' flag, it
returns 1, 2, or 3 depending on which keyword is found, or 0
if the search fails. With the cursor on the first word of the
line:
if (foo == 0) | let foo = foo + 1 | endif
the function returns 1. Without the 'c' flag, the function
finds the "endif" and returns 3. The same thing happens
without the 'e' flag if the cursor is on the "f" of "if".
The 'n' flag tells the function not to move the cursor.
searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) searchdecl()LINK
Search for the declaration of {name}.
With a non-zero {global} argument it works like gD, find
first match in the file. Otherwise it works like gd, find
first match in the function.
With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
Moves the cursor to the found match.
Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
Example:
if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
echo getline('.')
endif
searchpair()LINK
searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
[, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
The search starts at the cursor. The default is to search
forward, include 'b' in {flags} to search backward.
If a match is found, the cursor is positioned at it and the
line number is returned. If no match is found 0 or -1 is
returned and the cursor doesn't move. No error message is
given.
{start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see pattern. They
must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
{middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
typical use is:
searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
{flags} 'b', 'c', 'n', 's', 'w' and 'W' are used like with
search(). Additionally:
'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
outer pair. Implies the 'W' flag.
'm' Return number of matches instead of line number with
the match; will be > 1 when 'r' is used.
Note: it's nearly always a good idea to use the 'W' flag, to
avoid wrapping around the end of the file.
When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
{skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
or a string.
When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
and -1 returned.
For {stopline} and {timeout} see search().
The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
patterns are used like it's on.
The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
{start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
direction of searching, is the first one found. Example:
if 1
if 2
endif 2
endif 1
When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
"endif 2".
When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
the matching start.
Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script:
:echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
\ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
match.
Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}":
:echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
highlighting recognized as strings:
:echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
\ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
searchpairpos()LINK
searchpairpos({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
[, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Same as searchpair(), but returns a List with the line and
column position of the match. The first element of the List
is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
the column position of the match. If no match is found,
returns [0, 0].
:let [lnum,col] = searchpairpos('{', '', '}', 'n')
See match-parens for a bigger and more useful example.
searchpos({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) searchpos()LINK
Same as search(), but returns a List with the line and
column position of the match. The first element of the List
is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
the column position of the match. If no match is found,
returns [0, 0].
Example:
:let [lnum, col] = searchpos('mypattern', 'n')
When the 'p' flag is given then there is an extra item with
the sub-pattern match number search()-sub-match. Example:
:let [lnum, col, submatch] = searchpos('\(\l\)\|\(\u\)', 'np')
In this example "submatch" is 2 when a lowercase letter is
found /\l, 3 when an uppercase letter is found /\u.
server2client( {clientid}, {string}) server2client()LINK
Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
{only available when compiled with the +clientserver feature}
Note:
This id has to be stored before the next command can be
received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
before calling any commands that waits for input.
See also clientserver.
Example:
:echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
serverlist() serverlist()LINK
Return a list of available server names, one per line.
When there are no servers or the information is not available
an empty string is returned. See also clientserver.
{only available when compiled with the +clientserver feature}
Example:
:echo serverlist()
setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) setbufvar()LINK
Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
{val}.
This also works for a global or local window option, but it
doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
For the use of {expr}, see bufname() above.
Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
Examples:
:call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
:call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
This function is not available in the sandbox.
setcmdpos({pos}) setcmdpos()LINK
Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
{pos}. The first position is 1.
Use getcmdpos() to obtain the current position.
Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
c_CTRL-\_e, c_CTRL-R_= or c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R with '='. For
c_CTRL-\_e and c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R with '=' the position is
set after the command line is set to the expression. For
c_CTRL-R_= it is set after evaluating the expression but
before inserting the resulting text.
When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
line.
setline({lnum}, {text}) setline()LINK
Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {text}. To insert
lines use append().
{lnum} is used like with getline().
When {lnum} is just below the last line the {text} will be
added as a new line.
If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example:
:call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
When {text} is a List then line {lnum} and following lines
will be set to the items in the list. Example:
:call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
This is equivalent to:
:for [n, l] in [[5, 'aaa'], [6, 'bbb'], [7, 'ccc']]
: call setline(n, l)
:endfor
Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
setloclist({nr}, {list} [, {action}]) setloclist()LINK
Create or replace or add to the location list for window {nr}.
When {nr} is zero the current window is used. For a location
list window, the displayed location list is modified. For an
invalid window number {nr}, -1 is returned.
Otherwise, same as setqflist().
Also see location-list.
setmatches({list}) setmatches()LINK
Restores a list of matches saved by getmatches(). Returns 0
if successful, otherwise -1. All current matches are cleared
before the list is restored. See example for getmatches().
setpos()LINK
setpos({expr}, {list})
Set the position for {expr}. Possible values:
. the cursor
'x mark x
{list} must be a List with four or five numbers:
[bufnum, lnum, col, off]
[bufnum, lnum, col, off, curswant]
"bufnum" is the buffer number. Zero can be used for the
current buffer. Setting the cursor is only possible for
the current buffer. To set a mark in another buffer you can
use the bufnr() function to turn a file name into a buffer
number.
Does not change the jumplist.
"lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
column is 1. Use a zero "lnum" to delete a mark. If "col" is
smaller than 1 then 1 is used.
The "off" number is only used when 'virtualedit' is set. Then
it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
character.
The "curswant" number is only used when setting the cursor
position. It sets the preferred column for when moving the
cursor vertically. When the "curswant" number is missing the
preferred column is not set. When it is present and setting a
mark position it is not used.
Note that for '< and '> changing the line number may result in
the marks to be effectively be swapped, so that '< is always
before '>.
Returns 0 when the position could be set, -1 otherwise.
An error message is given if {expr} is invalid.
Also see getpos() and getcurpos().
This does not restore the preferred column for moving
vertically; if you set the cursor position with this, j and
k motions will jump to previous columns! Use cursor() to
also set the preferred column. Also see the "curswant" key in
setqflist({list} [, {action}]) setqflist()LINK
Create or replace or add to the quickfix list using the items
in {list}. Each item in {list} is a dictionary.
Non-dictionary items in {list} are ignored. Each dictionary
item can contain the following entries:
bufnr buffer number; must be the number of a valid
buffer
filename name of a file; only used when "bufnr" is not
present or it is invalid.
lnum line number in the file
pattern search pattern used to locate the error
col column number
vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
when zero: "col" is byte index
nr error number
text description of the error
type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
locate a matching error line.
If the "filename" and "bufnr" entries are not present or
neither the "lnum" or "pattern" entries are present, then the
item will not be handled as an error line.
If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
be used.
If you supply an empty {list}, the quickfix list will be
cleared.
Note that the list is not exactly the same as what
getqflist() returns.
If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
set to ' ', then a new list is created.
Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
This function can be used to create a quickfix list
independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
setreg()LINK
setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
Set the register {regname} to {value}.
{value} may be any value returned by getreg(), including
a List.
If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
then the value is appended.
{options} can also contain a register type specification:
"c" or "v" characterwise mode
"l" or "V" linewise mode
"b" or "<CTRL-V>" blockwise-visual mode
If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
in the longest line (counting a <Tab> as 1 character).
If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL> for
string {value} and linewise mode for list {value}. Blockwise
mode is never selected automatically.
Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
E883LINK
Note: you may not use List containing more than one item to
set search and expression registers. Lists containing no
items act like empty strings.
Examples:
:call setreg(v:register, @*)
:call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
:call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
register (note: you may not reliably restore register value
without using the third argument to getreg() as without it
newlines are represented as newlines AND Nul bytes are
represented as newlines as well, see NL-used-for-Nul).
:let var_a = getreg('a', 1, 1)
:let var_amode = getregtype('a')
....
:call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
You can also change the type of a register by appending
nothing:
:call setreg('a', '', 'al')
settabvar({tabnr}, {varname}, {val}) settabvar()LINK
Set tab-local variable {varname} to {val} in tab page {tabnr}.
Note that the variable name without "t:" must be used.
Tabs are numbered starting with one.
This function is not available in the sandbox.
settabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) settabwinvar()LINK
Set option or local variable {varname} in window {winnr} to
{val}.
Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
use setwinvar().
When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
Examples:
:call settabwinvar(1, 1, "&list", 0)
:call settabwinvar(3, 2, "myvar", "foobar")
This function is not available in the sandbox.
setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) setwinvar()LINK
Like settabwinvar() for the current tab page.
Examples:
:call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
:call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
sha256({string}) sha256()LINK
Returns a String with 64 hex charactes, which is the SHA256
checksum of {string}.
{only available when compiled with the +cryptv feature}
shellescape({string} [, {special}]) shellescape()LINK
Escape {string} for use as a shell command argument.
On MS-Windows and MS-DOS, when 'shellslash' is not set, it
will enclose {string} in double quotes and double all double
quotes within {string}.
For other systems, it will enclose {string} in single quotes
and replace all "'" with "'\''".
When the {special} argument is present and it's a non-zero
Number or a non-empty String (non-zero-arg), then special
items such as "!", "%", "#" and "<cword>" will be preceded by
a backslash. This backslash will be removed again by the :!
command.
The "!" character will be escaped (again with a non-zero-arg
{special}) when 'shell' contains "csh" in the tail. That is
because for csh and tcsh "!" is used for history replacement
even when inside single quotes.
The <NL> character is also escaped. With a non-zero-arg
{special} and 'shell' containing "csh" in the tail it's
escaped a second time.
Example of use with a :! command:
:exe '!dir ' . shellescape(expand('<cfile>'), 1)
This results in a directory listing for the file under the
cursor. Example of use with system():
:call system("chmod +w -- " . shellescape(expand("%")))
See also ::S.
shiftwidth() shiftwidth()LINK
Returns the effective value of 'shiftwidth'. This is the
'shiftwidth' value unless it is zero, in which case it is the
'tabstop' value. To be backwards compatible in indent
plugins, use this:
if exists('*shiftwidth')
func s:sw()
return shiftwidth()
endfunc
else
func s:sw()
return &sw
endfunc
endif
And then use s:sw() instead of &sw.
simplify({filename}) simplify()LINK
Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
{filename} designates the current directory, this will be
valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
not removed either.
Example:
simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
links before simplifying the path name, use resolve().
sin({expr}) sin()LINK
Return the sine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a Float.
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo sin(100)
-0.506366
:echo sin(-4.01)
0.763301
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
sinh({expr}) sinh()LINK
Return the hyperbolic sine of {expr} as a Float in the range
[-inf, inf].
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo sinh(0.5)
0.521095
:echo sinh(-0.9)
-1.026517
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
sort({list} [, {func} [, {dict}]]) sort() E702LINK
Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}.
If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first:
:let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
When {func} is omitted, is empty or zero, then sort() uses the
string representation of each item to sort on. Numbers sort
after Strings, Lists after Numbers. For sorting text in the
current buffer use :sort.
When {func} is given and it is '1' or 'i' then case is
ignored.
When {func} is given and it is 'n' then all items will be
sorted numerical (Implementation detail: This uses the
strtod() function to parse numbers, Strings, Lists, Dicts and
Funcrefs will be considered as being 0).
When {func} is a Funcref or a function name, this function
is called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 or
bigger if the first one sorts after the second one, -1 or
smaller if the first one sorts before the second one.
{dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
used to set the local variable "self". Dictionary-function
The sort is stable, items which compare equal (as number or as
string) will keep their relative position. E.g., when sorting
on numbers, text strings will sort next to each other, in the
same order as they were originally.
Also see uniq().
Example:
func MyCompare(i1, i2)
return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
endfunc
let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
A shorter compare version for this specific simple case, which
ignores overflow:
func MyCompare(i1, i2)
return a:i1 - a:i2
endfunc
soundfold()LINK
soundfold({word})
Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
language in 'spelllang' for the current window that supports
soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
the method can be quite slow.
spellbadword()LINK
spellbadword([{sentence}])
Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
result is an empty string.
The return value is a list with two items:
- The badly spelled word or an empty string.
- The type of the spelling error:
"bad" spelling mistake
"rare" rare word
"local" word only valid in another region
"caps" word should start with Capital
Example:
echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
['quik', 'bad']
The spelling information for the current window is used. The
'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
used.
spellsuggest()LINK
spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Return a List with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
{word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
This allows for joining two words that were split. The
suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
replace a line.
{word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
although it may appear capitalized.
The spelling information for the current window is used. The
'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
'spellsuggest' are used.
split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) split()LINK
Make a List out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or
empty each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an
item.
Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
removing the matched characters. 'ignorecase' is not used
here, add \c to ignore case. /\c
When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
{keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Example:
:let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
To split a string in individual characters:
:for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs':
:echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi']
Splitting a table where the first element can be empty:
:let items = split(line, ':', 1)
The opposite function is join().
sqrt({expr}) sqrt()LINK
Return the non-negative square root of Float {expr} as a
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number. When {expr}
is negative the result is NaN (Not a Number).
Examples:
:echo sqrt(100)
10.0
:echo sqrt(-4.01)
nan
"nan" may be different, it depends on system libraries.
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
str2float( {expr}) str2float()LINK
Convert String {expr} to a Float. This mostly works the same
as when using a floating point number in an expression, see
floating-point-format. But it's a bit more permissive.
E.g., "1e40" is accepted, while in an expression you need to
write "1.0e40".
Text after the number is silently ignored.
The decimal point is always '.', no matter what the locale is
set to. A comma ends the number: "12,345.67" is converted to
12.0. You can strip out thousands separators with
let f = str2float(substitute(text, ',', '', 'g'))
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) str2nr()LINK
Convert string {expr} to a number.
{base} is the conversion base, it can be 8, 10 or 16.
When {base} is omitted base 10 is used. This also means that
a leading zero doesn't cause octal conversion to be used, as
with the default String to Number conversion.
When {base} is 16 a leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored. With a
different base the result will be zero.
Text after the number is silently ignored.
strchars({expr}) strchars()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the number of characters
String {expr} occupies. Composing characters are counted
separately.
Also see strlen(), strdisplaywidth() and strwidth().
strdisplaywidth({expr}[, {col}]) strdisplaywidth()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the number of display cells
String {expr} occupies on the screen when it starts a {col}.
When {col} is omitted zero is used. Otherwise it is the
screen column where to start. This matters for Tab
characters.
The option settings of the current window are used. This
matters for anything that's displayed differently, such as
When {expr} contains characters with East Asian Width Class
Ambiguous, this function's return value depends on 'ambiwidth'.
Also see strlen(), strwidth() and strchars().
strftime({format} [, {time}]) strftime()LINK
The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
{format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
See also localtime() and getftime().
The language can be changed with the :language command.
Examples:
:echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
:echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
:echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
:echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
:echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
Show mod time of file.c.
Not available on all systems. To check use:
:if exists("*strftime")
stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) stridx()LINK
The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
{haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
This can be used to find a second match:
:let colon1 = stridx(line, ":")
:let colon2 = stridx(line, ":", colon1 + 1)
The search is done case-sensitive.
For pattern searches use match().
-1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
See also strridx().
Examples:
:echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
:echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
:echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
strstr() strchr()LINK
stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
with a single character it works similar to strchr().
string()LINK
string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
Float, String or a composition of them, then the result can be
parsed back with eval().
{expr} type result
String 'string'
Number 123
Float 123.123456 or 1.123456e8
Funcref function('name')
List [item, item]
Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Also see strtrans().
strlen()LINK
strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
{expr} in bytes.
If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
counting composing characters) use something like this:
:let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
For other types an error is given.
Also see len(), strchars(), strdisplaywidth() and
strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) strpart()LINK
The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
end of the {src}.
strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor:
strpart(getline("."), col(".") - 1, 3)
strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) strridx()LINK
The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
{haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
match:
:let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
:let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
The search is done case-sensitive.
For pattern searches use match().
-1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
See also stridx(). Examples:
:echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
strrchr()LINK
When used with a single character it works similar to the C
function strrchr().
strtrans({expr}) strtrans()LINK
The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
characters translated into printable characters 'isprint'.
Like they are shown in a window. Example:
echo strtrans(@a)
This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
starting a new line.
strwidth({expr}) strwidth()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the number of display cells
String {expr} occupies. A Tab character is counted as one
cell, alternatively use strdisplaywidth().
When {expr} contains characters with East Asian Width Class
Ambiguous, this function's return value depends on 'ambiwidth'.
Also see strlen(), strdisplaywidth() and strchars().
submatch({nr}[, {list}]) submatch()LINK
Only for an expression in a :substitute command or
substitute() function.
Returns the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr}
is 0 the whole matched text is returned.
Note that a NL in the string can stand for a line break of a
multi-line match or a NUL character in the text.
Also see sub-replace-expression.
If {list} is present and non-zero then submatch() returns
a list of strings, similar to getline() with two arguments.
NL characters in the text represent NUL characters in the
text.
Only returns more than one item for :substitute, inside
substitute() this list will always contain one or zero
items, since there are no real line breaks.
Example:
:s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
A line break is included as a newline character.
substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) substitute()LINK
The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}.
When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
This works like the ":substitute" command (without any flags).
But the matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic'
option is set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts
portable). 'ignorecase' is still relevant, use /\c or /\C
if you want to ignore or match case and ignore 'ignorecase'.
'smartcase' is not used. See string-match for how {pat} is
used.
A "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
sub-replace-special. For example, to replace something with
"\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
unmodified.
Example:
:let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
This removes the last component of the 'path' option.
:echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
results in "TESTING".
When {sub} starts with "\=", the remainder is interpreted as
an expression. See sub-replace-expression. Example:
:echo substitute(s, '%\(\x\x\)',
\ '\=nr2char("0x" . submatch(1))', 'g')
synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) synID()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
{lnum} and {col} in the current window.
The syntax ID can be used with synIDattr() and
synIDtrans() to obtain syntax information about text.
{col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor):
:echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) synIDattr()LINK
The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
about a syntax item.
{mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
used (GUI, cterm or term).
Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
{what} result
"name" the name of the syntax item
"fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
the color, cterm: color number as a string,
term: empty string)
"bg" background color (as with "fg")
"font" font name (only available in the GUI)
"sp" special color (as with "fg") highlight-guisp
"fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
"bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
"sp#" like "fg#" for "sp"
"bold" "1" if bold
"italic" "1" if italic
"reverse" "1" if reverse
"inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
"standout" "1" if standout
"underline" "1" if underlined
"undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
cursor):
:echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
synIDtrans({synID}) synIDtrans()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
{synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
highlight the character. Highlight links given with
":highlight link" are followed.
synconcealed({lnum}, {col}) synconcealed()LINK
The result is a List. The first item in the list is 0 if the
character at the position {lnum} and {col} is not part of a
concealable region, 1 if it is. The second item in the list is
a string. If the first item is 1, the second item contains the
text which will be displayed in place of the concealed text,
depending on the current setting of 'conceallevel'. The third
and final item in the list is a unique number representing the
specific syntax region matched. This allows detection of the
beginning of a new concealable region if there are two
consecutive regions with the same replacement character.
For an example use see $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/2html.vim .
synstack({lnum}, {col}) synstack()LINK
Return a List, which is the stack of syntax items at the
position {lnum} and {col} in the current window. Each item in
the List is an ID like what synID() returns.
The first item in the List is the outer region, following are
items contained in that one. The last one is what synID()
returns, unless not the whole item is highlighted or it is a
transparent item.
This function is useful for debugging a syntax file.
Example that shows the syntax stack under the cursor:
for id in synstack(line("."), col("."))
echo synIDattr(id, "name")
endfor
When the position specified with {lnum} and {col} is invalid
nothing is returned. The position just after the last
character in a line and the first column in an empty line are
valid positions.
system({expr} [, {input}]) system() E677LINK
Get the output of the shell command {expr} as a string. See
systemlist() to get the output as a List.
When {input} is given and is a string this string is written
to a file and passed as stdin to the command. The string is
written as-is, you need to take care of using the correct line
separators yourself.
If {input} is given and is a List it is written to the file
in a way writefile() does with {binary} set to "b" (i.e.
with a newline between each list item with newlines inside
list items converted to NULs).
Pipes are not used.
When prepended by :silent the shell will not be set to
cooked mode. This is meant to be used for commands that do
not need the user to type. It avoids stray characters showing
up on the screen which require CTRL-L to remove.
:silent let f = system('ls *.vim')
Note: Use shellescape() or ::S with expand() or
fnamemodify() to escape special characters in a command
argument. Newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail.
The characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also
cause trouble.
This is not to be used for interactive commands.
The result is a String. Example:
:let files = system("ls " . shellescape(expand('%:h')))
:let files = system('ls ' . expand('%:h:S'))
To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
<CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
To avoid the string being truncated at a NUL, all NUL
characters are replaced with SOH (0x01).
The command executed is constructed using several options:
'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
concatenated commands.
The command will be executed in "cooked" mode, so that a
CTRL-C will interrupt the command (on Unix at least).
The resulting error code can be found in v:shell_error.
This function will fail in restricted-mode.
Note that any wrong value in the options mentioned above may
make the function fail. It has also been reported to fail
when using a security agent application.
Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
Use :checktime to force a check.
systemlist({expr} [, {input}]) systemlist()LINK
Same as system(), but returns a List with lines (parts of
output separated by NL) with NULs transformed into NLs. Output
is the same as readfile() will output with {binary} argument
set to "b".
Returns an empty string on error, so be careful not to run
into E706.
tabpagebuflist([{arg}]) tabpagebuflist()LINK
The result is a List, where each item is the number of the
buffer associated with each window in the current tab page.
{arg} specifies the number of tab page to be used. When
omitted the current tab page is used.
When {arg} is invalid the number zero is returned.
To get a list of all buffers in all tabs use this:
let buflist = []
for i in range(tabpagenr('$'))
call extend(buflist, tabpagebuflist(i + 1))
endfor
Note that a buffer may appear in more than one window.
tabpagenr([{arg}]) tabpagenr()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
tab page. The first tab page has number 1.
When the optional argument is "$", the number of the last tab
page is returned (the tab page count).
The number can be used with the :tab command.
tabpagewinnr({tabarg} [, {arg}]) tabpagewinnr()LINK
Like winnr() but for tab page {tabarg}.
{tabarg} specifies the number of tab page to be used.
{arg} is used like with winnr():
- When omitted the current window number is returned. This is
the window which will be used when going to this tab page.
- When "$" the number of windows is returned.
- When "#" the previous window nr is returned.
Useful examples:
tabpagewinnr(1) " current window of tab page 1
tabpagewinnr(4, '$') " number of windows in tab page 4
When {tabarg} is invalid zero is returned.
tagfiles()LINK
tagfiles() Returns a List with the file names used to search for tags
for the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
taglist({expr}) taglist()LINK
Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
entries:
name Name of the tag.
filename Name of the file where the tag is
defined. It is either relative to the
current directory or a full path.
cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
the file.
kind Type of the tag. The value for this
entry depends on the language specific
kind values. Only available when
using a tags file generated by
Exuberant ctags or hdrtag.
static A file specific tag. Refer to
static-tag for more information.
More entries may be present, depending on the content of the
tags file: access, implementation, inherits and signature.
Refer to the ctags documentation for information about these
fields. For C code the fields "struct", "class" and "enum"
may appear, they give the name of the entity the tag is
contained in.
The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
used in {expr}. This also make the function work faster.
Refer to tag-regexp for more information about the tag
search regular expression pattern.
Refer to 'tags' for information about how the tags file is
located by Vim. Refer to tags-file-format for the format of
the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
tempname() tempname() temp-file-nameLINK
The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example:
:let tmpfile = tempname()
:exe "redir > " . tmpfile
For Unix, the file will be in a private directory tempfile.
For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
tan({expr}) tan()LINK
Return the tangent of {expr}, measured in radians, as a Float
in the range [-inf, inf].
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo tan(10)
0.648361
:echo tan(-4.01)
-1.181502
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
tanh({expr}) tanh()LINK
Return the hyperbolic tangent of {expr} as a Float in the
range [-1, 1].
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
:echo tanh(0.5)
0.462117
:echo tanh(-1)
-0.761594
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
tolower({expr}) tolower()LINK
The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
characters turned into lowercase (just like applying gu to
the string).
toupper({expr}) toupper()LINK
The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
characters turned into uppercase (just like applying gU to
the string).
tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) tr()LINK
The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
{fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
Examples:
echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
returns "Hello THere"
echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
returns "{blob}"
trunc({expr}) trunc()LINK
Return the largest integral value with magnitude less than or
equal to {expr} as a Float (truncate towards zero).
{expr} must evaluate to a Float or a Number.
Examples:
echo trunc(1.456)
1.0
echo trunc(-5.456)
-5.0
echo trunc(4.0)
4.0
{only available when compiled with the +float feature}
type()LINK
type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Number: 0
String: 1
Funcref: 2
List: 3
Dictionary: 4
Float: 5
To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way:
:if type(myvar) == type(0)
:if type(myvar) == type("")
:if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
:if type(myvar) == type([])
:if type(myvar) == type({})
:if type(myvar) == type(0.0)
undofile({name}) undofile()LINK
Return the name of the undo file that would be used for a file
with name {name} when writing. This uses the 'undodir'
option, finding directories that exist. It does not check if
the undo file exists.
{name} is always expanded to the full path, since that is what
is used internally.
If {name} is empty undofile() returns an empty string, since a
buffer without a file name will not write an undo file.
Useful in combination with :wundo and :rundo.
When compiled without the +persistent_undo option this always
returns an empty string.
undotree() undotree()LINK
Return the current state of the undo tree in a dictionary with
the following items:
"seq_last" The highest undo sequence number used.
"seq_cur" The sequence number of the current position in
the undo tree. This differs from "seq_last"
when some changes were undone.
"time_cur" Time last used for :earlier and related
commands. Use strftime() to convert to
something readable.
"save_last" Number of the last file write. Zero when no
write yet.
"save_cur" Number of the current position in the undo
tree.
"synced" Non-zero when the last undo block was synced.
This happens when waiting from input from the
user. See undo-blocks.
"entries" A list of dictionaries with information about
undo blocks.
The first item in the "entries" list is the oldest undo item.
Each List item is a Dictionary with these items:
"seq" Undo sequence number. Same as what appears in
"time" Timestamp when the change happened. Use
strftime() to convert to something readable.
"newhead" Only appears in the item that is the last one
that was added. This marks the last change
and where further changes will be added.
"curhead" Only appears in the item that is the last one
that was undone. This marks the current
position in the undo tree, the block that will
be used by a redo command. When nothing was
undone after the last change this item will
not appear anywhere.
"save" Only appears on the last block before a file
write. The number is the write count. The
first write has number 1, the last one the
"save_last" mentioned above.
"alt" Alternate entry. This is again a List of undo
blocks. Each item may again have an "alt"
item.
uniq({list} [, {func} [, {dict}]]) uniq() E882LINK
Remove second and succeeding copies of repeated adjacent
{list} items in-place. Returns {list}. If you want a list
to remain unmodified make a copy first:
:let newlist = uniq(copy(mylist))
The default compare function uses the string representation of
each item. For the use of {func} and {dict} see sort().
values({dict}) values()LINK
Return a List with all the values of {dict}. The List is
in arbitrary order.
virtcol({expr}) virtcol()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
set to 8, it returns 8. conceal is ignored.
For the byte position use col().
For the use of {expr} see col().
When 'virtualedit' is used {expr} can be [lnum, col, off], where
"off" is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
character. When "off" is omitted zero is used.
When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
beyond the end of the line can be returned. 'virtualedit'
The accepted positions are:
. the cursor position
$ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
number of displayed characters in the cursor line
plus one)
'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
returned)
v In Visual mode: the start of the Visual area (the
cursor is the end). When not in Visual mode
returns the cursor position. Differs from '< in
that it's updated right away.
Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
Examples:
virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
A more advanced example that echoes the maximum length of
all lines:
echo max(map(range(1, line('$')), "virtcol([v:val, '$'])"))
visualmode([expr]) visualmode()LINK
The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
used in the current buffer. Initially it returns an empty
string, but once Visual mode has been used, it returns "v",
"V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a single CTRL-V character) for
character-wise, line-wise, or block-wise Visual mode
respectively.
Example:
:exe "normal " . visualmode()
This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
Visual mode that was used.
If Visual mode is active, use mode() to get the Visual mode
(e.g., in a :vmap).
non-zero-argLINK
If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
a non-empty String, then the Visual mode will be cleared and
the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared. A List,
Dictionary or Float is not a Number or String, thus does not
cause the mode to be cleared.
Returns non-zero when the wildmenu is active and zero
otherwise. See 'wildmenu' and 'wildmode'.
This can be used in mappings to handle the 'wildcharm' option
gracefully. (Makes only sense with mapmode-c mappings).
For example to make <c-j> work like <down> in wildmode, use:
:cnoremap <expr> <C-j> wildmenumode() ? "\<Down>\<Tab>" : "\<c-j>"
(Note, this needs the 'wildcharm' option set appropriately).
winbufnr()LINK
winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
{nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
Example:
:echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
wincol()LINK
wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
winheight({nr}) winheight()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
Examples:
:echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
winline()LINK
winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
the window. The first line is one.
If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
first, this may cause a scroll.
winnr()LINK
winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
window. The top window has number 1.
When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
last window is returned (the window count).
let window_count = winnr('$')
When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
accessed window is returned (where CTRL-W_p goes to).
If there is no previous window or it is in another tab page 0
is returned.
The number can be used with CTRL-W_w and ":wincmd w"
Also see tabpagewinnr().
winrestcmd()LINK
winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of :resize commands that should restore
the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
are opened or closed and the current window and tab page is
unchanged.
Example:
:let cmd = winrestcmd()
:call MessWithWindowSizes()
:exe cmd
winrestview()LINK
winrestview({dict})
Uses the Dictionary returned by winsaveview() to restore
the view of the current window.
Note: The {dict} does not have to contain all values, that are
returned by winsaveview(). If values are missing, those
settings won't be restored. So you can use:
:call winrestview({'curswant': 4})
This will only set the curswant value (the column the cursor
wants to move on vertical movements) of the cursor to column 5
(yes, that is 5), while all other settings will remain the
same. This is useful, if you set the cursor position manually.
If you have changed the values the result is unpredictable.
If the window size changed the result won't be the same.
winsaveview()LINK
winsaveview() Returns a Dictionary that contains information to restore
the view of the current window. Use winrestview() to
restore the view.
This is useful if you have a mapping that jumps around in the
buffer and you want to go back to the original view.
This does not save fold information. Use the 'foldenable'
option to temporarily switch off folding, so that folds are
not opened when moving around. This may have side effects.
The return value includes:
lnum cursor line number
col cursor column (Note: the first column
zero, as opposed to what getpos()
returns)
coladd cursor column offset for 'virtualedit'
curswant column for vertical movement
topline first line in the window
topfill filler lines, only in diff mode
leftcol first column displayed
skipcol columns skipped
Note that no option values are saved.
winwidth({nr}) winwidth()LINK
The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
Examples:
:echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
:if winwidth(0) <= 50
: exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
:endif
writefile()LINK
writefile({list}, {fname} [, {flags}])
Write List {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
Number.
When {flags} contains "b" then binary mode is used: There will
not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
When {flags} contains "a" then append mode is used, lines are
append to the file:
:call writefile(["foo"], "event.log", "a")
:call writefile(["bar"], "event.log", "a")
All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
to writefile().
An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
error message if the file can't be created or when writing
fails.
Also see readfile().
To copy a file byte for byte:
:let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
:call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
xor({expr}, {expr}) xor()LINK
Bitwise XOR on the two arguments. The arguments are converted
to a number. A List, Dict or Float argument causes an error.
Example:
:let bits = xor(bits, 0x80)
feature-listLINK
There are four types of features:
1. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
was compiled +feature-list. Example:
:if has("cindent")
2. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
Example:
:if has("gui_running")
has-patchLINK
3. Included patches. The "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been
included. Note that this form does not check the version of Vim, you need
to inspect v:version for that.
Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later):
:if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
Note that it's possible for patch 147 to be omitted even though 148 is
included.
4. Beyond a certain version or at a certain version and including a specific
patch. The "patch-7.4.237" feature means that the Vim version is 7.5 or
later, or it is version 7.4 and patch 237 was included.
Note that this only works for patch 7.4.237 and later, before that you
need to use the example above that checks v:version. Example:
:if has("patch-7.4.248")
Note that it's possible for patch 147 to be omitted even though 148 is
included.
acl Compiled with ACL support.
all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
amiga Amiga version of Vim.
arabic Compiled with Arabic support Arabic.
arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
autocmd Compiled with autocommand support. autocommand
balloon_eval Compiled with balloon-eval support.
balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
beos BeOS version of Vim.
browse Compiled with :browse support, and browse() will
work.
browsefilter Compiled with support for browsefilter.
builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support clientserver.
clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
cmdline_compl Compiled with cmdline-completion support.
cmdline_hist Compiled with cmdline-history support.
cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
comments Compiled with 'comments' support.
compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
cryptv Compiled with encryption support encryption.
cscope Compiled with cscope support.
debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
diff Compiled with vimdiff and 'diff' support.
digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
directx Compiled with support for Direct-X and 'renderoptions'.
dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register quote_~.
dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
true, of course!
ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands +ex_extra.
extra_search Compiled with support for 'incsearch' and
farsi Compiled with Farsi support farsi.
file_in_path Compiled with support for gf and <cfile>
filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
read/write/filter commands
find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
float Compiled with support for Float.
fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
Windows this is not present).
folding Compiled with folding support.
footer Compiled with GUI footer support. gui-footer
fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
gettext Compiled with message translation multi-lang
gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
gui_gnome Compiled with Gnome support (gui_gtk is also defined).
gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. hangul
iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
Insert mode.
jumplist Compiled with jumplist support.
keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
libcall Compiled with libcall() support.
linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat', 'showbreak' and
'breakindent' support.
lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list :files
and the argument list arglist.
localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. :map-local
lua Compiled with Lua interface Lua.
mac Macintosh version of Vim.
macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
menu Compiled with support for :menu.
mksession Compiled with support for :mksession.
modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. filename-modifiers
mouse Compiled with support mouse.
mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
mouse_sysmouse Compiled with support for sysmouse (*BSD console mouse)
mouse_sgr Compiled with support for sgr mouse.
mouse_urxvt Compiled with support for urxvt mouse.
mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
multi_byte Compiled with support for 'encoding'
multi_byte_encoding 'encoding' is set to a multi-byte encoding.
multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface mzscheme.
netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for netbeans and connected.
netbeans_intg Compiled with support for netbeans.
ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
perl Compiled with Perl interface.
persistent_undo Compiled with support for persistent undo history.
postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
printer Compiled with :hardcopy support.
profile Compiled with :profile support.
python Compiled with Python 2.x interface. has-python
python3 Compiled with Python 3.x interface. has-python
qnx QNX version of Vim.
quickfix Compiled with quickfix support.
reltime Compiled with reltime() support.
rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
ruby Compiled with Ruby interface ruby.
scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
signs Compiled with :sign support.
smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
spell Compiled with spell checking support spell.
startuptime Compiled with --startuptime support.
statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun workshop.
syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support syntax.
syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
current buffer.
system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
files tag-any-white.
tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
termresponse Compiled with support for t_RV and v:termresponse.
textobjects Compiled with support for text-objects.
tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
or terminfo file.
title Compiled with window title support 'title'.
toolbar Compiled with support for gui-toolbar.
unix Unix version of Vim.
user_commands User-defined commands.
vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows :vsplit.
vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place. startup
viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
visual Compiled with Visual mode.
visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
vms VMS version of Vim.
vreplace Compiled with gR and gr commands.
wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95 and later, 32 or
64 bits)
win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
xfontset Compiled with X fontset support xfontset.
xim Compiled with X input method support xim.
xpm Compiled with pixmap support.
xpm_w32 Compiled with pixmap support for Win32. (Only for
backward compatibility. Use "xpm" instead.)
xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
xterm screen.
x11 Compiled with X11 support.
string-matchLINK
Matching a pattern in a String
A regexp pattern as explained at pattern is normally used to find a match in
the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
with ".". Example:
:let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
:echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
aa
xx
:echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
a
x
Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
"\n".
==============================================================================
5. Defining functions user-functionsLINK
New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
commands can be executed with the :normal command.
The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
It's also possible to use curly braces, see curly-braces-names. And the
autoload facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
local-functionLINK
A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
function from a mapping defined in the script, but then <SID> must be used
instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
There are only script-local functions, no buffer-local or window-local
functions.
:fu :function E128 E129 E123LINK
:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
{name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
:function dict.init
:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
Example that lists all functions ending with "File":
:function /File$
:function-verboseLINK
When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
last defined. Example:
:verbose function SetFileTypeSH
function SetFileTypeSH(name)
Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
See :verbose-cmd for more information.
E124 E125 E853 E884LINK
:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
must start with a capital or "s:" (see above). Note
that using "b:" or "g:" is not allowed. (since patch
7.4.260 E884 is given if the function name has a colon
in the name, e.g. for "foo:bar()". Before that patch
no error was given).
{name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
:function dict.init(arg)
"dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
"init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
is required to overwrite an existing function. The
result is a Funcref to a numbered function. The
function can only be used with a Funcref and will be
deleted if there are no more references to it.
E127 E122LINK
When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
is currently being executed, that is an error.
For the {arguments} see function-argument.
:func-range a:firstline a:lastlineLINK
When the [range] argument is added, the function is
expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
of each line. See function-range-example.
The cursor is still moved to the first line of the
range, as is the case with all Ex commands.
:func-abortLINK
When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
abort as soon as an error is detected.
:func-dictLINK
When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
be invoked through an entry in a Dictionary. The
local variable "self" will then be set to the
dictionary. See Dictionary-function.
function-search-undoLINK
The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
will not be changed by the function. This also
implies that the effect of :nohlsearch is undone
when the function returns.
:endf :endfunction E126 E193LINK
:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
by its own, without other commands.
:delf :delfunction E130 E131LINK
:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
{name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
:delfunc dict.init
This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
function is deleted if there are no more references to
it.
:retu :return E133LINK
:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
the number 0 is returned.
Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
If the ":return" is used after a :try but before the
matching :finally (if present), the commands
following the ":finally" up to the matching :endtry
are executed first. This process applies to all
nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
returns at the outermost ":endtry".
function-argument a:varLINK
An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
a:0 a:1 a:000 E740 ...LINK
Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
can be 0). "a:000" is set to a List that contains these arguments. Note
that "a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
E742LINK
The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
However, if a List or Dictionary is used, you can change their contents.
Thus you can pass a List to a function and have the function add an item to
it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a List or
Dictionary use :lockvar.
When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
may be larger.
It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
until the matching :endfunction. It is allowed to define another function
inside a function body.
local-variablesLINK
Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
accessed with "g:".
Example:
:function Table(title, ...)
: echohl Title
: echo a:title
: echohl None
: echo a:0 . " items:"
: for s in a:000
: echon ' ' . s
: endfor
:endfunction
This function can then be called with:
call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
call Table("Empty Table")
To return more than one value, return a List:
:function Compute(n1, n2)
: if a:n2 == 0
: return ["fail", 0]
: endif
: return ["ok", a:n1 / a:n2]
:endfunction
This function can then be called with:
:let [success, div] = Compute(102, 6)
:if success == "ok"
: echo div
:endif
:cal :call E107 E117LINK
:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
are as specified with :function. Up to 20 arguments can be
used. The returned value is discarded.
Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
function.
When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
this works:
function-range-example LINK
:function Mynumber(arg)
: echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
:endfunction
:1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
can be used to do something different at the start or end of
the range.
Example of a function that handles the range itself:
:function Cont() range
: execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
:endfunction
:4,8call Cont()
This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
When the function returns a composite value it can be further
dereferenced, but the range will not be used then. Example:
:4,8call GetDict().method()
Here GetDict() gets the range but method() does not.
E132LINK
The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the 'maxfuncdepth'
option.
AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS
autoload-functionsLINK
When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
Using an autocommand
This is introduced in the user manual, section 41.14.
The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with :finish.
That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
again, setting a variable to skip the :finish command.
Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
function(s) to be defined. Example:
:au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
"BufNet". Also see FuncUndefined.
Using an autoload script
autoload E746LINK
This is introduced in the user manual, section 41.15.
Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
like this:
:call filename#funcname()
When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
then define the function like this:
function filename#funcname()
echo "Done!"
endfunction
The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
called.
It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
a path separator. Thus when calling a function:
:call foo#bar#func()
Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet:
:let l = foo#bar#lvar
However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
for an unknown variable.
When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded:
:let foo#bar#toggle = 1
:call foo#bar#func()
Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
And you will get an error message every time.
Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
other and vice versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Hint: If you distribute a bunch of scripts you can pack them together with the
vimball utility. Also read the user manual distribute-script.
==============================================================================
6. Curly braces names curly-braces-namesLINK
In most places where you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name"
variable. This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions
wrapped in braces {} like this:
my_{adjective}_variable
When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
value. For example, the statement
echo my_{&background}_message
would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
on the current value of 'background'.
You can use multiple brace pairs:
echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
..or even nest them:
echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
variable name, e.g. this is invalid:
:let foo='a + b'
:echo c{foo}d
.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
curly-braces-function-namesLINK
You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
Example:
:let func_end='whizz'
:call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
This does NOT work:
:let i = 3
:let @{i} = '' " error
:echo @{i} " error
==============================================================================
7. Commands expression-commandsLINK
:let {var-name} = {expr1} :let E18LINK
Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
is created.
:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} E689LINK
Set a list item to the result of the expression
{expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
the index can be repeated.
This cannot be used to add an item to a List.
This cannot be used to set a byte in a String. You
can do that like this:
:let var = var[0:2] . 'X' . var[4:]
E711 E719LINK
:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} E708 E709 E710LINK
Set a sequence of items in a List to the result of
the expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
correct number of items.
{idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
{idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
When the selected range of items is partly past the
end of the list, items will be added.
:let+= :let-= :let.= E734LINK
:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
:let ${env-name} = {expr1} :let-environment :let-$LINK
Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
works like "=".
:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} :let-register :let-@LINK
Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
{reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
must be the name of a writable register (see
registers). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
register, "@/" for the search pattern.
If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
characterwise.
This can be used to clear the last search pattern:
:let @/ = ""
This is different from searching for an empty string,
that would match everywhere.
:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
:let &{option-name} = {expr1} :let-option :let-&LINK
Set option {option-name} to the result of the
expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
always converted to the type of the option.
For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
is just like using the :set command: both the local
value and the global value are changed.
Example:
:let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
Does not insert a comma like :set+=.
:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
{expr1}.
:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Like above, but only set the local value of an option
(if there is one). Works like :setlocal.
:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Like above, but only set the global value of an option
(if there is one). Works like :setglobal.
:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} :let-unpack E687 E688LINK
{expr1} must evaluate to a List. The first item in
the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
{name2}, etc.
The number of names must match the number of items in
the List.
Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
command as mentioned above.
Example:
:let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
{name2} depends on {name1}. Example:
:let x = [0, 1]
:let i = 0
:let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
:echo x
The result is [0, 2].
:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
List item.
:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Like :let-unpack above, but the List may have more
items than there are names. A list of the remaining
items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Example:
:let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
List item.
E121LINK
:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
variable names may be given. Special names recognized
here: E738LINK
g: global variables
b: local buffer variables
w: local window variables
t: local tab page variables
s: script-local variables
l: local function variables
v: Vim variables.
:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
variable is indicated before the value:
<nothing> String
# Number
* Funcref
:unl[et][!] {name} ... :unlet :unl E108 E795LINK
Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
names can be given, they are all removed. The name
may also be a List or Dictionary item.
With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
variables.
One or more items from a List can be removed:
:unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
:unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
One item from a Dictionary can be removed at a time:
:unlet dict['two']
:unlet dict.two
This is especially useful to clean up used global
variables and script-local variables (these are not
deleted when the script ends). Function-local
variables are automatically deleted when the function
ends.
:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... :lockvar :lockvLINK
Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
A locked variable can be deleted:
:lockvar v
:let v = 'asdf' " fails!
:unlet v
E741LINK
If you try to change a locked variable you get an
error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
[depth] is relevant when locking a List or
Dictionary. It specifies how deep the locking goes:
1 Lock the List or Dictionary itself,
cannot add or remove items, but can
still change their values.
2 Also lock the values, cannot change
the items. If an item is a List or
Dictionary, cannot add or remove
items, but can still change the
values.
3 Like 2 but for the List /
Dictionary in the List /
Dictionary, one level deeper.
The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a List
or Dictionary the values cannot be changed.
E743LINK
For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
loops.
Note that when two variables refer to the same List
and you lock one of them, the List will also be
locked when used through the other variable.
Example:
:let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
:let cl = l
:lockvar l
:let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
See deepcopy().
:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... :unlockvar :unloLINK
Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
opposite of :lockvar.
:if {expr1} :if :endif :en E171 E579 E580LINK
:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
part was not executed either.
You can use this to remain compatible with older
versions:
:if version >= 500
: version-5-specific-commands
:endif
The commands still need to be parsed to find the
"endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
avoid problems:
:if version >= 600
: execute "silent 1,$delete"
:endif
NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
:else :el E581 E583LINK
:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
or ":endif" if they previously were not being
executed.
:elseif :elsei E582 E584LINK
:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
is no extra ":endif".
:wh[ile] {expr1} :while :endwhile :wh :endwLINK
E170 E585 E588 E733LINK
:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
When an error is detected from a command inside the
loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Example:
:let lnum = 1
:while lnum <= line("$")
:call FixLine(lnum)
:let lnum = lnum + 1
:endwhile
NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
:for {var} in {list} :for E690 E732LINK
:endfo[r] :endfo :endforLINK
Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
value of each item.
When an error is detected for a command inside the
loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
used. Make a copy if this is unwanted:
:for item in copy(mylist)
When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
next item in the list, before executing the commands
with the current item. Thus the current item can be
removed without effect. Removing any later item means
it will not be found. Thus the following example
works (an inefficient way to make a list empty):
for item in mylist
call remove(mylist, 0)
endfor
Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
Note that the type of each list item should be
identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
to allow multiple item types:
for item in ["foo", ["bar"]]
echo item
unlet item " E706 without this
endfor
:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
:endfo[r]
Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
{var2}, etc. Example:
:for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
:echo getline(lnum)[col]
:endfor
:continue :con E586LINK
:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
to the start of the loop.
If it is used after a :try inside the loop but
before the matching :finally (if present), the
commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
:endtry are executed first. This process applies to
all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
:break :brea E587LINK
:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
":endfor".
If it is used after a :try inside the loop but
before the matching :finally (if present), the
commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
:endtry are executed first. This process applies to
all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
:try :try :endt :endtry E600 E601 E602LINK
:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
or autocommand invocations.
When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
a :finally command following, execution continues
after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
(dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
processing is terminated. (Whether a function
definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
Example:
:try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
:echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
can be caught as if it were thrown by a :throw
command (see :catch). In this case, the script
processing is not terminated.
The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
other errors are converted to a value of the form
"Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
error exception is not caught, always beginning with
the error number.
Examples:
:try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
:try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
:cat :catch E603 E604 E605LINK
:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next :catch,
:finally, or :endtry that belongs to the same
:try as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
commands are skipped.
When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
Examples:
:catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
:catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
:catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
:catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
:catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
:catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
:catch /.*/ " catch everything
:catch " same as /.*/
Another character can be used instead of / around the
{pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
{pattern}.
Information about the exception is available in
v:exception. Also see throw-variables.
NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
an error message because it may vary in different
locales.
:fina :finally E606 E607LINK
:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching :endtry
are executed whenever the part between the matching
:try and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
through to the ":finally" or by a :continue,
:break, :finish, or :return, or by an error or
interrupt or exception (see :throw).
:th :throw E608LINK
:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
If the ":throw" is used after a :try but before the
first corresponding :catch, commands are skipped
until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
used after a ":catch" but before the :finally, the
commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
the matching :endtry are executed. If the ":throw"
is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
(which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
If the exception is not caught, the command processing
is terminated.
Example:
:try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
Note that "catch" may need to be on a separate line
for when an error causes the parsing to skip the whole
line and not see the "|" that separates the commands.
:ec :echoLINK
:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
first {expr1} starts on a new line.
Also see :comment.
Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
cursor to the first column.
Uses the highlighting set by the :echohl command.
Cannot be followed by a comment.
Example:
:echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
:echo-redrawLINK
A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
And since Vim mostly postpones redrawing until it's
finished with a sequence of commands this happens
quite often. To avoid that a command from before the
":echo" causes a redraw afterwards (redraws are often
postponed until you type something), force a redraw
with the :redraw command. Example:
:new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
:echonLINK
:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
Uses the highlighting set by the :echohl command.
Cannot be followed by a comment.
Example:
:echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
command:
:!echo % --> filename
The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see :_%.
:!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
quotes or not depends on your 'shell'.
:echo % --> nothing
The '%' is an illegal character in an expression.
:echo "%" --> %
This just echoes the '%' character.
:echo expand("%") --> filename
This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
:echoh :echohlLINK
:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
:echo, :echon and :echomsg commands. Also used
for the input() prompt. Example:
:echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
:echom :echomsgLINK
:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
message in the message-history.
Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
:echo command. But unprintable characters are
displayed, not interpreted.
The parsing works slightly different from :echo,
more like :execute. All the expressions are first
evaluated and concatenated before echoing anything.
The expressions must evaluate to a Number or String, a
Dictionary or List causes an error.
Uses the highlighting set by the :echohl command.
Example:
:echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
See :echo-redraw to avoid the message disappearing
when the screen is redrawn.
:echoe :echoerrLINK
:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
message in the message-history. When used in a
script or function the line number will be added.
Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
:echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
the message is raised as an error exception instead
(see try-echoerr).
Example:
:echoerr "This script just failed!"
If you just want a highlighted message use :echohl.
And to get a beep:
:exe "normal \<Esc>"
:exe :executeLINK
:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
of {expr1} as an Ex command.
Multiple arguments are concatenated, with a space in
between. To avoid the extra space use the "."
operator to concatenate strings into one argument.
{expr1} is used as the processed command, command line
editing keys are not recognized.
Cannot be followed by a comment.
Examples:
:execute "buffer" nextbuf
:execute "normal" count . "w"
":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
that don't accept a '|'. Example:
:execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
command:
:execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
This has an <Esc> character, see expr-string.
Be careful to correctly escape special characters in
file names. The fnameescape() function can be used
for Vim commands, shellescape() for :! commands.
Examples:
:execute "e " . fnameescape(filename)
:execute "!ls " . shellescape(filename, 1)
Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
starting or ending "if", "while" and "for" does not
always work, because when commands are skipped the
":execute" is not evaluated and Vim loses track of
where blocks start and end. Also "break" and
"continue" should not be inside ":execute".
This example does not work, because the ":execute" is
not evaluated and Vim does not see the "while", and
gives an error for finding an ":endwhile":
:if 0
: execute 'while i > 5'
: echo "test"
: endwhile
:endif
It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
completely in the executed string:
:execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
:exe-commentLINK
":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
comment. Example:
:echo "foo" | "this is a comment
==============================================================================
8. Exception handling exception-handlingLINK
The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
catch-errors and catch-interrupt. You can also explicitly throw an
exception by using the ":throw" command, see throw-catch.
TRY CONDITIONALS try-conditionalsLINK
Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
A try conditional begins with a :try command and ends at the matching
:endtry command. In between, you can use a :catch command to start
a catch clause, or a :finally command to start a finally clause. There may
be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
clauses and the finally clause is called a try block.
:try
: ...
: ... TRY BLOCK
: ...
:catch /{pattern}/
: ...
: ... CATCH CLAUSE
: ...
:catch /{pattern}/
: ...
: ... CATCH CLAUSE
: ...
:finally
: ...
: ... FINALLY CLAUSE
: ...
:endtry
The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
continues in the following line as usual.
When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
see try-nesting.
When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see try-nesting.
When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see try-nesting.
The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
from the finally clause.
When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
this pending exception or command is discarded.
For examples see throw-catch and try-finally.
NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS try-nestingLINK
Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
the inner try conditional.
When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
as usual.
For examples see throw-catch.
EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE except-examineLINK
Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
(see debug-scripts).
THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS throw-catchLINK
You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the :throw command
and pass the value to be thrown as argument:
:throw 4711
:throw "string"
throw-expressionLINK
You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
first, and the result is thrown:
:throw 4705 + strlen("string")
:throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
Example:
:function! Foo(arg)
: try
: throw a:arg
: catch /foo/
: endtry
: return 1
:endfunction
:
:function! Bar()
: echo "in Bar"
: return 4710
:endfunction
:
:throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
executed.
:throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
Example:
:if Foo("arrgh")
: echo "then"
:else
: echo "else"
:endif
Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
catch-orderLINK
Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more :catch
commands, see try-conditionals. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
Example:
:function! Foo(value)
: try
: throw a:value
: catch /^\d\+$/
: echo "Number thrown"
: catch /.*/
: echo "String thrown"
: endtry
:endfunction
:
:call Foo(0x1267)
:call Foo('string')
The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense:
: catch /.*/
: echo "String thrown"
: catch /^\d\+$/
: echo "Number thrown"
The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
never taken.
throw-variablesLINK
If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
in the variable v:exception:
: catch /^\d\+$/
: echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
v:throwpoint. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
Example:
:function! Caught()
: if v:exception != ""
: echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
: else
: echo 'Nothing caught'
: endif
:endfunction
:
:function! Foo()
: try
: try
: try
: throw 4711
: finally
: call Caught()
: endtry
: catch /.*/
: call Caught()
: throw "oops"
: endtry
: catch /.*/
: call Caught()
: finally
: call Caught()
: endtry
:endfunction
:
:call Foo()
This displays
Nothing caught
Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
Nothing caught
A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
number in the script or function where it has been used:
:function! LineNumber()
: return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
:endfunction
:command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
try-nestedLINK
An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
a surrounding try conditional:
:try
: try
: throw "foo"
: catch /foobar/
: echo "foobar"
: finally
: echo "inner finally"
: endtry
:catch /foo/
: echo "foo"
:endtry
The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
throw-from-catchLINK
You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
catch clause:
:function! Foo()
: throw "foo"
:endfunction
:
:function! Bar()
: try
: call Foo()
: catch /foo/
: echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
: throw "bar"
: endtry
:endfunction
:
:try
: call Bar()
:catch /.*/
: echo "Caught" v:exception
:endtry
This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
rethrowLINK
There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
"v:exception" instead:
:function! Bar()
: try
: call Foo()
: catch /.*/
: echo "Rethrow" v:exception
: throw v:exception
: endtry
:endfunction
try-echoerrLINK
Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
the original error exception value, you can use the :echoerr command:
:try
: try
: asdf
: catch /.*/
: echoerr v:exception
: endtry
:catch /.*/
: echo v:exception
:endtry
This code displays
Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf
CLEANUP CODE try-finallyLINK
Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
clause has been executed.)
Example:
:try
: let s:saved_ts = &ts
: set ts=17
:
: " Do the hard work here.
:
:finally
: let &ts = s:saved_ts
: unlet s:saved_ts
:endtry
This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
that function or script part.
break-finallyLINK
Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
Example:
:let first = 1
:while 1
: try
: if first
: echo "first"
: let first = 0
: continue
: else
: throw "second"
: endif
: catch /.*/
: echo v:exception
: break
: finally
: echo "cleanup"
: endtry
: echo "still in while"
:endwhile
:echo "end"
This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end".
:function! Foo()
: try
: return 4711
: finally
: echo "cleanup\n"
: endtry
: echo "Foo still active"
:endfunction
:
:echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
return value.)
except-from-finallyLINK
Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
working correctly:
:try
: try
: echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
: while 1
: endwhile
: finally
: unlet novar
: endtry
:catch /novar/
:endtry
:echo "Script still running"
:sleep 1
If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
catch-errors and ignore-errors.
CATCHING ERRORS catch-errorsLINK
If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
exception. No message is displayed and v:errmsg is not set then. To find
the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
the error exception is.
Error exceptions have the following format:
Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
or
Vim:{errmsg}
{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
a space.
Examples:
The command
:unlet novar
normally produces the error message
E108: No such variable: "novar"
which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception
Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
The command
:dwim
normally produces the error message
E492: Not an editor command: dwim
which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception
Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a
:catch /^Vim(unlet):/
or all errors for misspelled command names by a
:catch /^Vim:E492:/
Some error messages may be produced by different commands:
:function nofunc
and
:delfunction nofunc
both produce the error message
E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception
Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
or
Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
command that caused it if you use the following pattern:
:catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
Some commands like
:let x = novar
produce multiple error messages, here:
E121: Undefined variable: novar
E15: Invalid expression: novar
Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
one (see except-several-errors). So you can catch it by
:catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by
:catch /\<nofunc\>/
You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by
:catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern
:catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
catch-textLINK
NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself:
:catch /No such variable/
only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
a different language by the :language command. It is however helpful to
cite the message text in a comment:
:catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
IGNORING ERRORS ignore-errorsLINK
You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally:
:try
: write
:catch
:endtry
But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance:
:au BufWritePre * unlet novar
There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
then hide the error from the user.
It is much better to use
:try
: write
:catch /^Vim(write):/
:endtry
which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
intentionally.
For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
command:
:silent! nunmap k
This works also when a try conditional is active.
CATCHING INTERRUPTS catch-interruptLINK
When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
script is not terminated, then.
Example:
:function! TASK1()
: sleep 10
:endfunction
:function! TASK2()
: sleep 20
:endfunction
:while 1
: let command = input("Type a command: ")
: try
: if command == ""
: continue
: elseif command == "END"
: break
: elseif command == "TASK1"
: call TASK1()
: elseif command == "TASK2"
: call TASK2()
: else
: echo "\nIllegal command:" command
: continue
: endif
: catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
: echo "\nCommand interrupted"
: " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
: endtry
:endwhile
You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
your script, use the debug mode and execute the >quit or >interrupt
command on that line. See debug-scripts.
CATCHING ALL catch-allLINK
The commands
:catch /.*/
:catch //
:catch
catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
explicitly thrown by the :throw command. This is useful at the top level of
a script in order to catch unexpected things.
Example:
:try
:
: " do the hard work here
:
:catch /MyException/
:
: " handle known problem
:
:catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
: echo "Script interrupted"
:catch /.*/
: echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
: echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
:endtry
:" end of script
Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
by pressing CTRL-C:
:while 1
: try
: sleep 1
: catch
: endtry
:endwhile
EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS except-autocmdLINK
Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example:
:autocmd User x try
:autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
:autocmd User x catch
:autocmd User x echo v:exception
:autocmd User x endtry
:autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
:autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
:
:try
: doautocmd User x
:catch
: echo v:exception
:endtry
This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
except-autocmd-PreLINK
For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
Example:
:autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
:autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
:
:try
: write
:catch
: echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
:endtry
Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
script displays:
Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
except-autocmd-PostLINK
For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
Example:
:autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
:
:try
: write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
:catch
: echo v:exception
:endtry
This just displays:
Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
Example:
:autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
:autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
:
:try
: write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
:catch
: doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
:endtry
You can also use ":silent!":
:let x = "ok"
:let v:errmsg = ""
:autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
:autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
:autocmd BufWritePost * endif
:try
: silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
:catch
:endtry
:echo x
This displays "after fail".
If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command:
:autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
:autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
:
:try
: write
:catch
: echo v:exception
:endtry
except-autocmd-CmdLINK
For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
of the command.
Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
some way.
:if !exists("cnt")
: let cnt = 0
:
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
: autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
:endif
:
:try
: write
:catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
: if &modified
: echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
: else
: echo "Error after writing"
: endif
:catch /^Vim(write):/
: echo "Error on writing"
:endtry
When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
first
File successfully written!
then
Error on writing (file contents not changed)
then
Error after writing
etc.
except-autocmd-illLINK
You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
The following code is ill-formed:
:autocmd BufWritePre * try
:
:autocmd BufWritePost * catch
:autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
:autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
:
:write
EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS except-hier-paramLINK
Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
similar things in Vim.
In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
for an error when writing "myfile".
With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
parentheses can be cut out from v:exception with the ":substitute" command.
Example:
:function! CheckRange(a, func)
: if a:a < 0
: throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
: endif
:endfunction
:
:function! Add(a, b)
: call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
: call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
: let c = a:a + a:b
: if c < 0
: throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
: endif
: return c
:endfunction
:
:function! Div(a, b)
: call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
: call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
: if (a:b == 0)
: throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
: endif
: return a:a / a:b
:endfunction
:
:function! Write(file)
: try
: execute "write" fnameescape(a:file)
: catch /^Vim(write):/
: throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
: endtry
:endfunction
:
:try
:
: " something with arithmetics and I/O
:
:catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
: let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
: echo "Range error in" function
:
:catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
: echo "Math error"
:
:catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
: let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
: let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
: if file !~ '^/'
: let file = dir . "/" . file
: endif
: echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
:
:catch /^EXCEPT/
: echo "Unspecified error"
:
:endtry
The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
failed, if known. See catch-errors.
PECULIARITIES
except-compatLINK
The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
and/or a catch clause.
In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
by specifying a finally clause.)
When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
v:errmsg if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
not converted to an exception. (See :silent.) So the only remaining cause
where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
scripts.
except-syntax-errLINK
Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
clauses, however, is executed.
Example:
:try
: try
: throw 4711
: catch /\(/
: echo "in catch with syntax error"
: catch
: echo "inner catch-all"
: finally
: echo "inner finally"
: endtry
:catch
: echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
: finally
: echo "outer finally"
:endtry
This displays:
inner finally
outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
outer finally
The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
except-single-lineLINK
The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
Example:
:try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
displayed.
except-several-errorsLINK
When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
Example:
echo novar
causes
E121: Undefined variable: novar
E15: Invalid expression: novar
The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is:
Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
except-syntax-errorLINK
But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
Example:
unlet novar #
causes
E108: No such variable: "novar"
E488: Trailing characters
The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is:
Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
not intended by the user. Example:
try
try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
catch /.*/
echo "outer catch:" v:exception
endtry
This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see except-single-line.
==============================================================================
9. Examples eval-examplesLINK
Printing in Binary
:" The function Nr2Bin() returns the binary string representation of a number.
:func Nr2Bin(nr)
: let n = a:nr
: let r = ""
: while n
: let r = '01'[n % 2] . r
: let n = n / 2
: endwhile
: return r
:endfunc
:" The function String2Bin() converts each character in a string to a
:" binary string, separated with dashes.
:func String2Bin(str)
: let out = ''
: for ix in range(strlen(a:str))
: let out = out . '-' . Nr2Bin(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
: endfor
: return out[1:]
:endfunc
Example of its use:
:echo Nr2Bin(32)
result: "100000"
:echo String2Bin("32")
result: "110011-110010"
Sorting lines
This example sorts lines with a specific compare function.
:func SortBuffer()
: let lines = getline(1, '$')
: call sort(lines, function("Strcmp"))
: call setline(1, lines)
:endfunction
As a one-liner:
:call setline(1, sort(getline(1, '$'), function("Strcmp")))
scanf() replacement
sscanfLINK
There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
"foobar.txt, 123, 45".
:" Set up the match bit
:let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
:"get the part matching the whole expression
:let l = matchstr(line, mx)
:"get each item out of the match
:let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
:let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
:let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
getting the scriptnames in a Dictionary
scriptnames-dictionaryLINK
The :scriptnames command can be used to get a list of all script files that
have been sourced. There is no equivalent function or variable for this
(because it's rarely needed). In case you need to manipulate the list this
code can be used:
" Get the output of ":scriptnames" in the scriptnames_output variable.
let scriptnames_output = ''
redir => scriptnames_output
silent scriptnames
redir END
" Split the output into lines and parse each line. Add an entry to the
" "scripts" dictionary.
let scripts = {}
for line in split(scriptnames_output, "\n")
" Only do non-blank lines.
if line =~ '\S'
" Get the first number in the line.
let nr = matchstr(line, '\d\+')
" Get the file name, remove the script number " 123: ".
let name = substitute(line, '.\+:\s*', '', '')
" Add an item to the Dictionary
let scripts[nr] = name
endif
endfor
unlet scriptnames_output
==============================================================================
10. No +eval feature no-eval-featureLINK
When the +eval feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
recognized.
Example of how to avoid executing commands when the +eval feature is
missing:
:if 1
: echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
:else
: echo "You will _never_ see this message"
:endif
==============================================================================
11. The sandbox eval-sandbox sandbox E48LINK
The 'foldexpr', 'formatexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and
'foldtext' options may be evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are
protected from these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some
safety for when these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when
the command from a tags file is executed and for CTRL-R = in the command line.
The sandbox is also used for the :sandbox command.
These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
- changing the buffer text
- defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
- setting certain options (see option-summary)
- setting certain v: variables (see v:var) E794LINK
- executing a shell command
- reading or writing a file
- jumping to another buffer or editing a file
- executing Python, Perl, etc. commands
This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
:san :sandboxLINK
:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
sandbox-optionLINK
A few options contain an expression. When this expression is evaluated it may
have to be done in the sandbox to avoid a security risk. But the sandbox is
restrictive, thus this only happens when the option was set from an insecure
location. Insecure in this context are:
- sourcing a .vimrc or .exrc in the current directory
- while executing in the sandbox
- value coming from a modeline
Note that when in the sandbox and saving an option value and restoring it, the
option will still be marked as it was set in the sandbox.
==============================================================================
12. Textlock textlockLINK
In a few situations it is not allowed to change the text in the buffer, jump
to another window and some other things that might confuse or break what Vim
is currently doing. This mostly applies to things that happen when Vim is
actually doing something else. For example, evaluating the 'balloonexpr' may
happen any moment the mouse cursor is resting at some position.
This is not allowed when the textlock is active:
- changing the buffer text
- jumping to another buffer or window
- editing another file
- closing a window or quitting Vim
- etc.
vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: