" ############## " Introduction " ############## " " Vim script (also called VimL) is the subset of Vim's ex-commands which " supplies a number of features one would expect from a scripting language, " such as values, variables, functions or loops. Always keep in the back of " your mind that a Vim script file is just a sequence of ex-commands. It is " very common for a script to mix programming-language features and raw " ex-commands. " " You can run Vim script directly by entering the commands in command-line mode " (press `:` to enter command-line mode), or you can write them to a file " (without the leading `:`) and source it in a running Vim instance (`:source " path/to/file`). Some files are sourced automatically as part of your " configuration (see |startup|). This guide assumes that you are familiar " with ex-commands and will only cover the scripting. Help topics to the " relevant manual sections are included. " " See |usr_41.txt| for the official introduction to Vim script. A comment is " anything following an unmatched `"` until the end of the line, and `|` " separates instructions (what `;` does in most other languages). References to " the manual as surrounded with `|`, such as |help.txt|. " This is a comment " The vertical line '|' (pipe) separates commands echo 'Hello' | echo 'world!' " Putting a comment after a command usually works pwd " Displays the current working directory " Except for some commands it does not; use the command delimiter before the " comment (echo assumes that the quotation mark begins a string) echo 'Hello world!' | " Displays a message " Line breaks can be escaped by placing a backslash as the first non-whitespace " character on the *following* line. Only works in script files, not on the " command line echo " Hello \ world " echo [1, \ 2] echo { \ 'a': 1, \ 'b': 2 \} " ####### " Types " ####### " " For an overview of types see |E712|. For an overview of operators see " |expression-syntax| " Numbers (|expr-number|) " ####### echo 123 | " Decimal echo 0b1111011 | " Binary echo 0173 | " Octal echo 0x7B | " Hexadecimal echo 123.0 | " Floating-point echo 1.23e2 | " Floating-point (scientific notation) " Note that an *integer* number with a leading `0` is in octal notation. The " usual arithmetic operations are supported. echo 1 + 2 | " Addition echo 1 - 2 | " Subtraction echo - 1 | " Negation (unary minus) echo + 1 | " Unary plus (does nothing really, but still legal) echo 1 * 2 | " Multiplication echo 1 / 2 | " Division echo 1 % 2 | " Modulo (remainder) " Booleans (|Boolean|) " ######## " " The number 0 is false, every other number is true. Strings are implicitly " converted to numbers (see below). There are two pre-defined semantic " constants. echo v:true | " Evaluates to 1 or the string 'v:true' echo v:false | " Evaluates to 0 or the string 'v:false' " Boolean values can result from comparison of two objects. echo x == y | " Equality by value echo x != y | " Inequality echo x > y | " Greater than echo x >= y | " Greater than or equal echo x < y | " Smaller than echo x <= y | " Smaller than or equal echo x is y | " Instance identity (lists and dictionaries) echo x isnot y | " Instance non-identity (lists and dictionaries) " Strings are compared based on their alphanumerical ordering " echo 'a' < 'b'. Case sensitivity depends on the setting of 'ignorecase' " " Explicit case-sensitivity is specified by appending '#' (match case) or '?' " (ignore case) to the operator. Prefer explicitly case sensitivity when writing " portable scripts. echo 'a' < 'B' | " True or false depending on 'ignorecase' echo 'a' x * x} | " Anonymous function echo function('substitute', ['hello']) | " Partial function " Regular expression (|regular-expression|) " ################## " " A regular expression pattern is generally a string, but in some cases you can " also use a regular expression between a pair of delimiters (usually `/`, but " you can choose anything). " Substitute 'hello' for 'Hello' substitute/hello/Hello/ " ########################### " Implicit type conversions " ########################### " " Strings are converted to numbers, and numbers to strings when necessary. A " number becomes its decimal notation as a string. A string becomes its " numerical value if it can be parsed to a number, otherwise it becomes zero. echo "1" + 1 | " Number echo "1" .. 1 | " String echo "0xA" + 1 | " Number " Strings are treated like numbers when used as booleans echo "true" ? 1 : 0 | " This string is parsed to 0, which is false " ########### " Variables " ########### " " Variables are bound within a scope; if no scope is provided a default is " chosen by Vim. Use `:let` and `:const` to bind a value and `:unlet` to unbind " it. let b:my_var = 1 | " Local to current buffer let w:my_var = 1 | " Local to current window let t:my_var = 1 | " Local to current tab page let g:my_var = 1 | " Global variable let l:my_var = 1 | " Local to current function (see functions below) let s:my_var = 1 | " Local to current script file let a:my_arg = 1 | " Function argument (see functions below) " The Vim scope is read-only echo v:true | " Special built-in Vim variables (|v:var|) " Access special Vim memory like variables let @a = 'Hello' | " Register let $PATH='' | " Environment variable let &textwidth = 79 | " Option let &l:textwidth = 79 | " Local option let &g:textwidth = 79 | " Global option " Access scopes as dictionaries (can be modified like all dictionaries) " See the |dict-functions|, especially |get()|, for access and manipulation echo b: | " All buffer variables echo w: | " All window variables echo t: | " All tab page variables echo g: | " All global variables echo l: | " All local variables echo s: | " All script variables echo a: | " All function arguments echo v: | " All Vim variables " Constant variables const x = 10 | " See |:const|, |:lockvar| " Function reference variables have the same restrictions as function names let IsString = {x -> type(x) == type('')} | " Global: capital letter let s:isNumber = {x -> type(x) == type(0)} | " Local: any name allowed " When omitted the scope `g:` is implied, except in functions, there `l:` is " implied. " Multiple value binding (list unpacking) " ####################################### " " Assign values of list to multiple variables (number of items must match) let [x, y] = [1, 2] " Assign the remainder to a rest variable (note the semicolon) let [mother, father; children] = ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Carol', 'Dennis', 'Emily'] " ############## " Flow control " ############## " Conditional (|:if|, |:elseif|, |:else|, |:endif|) " ########### " " Conditions are set between `if` and `endif`. They can be nested. let condition = v:true if condition echo 'First condition' elseif another_condition echo 'Second condition' else echo 'Fail' endif " Loops (|:for|, |:endfor|, |:while|, |:endwhile|, |:break|, |:continue|) " ##### " " Two types of loops: `:for` and `:while`. Use `:continue` to skip to the next " iteration, `:break` to break out of the loop. " For-loop (|:for|, |:endfor|) " ======== " " For-loops iterate over lists and nothing else. If you want to iterate over " another sequence you need to use a function which will create a list. " Iterate over a list for person in ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Carol', 'Dennis', 'Emily'] echo 'Hello ' .. person endfor " Iterate over a nested list by unpacking it for [x, y] in [[1, 0], [0, 1], [-1, 0], [0, -1]] echo 'Position: x =' .. x .. ', y = ' .. y endfor " Iterate over a range of numbers for i in range(10, 0, -1) " Count down from 10 echo 'T minus' .. i endfor " Iterate over the keys of a dictionary for symbol in keys({'π': 3.14, 'e': 2.71}) echo 'The constant ' .. symbol .. ' is a transcendent number' endfor " Iterate over the values of a dictionary for value in values({'π': 3.14, 'e': 2.71}) echo 'The value ' .. value .. ' approximates a transcendent number' endfor " Iterate over the keys and values of a dictionary for [symbol, value] in items({'π': 3.14, 'e': 2.71}) echo 'The number ' .. symbol .. ' is approximately ' .. value endfor " While-loops (|:while|, |:endwhile|) let there_yet = v:true while !there_yet echo 'Are we there yet?' endwhile " Exception handling (|exception-handling|) " ################## " " Throw new exceptions as strings, catch them by pattern-matching a regular " expression against the string " Throw new exception throw "Wrong arguments" " Guard against an exception (the second catch matches any exception) try source path/to/file catch /Cannot open/ echo 'Looks like that file does not exist' catch /.*/ echo 'Something went wrong, but I do not know what' finally echo 'I am done trying' endtry " ########## " Functions " ########## " Defining functions (|:function|, |:endfunction|) " ################## " Unscoped function names have to start with a capital letter function! AddNumbersLoudly(x, y) " Use a: scope to access arguments echo 'Adding' .. a:x .. 'and' .. a:y | " A side effect return a:x + a:y | " A return value endfunction " Scoped function names may start with a lower-case letter function! s:addNumbersLoudly(x, y) echo 'Adding' .. a:x .. 'and' .. a:y return a:x + a:y endfunction " Without the exclamation mark it would be an error to re-define a function, " with the exclamation mark the new definition can replace the old one. Since " Vim script files can be reloaded several times over the course of a session " it is best to use the exclamation mark unless you really know what you are " doing. " Function definitions can have special qualifiers following the argument list. " Range functions define two implicit arguments, which will be set to the range " of the ex-command function! FirstAndLastLine() range echo [a:firstline, a:lastline] endfunction " Prints the first and last line that match a pattern (|cmdline-ranges|) /^#!/,/!#$/call FirstAndLastLine() " Aborting functions, abort once error occurs (|:func-abort|) function! SourceMyFile() abort source my-file.vim | " Try sourcing non-existing file echo 'This will never be printed' endfunction " Closures, functions carrying values from outer scope (|:func-closure|) function! MakeAdder(x) function! Adder(n) closure return a:n + a:x endfunction return funcref('Adder') endfunction let AddFive = MakeAdder(5) echo AddFive(3) | " Prints 8 " Dictionary functions, poor man's OOP methods (|Dictionary-function|) function! Mylen() dict return len(self.data) | " Implicit variable self endfunction let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")} echo mydict.len() " Alternatively, more concise let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]} function! mydict.len() return len(self.data) endfunction " Calling functions (|:call|) " ################# " Call a function for its return value, and possibly for its side effects let animals = keys({'cow': 'moo', 'dog': 'woof', 'cat': 'meow'}) " Call a function for its side effects only, ignore potential return value call sign_undefine() " The call() function calls a function reference and passes parameters as a " list, and returns the function's result. echo call(function('get'), [{'a': 1, 'b': 2}, 'c', 3]) | " Prints 3 " Recall that Vim script is embedded within the ex-commands, that is why we " cannot just call a function directly, we have to use the `:call` ex-command. " Function namespaces (|write-library-script|, |autoload|) " ################### " Must be defined in autoload/foo/bar.vim " Namspaced function names do not have to start with a capital letter function! foo#bar#log(value) echomsg value endfunction call foo#bar#log('Hello') " ############################# " Frequently used ex-commands " ############################# " Sourcing runtime files (|'runtimepath'|) " ###################### " Source first match among runtime paths runtime plugin/my-plugin.vim " Defining new ex-commands (|40.2|, |:command|) " ######################## " First argument here is the name of the command, rest is the command body command! SwapAdjacentLines normal! ddp " The exclamation mark works the same as with `:function`. User-defined " commands must start with a capital letter. The `:command` command can take a " number of attributes (some of which have their own parameters with `=`), such " as `-nargs`, all of them start with a dash to set them apart from the command " name. command! -nargs=1 Error echoerr " Defining auto-commands (|40.3|, |autocmd|, |autocommand-events|) " ###################### " The arguments are "events", "patterns", rest is "commands" autocmd BufWritePost $MYVIMRC source $MYVIMRC " Events and patterns are separated by commas with no space between. See " |autocmd-events| for standard events, |User| for custom events. Everything " else are the ex-commands which will be executed. " Auto groups " =========== " " When a file is sourced multiple times the auto-commands are defined anew, " without deleting the old ones, causing auto-commands to pile up over time. " Use auto-groups and the following ritual to guard against this. augroup auto-source | " The name of the group is arbitrary autocmd! | " Deletes all auto-commands in the current group autocmd BufWritePost $MYVIMRC source $MYVIMRC augroup END | " Switch back to default auto-group " It is also possible to assign a group directly. This is useful if the " definition of the group is in one script and the definition of the " auto-command is in another script. " In one file augroup auto-source autocmd! augroup END " In another file autocmd auto-source BufWritePost $MYVIMRC source $MYVIMRC " Executing (run-time macros of sorts) " #################################### " Sometimes we need to construct an ex-command where part of the command is not " known until runtime. let line = 3 | " Line number determined at runtime execute line .. 'delete' | " Delete a line " Executing normal-mode commands " ############################## " " Use `:normal` to play back a sequence of normal mode commands from the " command-line. Add an exclamation mark to ignore user mappings. normal! ggddGp | " Transplant first line to end of buffer " Window commands can be used with :normal, or with :wincmd if :normal would " not work wincmd L | " Move current window all the way to the right " ########################### " Frequently used functions " ########################### " Feature check echo has('nvim') | " Running Neovim echo has('python3') | " Support for Python 3 plugins echo has('unix') | " Running on a Unix system echo has('win32') | " Running on a Windows system " Test if something exists echo exists('&mouse') | " Option (exists only) echo exists('+mouse') | " Option (exists and works) echo exists('$HOSTNAME') | " Environment variable echo exists('*strftime') | " Built-in function echo exists('**s:MyFunc') | " User-defined function echo exists('bufcount') | " Variable (scope optional) echo exists('my_dict["foo"]') | " Variable (dictionary entry) echo exists('my_dict["foo"]') | " Variable (dictionary entry) echo exists(':Make') | " Command echo exists("#CursorHold") | " Auto-command defined for event echo exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz") | " Event and pattern echo exists("#filetypeindent") | " Auto-command group echo exists("##ColorScheme") | " Auto-command supported for event " Various dynamic values (see |expand()|) echo expand('%') | " Current file name echo expand('') | " Current word under cursor echo expand('%:p') | " Modifier are possible " Type tests " There are unique constants defined for the following types. Older versions " of Vim lack the type variables, see the reference " documentation for a " workaround echo type(my_var) == v:t_number | " Number echo type(my_var) == v:t_string | " String echo type(my_var) == v:t_func | " Funcref echo type(my_var) == v:t_list | " List echo type(my_var) == v:t_dict | " Dictionary echo type(my_var) == v:t_float | " Float echo type(my_var) == v:t_bool | " Explicit Boolean " For the null object should compare it against itself echo my_var is v:null " Format strings echo printf('%d in hexadecimal is %X', 123, 123) " ##################### " Tricks of the trade " ##################### " Source guard " ############ " Prevent a file from being sourced multiple times; users can set the variable " in their configuration to prevent the plugin from loading at all. if exists('g:loaded_my_plugin') finish endif let g:loaded_my_plugin = v:true " Default values " ############## " Get a default value: if the user defines a variable use it, otherwise use a " hard-coded default. Uses the fact that a scope is also a dictionary. let s:greeting = get(g:, 'my_plugin_greeting', 'Hello')