1 *change.txt* For Vim version 7.2. Last change: 2010 Mar 23
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
7 This file describes commands that delete or change text. In this context,
8 changing text means deleting the text and replacing it with other text using
9 one command. You can undo all of these commands. You can repeat the non-Ex
10 commands with the "." command.
12 1. Deleting text |deleting|
13 2. Delete and insert |delete-insert|
14 3. Simple changes |simple-change| *changing*
15 4. Complex changes |complex-change|
16 4.1 Filter commands |filter|
17 4.2 Substitute |:substitute|
18 4.3 Search and replace |search-replace|
19 4.4 Changing tabs |change-tabs|
20 5. Copying and moving text |copy-move|
21 6. Formatting text |formatting|
22 7. Sorting text |sorting|
24 For inserting text see |insert.txt|.
26 ==============================================================================
27 1. Deleting text *deleting* *E470*
29 ["x]<Del> or *<Del>* *x* *dl*
30 ["x]x Delete [count] characters under and after the cursor
31 [into register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as
33 The <Del> key does not take a [count]. Instead, it
34 deletes the last character of the count.
35 See |:fixdel| if the <Del> key does not do what you
36 want. See |'whichwrap'| for deleting a line break
37 (join lines). {Vi does not support <Del>}
40 ["x]X Delete [count] characters before the cursor [into
41 register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as "dh".
42 Also see |'whichwrap'|.
45 ["x]d{motion} Delete text that {motion} moves over [into register
46 x]. See below for exceptions.
49 ["x]dd Delete [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
52 ["x]D Delete the characters under the cursor until the end
53 of the line and [count]-1 more lines [into register
56 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
59 {Visual}["x]x or *v_x* *v_d* *v_<Del>*
61 {Visual}["x]<Del> Delete the highlighted text [into register x] (for
62 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
64 {Visual}["x]CTRL-H or *v_CTRL-H* *v_<BS>*
65 {Visual}["x]<BS> When in Select mode: Delete the highlighted text [into
68 {Visual}["x]X or *v_X* *v_D* *v_b_D*
69 {Visual}["x]D Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
70 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). In Visual block mode,
71 "D" deletes the highlighted text plus all text until
72 the end of the line. {not in Vi}
74 *:d* *:de* *:del* *:delete*
75 :[range]d[elete] [x] Delete [range] lines (default: current line) [into
78 :[range]d[elete] [x] {count}
79 Delete {count} lines, starting with [range]
80 (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|) [into
83 These commands delete text. You can repeat them with the "." command
84 (except ":d") and undo them. Use Visual mode to delete blocks of text. See
85 |registers| for an explanation of registers.
87 An exception for the d{motion} command: If the motion is not linewise, the
88 start and end of the motion are not in the same line, and there are only
89 blanks before the start and after the end of the motion, the delete becomes
90 linewise. This means that the delete also removes the line of blanks that you
91 might expect to remain.
93 Trying to delete an empty region of text (e.g., "d0" in the first column)
94 is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag.
97 J Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
98 Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces (see
102 {Visual}J Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
103 lines. Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces
104 (see below). {not in Vi}
107 gJ Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
108 Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in Vi}
111 {Visual}gJ Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
112 lines. Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in
116 :[range]j[oin][!] [flags]
117 Join [range] lines. Same as "J", except with [!]
118 the join does not insert or delete any spaces.
119 If a [range] has equal start and end values, this
120 command does nothing. The default behavior is to
121 join the current line with the line below it.
123 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
125 :[range]j[oin][!] {count} [flags]
126 Join {count} lines, starting with [range] (default:
127 current line |cmdline-ranges|). Same as "J", except
128 with [!] the join does not insert or delete any
131 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
133 These commands delete the <EOL> between lines. This has the effect of joining
134 multiple lines into one line. You can repeat these commands (except ":j") and
137 These commands, except "gJ", insert one space in place of the <EOL> unless
138 there is trailing white space or the next line starts with a ')'. These
139 commands, except "gJ", delete any leading white space on the next line. If
140 the 'joinspaces' option is on, these commands insert two spaces after a '.',
141 '!' or '?' (but if 'cpoptions' includes the 'j' flag, they insert two spaces
143 The 'B' and 'M' flags in 'formatoptions' change the behavior for inserting
144 spaces before and after a multi-byte character |fo-table|.
147 ==============================================================================
148 2. Delete and insert *delete-insert* *replacing*
151 R Enter Replace mode: Each character you type replaces
152 an existing character, starting with the character
153 under the cursor. Repeat the entered text [count]-1
154 times. See |Replace-mode| for more details.
157 gR Enter Virtual Replace mode: Each character you type
158 replaces existing characters in screen space. So a
159 <Tab> may replace several characters at once.
160 Repeat the entered text [count]-1 times. See
161 |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more details.
162 {not available when compiled without the +vreplace
166 ["x]c{motion} Delete {motion} text [into register x] and start
167 insert. When 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag and
168 there is no text to delete (e.g., with "cTx" when the
169 cursor is just after an 'x'), an error occurs and
170 insert mode does not start (this is Vi compatible).
171 When 'cpoptions' does not include the 'E' flag, the
172 "c" command always starts insert mode, even if there
173 is no text to delete.
176 ["x]cc Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
177 insert |linewise|. If 'autoindent' is on, preserve
178 the indent of the first line.
181 ["x]C Delete from the cursor position to the end of the
182 line and [count]-1 more lines [into register x], and
183 start insert. Synonym for c$ (not |linewise|).
186 ["x]s Delete [count] characters [into register x] and start
187 insert (s stands for Substitute). Synonym for "cl"
191 ["x]S Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
192 insert. Synonym for "cc" |linewise|.
194 {Visual}["x]c or *v_c* *v_s*
195 {Visual}["x]s Delete the highlighted text [into register x] and
196 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
200 {Visual}["x]r{char} Replace all selected characters by {char}.
203 {Visual}["x]C Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
204 start insert. In Visual block mode it works
205 differently |v_b_C|. {not in Vi}
207 {Visual}["x]S Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
208 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
211 {Visual}["x]R Currently just like {Visual}["x]S. In a next version
212 it might work differently. {not in Vi}
215 - You can end Insert and Replace mode with <Esc>.
216 - See the section "Insert and Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl| for the other
217 special characters in these modes.
218 - The effect of [count] takes place after Vim exits Insert or Replace mode.
219 - When the 'cpoptions' option contains '$' and the change is within one line,
220 Vim continues to show the text to be deleted and puts a '$' at the last
223 See |registers| for an explanation of registers.
225 Replace mode is just like Insert mode, except that every character you enter
226 deletes one character. If you reach the end of a line, Vim appends any
227 further characters (just like Insert mode). In Replace mode, the backspace
228 key restores the original text (if there was any). (See section "Insert and
229 Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl|).
232 Special case: When the cursor is in a word, "cw" and "cW" do not include the
233 white space after a word, they only change up to the end of the word. This is
234 because Vim interprets "cw" as change-word, and a word does not include the
235 following white space.
236 {Vi: "cw" when on a blank followed by other blanks changes only the first
237 blank; this is probably a bug, because "dw" deletes all the blanks; use the
238 'w' flag in 'cpoptions' to make it work like Vi anyway}
240 If you prefer "cw" to include the space after a word, use this mapping: >
242 Or use "caw" (see |aw|).
245 :{range}c[hange][!] Replace lines of text with some different text.
246 Type a line containing only "." to stop replacing.
247 Without {range}, this command changes only the current
249 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
252 ==============================================================================
253 3. Simple changes *simple-change*
256 r{char} Replace the character under the cursor with {char}.
257 If {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, a line break replaces the
258 character. To replace with a real <CR>, use CTRL-V
259 <CR>. CTRL-V <NL> replaces with a <Nul>.
260 {Vi: CTRL-V <CR> still replaces with a line break,
261 cannot replace something with a <CR>}
262 If you give a [count], Vim replaces [count] characters
263 with [count] {char}s. When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>,
264 however, Vim inserts only one <CR>: "5r<CR>" replaces
265 five characters with a single line break.
266 When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, Vim performs
267 autoindenting. This works just like deleting the
268 characters that are replaced and then doing
270 {char} can be entered as a digraph |digraph-arg|.
271 |:lmap| mappings apply to {char}. The CTRL-^ command
272 in Insert mode can be used to switch this on/off
273 |i_CTRL-^|. See |utf-8-char-arg| about using
274 composing characters when 'encoding' is Unicode.
277 gr{char} Replace the virtual characters under the cursor with
278 {char}. This replaces in screen space, not file
279 space. See |gR| and |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more
280 details. As with |r| a count may be given.
281 {char} can be entered like with |r|.
282 {not available when compiled without the +vreplace
286 The argument for Normal mode commands like |r| and |t| is a single character.
287 When 'cpo' doesn't contain the 'D' flag, this character can also be entered
288 like |digraphs|. First type CTRL-K and then the two digraph characters.
289 {not available when compiled without the |+digraphs| feature}
292 The following commands change the case of letters. The currently active
293 |locale| is used. See |:language|. The LC_CTYPE value matters here.
296 ~ 'notildeop' option: Switch case of the character
297 under the cursor and move the cursor to the right.
298 If a [count] is given, do that many characters. {Vi:
301 ~{motion} 'tildeop' option: switch case of {motion} text. {Vi:
302 tilde cannot be used as an operator}
305 g~{motion} Switch case of {motion} text. {not in Vi}
308 g~~ Switch case of current line. {not in Vi}.
311 {Visual}~ Switch case of highlighted text (for {Visual} see
312 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
315 {Visual}U Make highlighted text uppercase (for {Visual} see
316 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
319 gU{motion} Make {motion} text uppercase. {not in Vi}
321 :map! <C-F> <Esc>gUiw`]a
322 < This works in Insert mode: press CTRL-F to make the
323 word before the cursor uppercase. Handy to type
324 words in lowercase and then make them uppercase.
328 gUU Make current line uppercase. {not in Vi}.
331 {Visual}u Make highlighted text lowercase (for {Visual} see
332 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
335 gu{motion} Make {motion} text lowercase. {not in Vi}
338 guu Make current line lowercase. {not in Vi}.
341 g?{motion} Rot13 encode {motion} text. {not in Vi}
344 {Visual}g? Rot13 encode the highlighted text (for {Visual} see
345 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
348 g?? Rot13 encode current line. {not in Vi}.
350 To turn one line into title caps, make every first letter of a word
352 :s/\v<(.)(\w*)/\u\1\L\2/g
355 Adding and subtracting ~
357 CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character at
358 or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
361 CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
362 character at or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
364 The CTRL-A and CTRL-X commands work for (signed) decimal numbers, unsigned
365 octal and hexadecimal numbers and alphabetic characters. This depends on the
367 - When 'nrformats' includes "octal", Vim considers numbers starting with a '0'
368 to be octal, unless the number includes a '8' or '9'. Other numbers are
369 decimal and may have a preceding minus sign.
370 If the cursor is on a number, the commands apply to that number; otherwise
371 Vim uses the number to the right of the cursor.
372 - When 'nrformats' includes "hex", Vim assumes numbers starting with '0x' or
373 '0X' are hexadecimal. The case of the rightmost letter in the number
374 determines the case of the resulting hexadecimal number. If there is no
375 letter in the current number, Vim uses the previously detected case.
376 - When 'nrformats' includes "alpha", Vim will change the alphabetic character
377 under or after the cursor. This is useful to make lists with an alphabetic
380 For numbers with leading zeros (including all octal and hexadecimal numbers),
381 Vim preserves the number of characters in the number when possible. CTRL-A on
382 "0077" results in "0100", CTRL-X on "0x100" results in "0x0ff".
383 There is one exception: When a number that starts with a zero is found not to
384 be octal (it contains a '8' or '9'), but 'nrformats' does include "octal",
385 leading zeros are removed to avoid that the result may be recognized as an
388 Note that when 'nrformats' includes "octal", decimal numbers with leading
389 zeros cause mistakes, because they can be confused with octal numbers.
391 The CTRL-A command is very useful in a macro. Example: Use the following
392 steps to make a numbered list.
394 1. Create the first list entry, make sure it starts with a number.
395 2. qa - start recording into register 'a'
396 3. Y - yank the entry
397 4. p - put a copy of the entry below the first one
398 5. CTRL-A - increment the number
399 6. q - stop recording
400 7. <count>@a - repeat the yank, put and increment <count> times
403 SHIFTING LINES LEFT OR RIGHT *shift-left-right*
406 <{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
409 << Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
412 {Visual}[count]< Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
413 leftwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
417 >{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
420 >> Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
423 {Visual}[count]> Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
424 rightwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
428 :[range]< Shift [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' left. Repeat '<'
429 for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
431 :[range]< {count} Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' left, starting
432 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
433 Repeat '<' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
435 :[range]le[ft] [indent] left align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
436 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
439 :[range]> [flags] Shift {count} [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' right.
440 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
441 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
443 :[range]> {count} [flags]
444 Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' right, starting
445 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
446 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
447 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
449 The ">" and "<" commands are handy for changing the indentation within
450 programs. Use the 'shiftwidth' option to set the size of the white space
451 which these commands insert or delete. Normally the 'shiftwidth' option is 8,
452 but you can set it to, say, 3 to make smaller indents. The shift leftwards
453 stops when there is no indent. The shift right does not affect empty lines.
455 If the 'shiftround' option is on, the indent is rounded to a multiple of
458 If the 'smartindent' option is on, or 'cindent' is on and 'cinkeys' contains
459 '#', shift right does not affect lines starting with '#' (these are supposed
460 to be C preprocessor lines that must stay in column 1).
462 When the 'expandtab' option is off (this is the default) Vim uses <Tab>s as
463 much as possible to make the indent. You can use ">><<" to replace an indent
464 made out of spaces with the same indent made out of <Tab>s (and a few spaces
465 if necessary). If the 'expandtab' option is on, Vim uses only spaces. Then
466 you can use ">><<" to replace <Tab>s in the indent by spaces (or use
469 To move a line several 'shiftwidth's, use Visual mode or the ":" commands.
471 Vjj4> move three lines 4 indents to the right
472 :<<< move current line 3 indents to the left
473 :>> 5 move 5 lines 2 indents to the right
474 :5>> move line 5 2 indents to the right
476 ==============================================================================
477 4. Complex changes *complex-change*
479 4.1 Filter commands *filter*
481 A filter is a program that accepts text at standard input, changes it in some
482 way, and sends it to standard output. You can use the commands below to send
483 some text through a filter, so that it is replaced by the filter output.
484 Examples of filters are "sort", which sorts lines alphabetically, and
485 "indent", which formats C program files (you need a version of indent that
486 works like a filter; not all versions do). The 'shell' option specifies the
487 shell Vim uses to execute the filter command (See also the 'shelltype'
488 option). You can repeat filter commands with ".". Vim does not recognize a
489 comment (starting with '"') after the ":!" command.
492 !{motion}{filter} Filter {motion} text lines through the external
496 !!{filter} Filter [count] lines through the external program
500 {Visual}!{filter} Filter the highlighted lines through the external
501 program {filter} (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
504 :{range}![!]{filter} [!][arg] *:range!*
505 Filter {range} lines through the external program
506 {filter}. Vim replaces the optional bangs with the
507 latest given command and appends the optional [arg].
508 Vim saves the output of the filter command in a
509 temporary file and then reads the file into the buffer
510 |tempfile|. Vim uses the 'shellredir' option to
511 redirect the filter output to the temporary file.
512 However, if the 'shelltemp' option is off then pipes
513 are used when possible (on Unix).
514 When the 'R' flag is included in 'cpoptions' marks in
515 the filtered lines are deleted, unless the
516 |:keepmarks| command is used. Example: >
517 :keepmarks '<,'>!sort
518 < When the number of lines after filtering is less than
519 before, marks in the missing lines are deleted anyway.
522 ={motion} Filter {motion} lines through the external program
523 given with the 'equalprg' option. When the 'equalprg'
524 option is empty (this is the default), use the
525 internal formatting function |C-indenting|. But when
526 'indentexpr' is not empty, it will be used instead
527 |indent-expression|. When Vim was compiled without
528 internal formatting then the "indent" program is used
532 == Filter [count] lines like with ={motion}.
535 {Visual}= Filter the highlighted lines like with ={motion}.
540 Vim uses temporary files for filtering, generating diffs and also for
541 tempname(). For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
542 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems (e.g., a symlink
543 attack or other people reading your file). When Vim exits the directory and
544 all files in it are deleted. When Vim has the setuid bit set this may cause
545 problems, the temp file is owned by the setuid user but the filter command
546 probably runs as the original user.
547 On MS-DOS and OS/2 the first of these directories that works is used: $TMP,
548 $TEMP, c:\TMP, c:\TEMP.
549 For Unix the list of directories is: $TMPDIR, /tmp, current-dir, $HOME.
550 For MS-Windows the GetTempFileName() system function is used.
551 For other systems the tmpnam() library function is used.
555 4.2 Substitute *:substitute*
557 :[range]s[ubstitute]/{pattern}/{string}/[flags] [count]
558 For each line in [range] replace a match of {pattern}
560 For the {pattern} see |pattern|.
561 {string} can be a literal string, or something
562 special; see |sub-replace-special|.
563 When [range] and [count] are omitted, replace in the
565 When [count] is given, replace in [count] lines,
566 starting with the last line in [range]. When [range]
567 is omitted start in the current line.
568 Also see |cmdline-ranges|.
569 See |:s_flags| for [flags].
571 :[range]s[ubstitute] [flags] [count]
572 :[range]&[&][flags] [count] *:&*
573 Repeat last :substitute with same search pattern and
574 substitute string, but without the same flags. You
575 may add [flags], see |:s_flags|.
576 Note that after ":substitute" the '&' flag can't be
577 used, it's recognized as a pattern separator.
578 The space between ":substitute" and the 'c', 'g' and
579 'r' flags isn't required, but in scripts it's a good
580 idea to keep it to avoid confusion.
582 :[range]~[&][flags] [count] *:~*
583 Repeat last substitute with same substitute string
584 but with last used search pattern. This is like
585 ":&r". See |:s_flags| for [flags].
588 & Synonym for ":s" (repeat last substitute). Note
589 that the flags are not remembered, thus it might
590 actually work differently. You can use ":&&" to keep
594 g& Synonym for ":%s//~/&" (repeat last substitute on all
595 lines with the same flags).
596 Mnemonic: global substitute. {not in Vi}
599 :[range]sno[magic] ... Same as ":substitute", but always use 'nomagic'.
603 :[range]sm[agic] ... Same as ":substitute", but always use 'magic'.
607 The flags that you can use for the substitute commands:
609 [&] Must be the first one: Keep the flags from the previous substitute
613 < Note that ":s" and ":&" don't keep the flags.
616 [c] Confirm each substitution. Vim highlights the matching string (with
617 |hl-IncSearch|). You can type: *:s_c*
618 'y' to substitute this match
619 'l' to substitute this match and then quit ("last")
620 'n' to skip this match
621 <Esc> to quit substituting
622 'a' to substitute this and all remaining matches {not in Vi}
623 'q' to quit substituting {not in Vi}
624 CTRL-E to scroll the screen up {not in Vi, not available when
625 compiled without the +insert_expand feature}
626 CTRL-Y to scroll the screen down {not in Vi, not available when
627 compiled without the +insert_expand feature}
628 If the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers the [c] flag and
629 toggles it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new
631 {not in Vi: highlighting of the match, other responses than 'y' or 'n'}
633 [e] When the search pattern fails, do not issue an error message and, in
634 particular, continue in maps as if no error occurred. This is most
635 useful to prevent the "No match" error from breaking a mapping. Vim
636 does not suppress the following error messages, however:
637 Regular expressions can't be delimited by letters
638 \ should be followed by /, ? or &
639 No previous substitute regular expression
644 [g] Replace all occurrences in the line. Without this argument,
645 replacement occurs only for the first occurrence in each line. If
646 the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers this flag and toggles
647 it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new search
648 pattern. If the 'gdefault' option is on, this flag is on by default
649 and the [g] argument switches it off.
651 [i] Ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' options
655 [I] Don't ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase'
656 options are not used.
659 [n] Report the number of matches, do not actually substitute. The [c]
660 flag is ignored. The matches are reported as if 'report' is zero.
661 Useful to |count-items|.
663 [p] Print the line containing the last substitute.
665 [#] Like [p] and prepend the line number.
667 [l] Like [p] but print the text like |:list|.
669 [r] Only useful in combination with ":&" or ":s" without arguments. ":&r"
670 works the same way as ":~": When the search pattern is empty, use the
671 previously used search pattern instead of the search pattern from the
672 last substitute or ":global". If the last command that did a search
673 was a substitute or ":global", there is no effect. If the last
674 command was a search command such as "/", use the pattern from that
676 For ":s" with an argument this already happens: >
679 :s//red/ or :~ or :&r
680 < The last commands will replace "green" with "red". >
684 < The last command will replace "blue" with "red".
687 Note that there is no flag to change the "magicness" of the pattern. A
688 different command is used instead, or you can use |/\v| and friends. The
689 reason is that the flags can only be found by skipping the pattern, and in
690 order to skip the pattern the "magicness" must be known. Catch 22!
692 If the {pattern} for the substitute command is empty, the command uses the
693 pattern from the last substitute or ":global" command. With the [r] flag, the
694 command uses the pattern from the last substitute, ":global", or search
697 If the {string} is omitted the substitute is done as if it's empty. Thus the
698 matched pattern is deleted. The separator after {pattern} can also be left
701 This deletes "TESTING" from all lines, but only one per line.
703 For compatibility with Vi these two exceptions are allowed:
704 "\/{string}/" and "\?{string}?" do the same as "//{string}/r".
705 "\&{string}&" does the same as "//{string}/".
707 Instead of the '/' which surrounds the pattern and replacement string, you
708 can use any other single-byte character, but not an alphanumeric character,
709 '\', '"' or '|'. This is useful if you want to include a '/' in the search
710 pattern or replacement string. Example: >
713 For the definition of a pattern, see |pattern|. In Visual block mode, use
714 |/\%V| in the pattern to have the substitute work in the block only.
715 Otherwise it works on whole lines anyway.
717 *sub-replace-special* *:s\=*
718 When the {string} starts with "\=" it is evaluated as an expression, see
719 |sub-replace-expression|. You can use that for any special characters.
720 Otherwise these characters in {string} have a special meaning:
722 When {string} is equal to "%" and '/' is included with the 'cpoptions' option,
723 then the {string} of the previous substitute command is used. |cpo-/|
725 magic nomagic action ~
726 & \& replaced with the whole matched pattern *s/\&*
728 \0 replaced with the whole matched pattern *\0* *s/\0*
729 \1 replaced with the matched pattern in the first
731 \2 replaced with the matched pattern in the second
734 \9 replaced with the matched pattern in the ninth
736 ~ \~ replaced with the {string} of the previous
738 \~ ~ replaced with ~ *s/\~*
739 \u next character made uppercase *s/\u*
740 \U following characters made uppercase, until \E *s/\U*
741 \l next character made lowercase *s/\l*
742 \L following characters made lowercase, until \E *s/\L*
743 \e end of \u, \U, \l and \L (NOTE: not <Esc>!) *s/\e*
744 \E end of \u, \U, \l and \L *s/\E*
745 <CR> split line in two at this point
746 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s<CR>*
748 \<CR> insert a carriage-return (CTRL-M)
749 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s/\<CR>*
750 \n insert a <NL> (<NUL> in the file)
751 (does NOT break the line) *s/\n*
752 \b insert a <BS> *s/\b*
753 \t insert a <Tab> *s/\t*
754 \\ insert a single backslash *s/\\*
755 \x where x is any character not mentioned above:
756 Reserved for future expansion
759 :s/a\|b/xxx\0xxx/g modifies "a b" to "xxxaxxx xxxbxxx"
760 :s/\([abc]\)\([efg]\)/\2\1/g modifies "af fa bg" to "fa fa gb"
761 :s/abcde/abc^Mde/ modifies "abcde" to "abc", "de" (two lines)
762 :s/$/\^M/ modifies "abcde" to "abcde^M"
763 :s/\w\+/\u\0/g modifies "bla bla" to "Bla Bla"
765 Note: In previous versions CTRL-V was handled in a special way. Since this is
766 not Vi compatible, this was removed. Use a backslash instead.
768 command text result ~
769 :s/aa/a^Ma/ aa a<line-break>a
771 :s/aa/a\\^Ma/ aa a\<line-break>a
773 (you need to type CTRL-V <CR> to get a ^M here)
775 The numbering of "\1", "\2" etc. is done based on which "\(" comes first in
776 the pattern (going left to right). When a parentheses group matches several
777 times, the last one will be used for "\1", "\2", etc. Example: >
778 :s/\(\(a[a-d] \)*\)/\2/ modifies "aa ab x" to "ab x"
780 When using parentheses in combination with '|', like in \([ab]\)\|\([cd]\),
781 either the first or second pattern in parentheses did not match, so either
782 \1 or \2 is empty. Example: >
783 :s/\([ab]\)\|\([cd]\)/\1x/g modifies "a b c d" to "ax bx x x"
786 Substitute with an expression *sub-replace-expression*
788 When the substitute string starts with "\=" the remainder is interpreted as an
789 expression. This does not work recursively: a substitute() function inside
790 the expression cannot use "\=" for the substitute string.
792 The special meaning for characters as mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does
793 not apply except for "<CR>", "\<CR>" and "\\". Thus in the result of the
794 expression you need to use two backslashes to get one, put a backslash before a
795 <CR> you want to insert, and use a <CR> without a backslash where you want to
798 For convenience a <NL> character is also used as a line break. Prepend a
799 backslash to get a real <NL> character (which will be a NUL in the file).
801 When the result is a |List| then the items are joined with separating line
802 breaks. Thus each item becomes a line, except that they can contain line
805 The whole matched text can be accessed with "submatch(0)". The text matched
806 with the first pair of () with "submatch(1)". Likewise for further
809 Be careful: The separation character must not appear in the expression!
810 Consider using a character like "@" or ":". There is no problem if the result
811 of the expression contains the separation character.
814 :s@\n@\="\r" . expand("$HOME") . "\r"@
815 This replaces an end-of-line with a new line containing the value of $HOME. >
817 s/E/\="\<Char-0x20ac>"/g
818 This replaces each 'E' character with a euro sign. Read more in |<Char->|.
821 4.3 Search and replace *search-replace*
824 :promptf[ind] [string]
825 Put up a Search dialog. When [string] is given, it is
826 used as the initial search string.
827 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
829 *:promptr* *:promptrepl*
830 :promptr[epl] [string]
831 Put up a Search/Replace dialog. When [string] is
832 given, it is used as the initial search string.
833 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
836 4.4 Changing tabs *change-tabs*
838 :[range]ret[ab][!] [new_tabstop]
839 Replace all sequences of white-space containing a
840 <Tab> with new strings of white-space using the new
841 tabstop value given. If you do not specify a new
842 tabstop size or it is zero, Vim uses the current value
844 The current value of 'tabstop' is always used to
845 compute the width of existing tabs.
846 With !, Vim also replaces strings of only normal
847 spaces with tabs where appropriate.
848 With 'expandtab' on, Vim replaces all tabs with the
849 appropriate number of spaces.
850 This command sets 'tabstop' to the new value given,
851 and if performed on the whole file, which is default,
852 should not make any visible change.
853 Careful: This command modifies any <Tab> characters
854 inside of strings in a C program. Use "\t" to avoid
855 this (that's a good habit anyway).
856 ":retab!" may also change a sequence of spaces by
857 <Tab> characters, which can mess up a printf().
859 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
863 Example for using autocommands and ":retab" to edit a file which is stored
864 with tabstops at 8 but edited with tabstops set at 4. Warning: white space
865 inside of strings can change! Also see 'softtabstop' option. >
867 :auto BufReadPost *.xx retab! 4
868 :auto BufWritePre *.xx retab! 8
869 :auto BufWritePost *.xx retab! 4
870 :auto BufNewFile *.xx set ts=4
872 ==============================================================================
873 5. Copying and moving text *copy-move*
876 "{a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} Use register {a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} for next delete, yank
877 or put (use uppercase character to append with
878 delete and yank) ({.%#:} only work with put).
881 :reg[isters] Display the contents of all numbered and named
882 registers. If a register is written to for |:redir|
883 it will not be listed.
887 :reg[isters] {arg} Display the contents of the numbered and named
888 registers that are mentioned in {arg}. For example: >
890 < to display registers '1' and 'a'. Spaces are allowed
891 in {arg}. {not in Vi}
894 :di[splay] [arg] Same as :registers. {not in Vi}
897 ["x]y{motion} Yank {motion} text [into register x]. When no
898 characters are to be yanked (e.g., "y0" in column 1),
899 this is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E'
903 ["x]yy Yank [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
906 ["x]Y yank [count] lines [into register x] (synonym for
907 yy, |linewise|). If you like "Y" to work from the
908 cursor to the end of line (which is more logical,
909 but not Vi-compatible) use ":map Y y$".
912 {Visual}["x]y Yank the highlighted text [into register x] (for
913 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
916 {Visual}["x]Y Yank the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
917 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
920 :[range]y[ank] [x] Yank [range] lines [into register x].
922 :[range]y[ank] [x] {count}
923 Yank {count} lines, starting with last line number
924 in [range] (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|),
928 ["x]p Put the text [from register x] after the cursor
929 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
932 ["x]P Put the text [from register x] before the cursor
933 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
936 ["x]<MiddleMouse> Put the text from a register before the cursor [count]
937 times. Uses the "* register, unless another is
939 Leaves the cursor at the end of the new text.
940 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
943 If you have a scrollwheel and often accidentally paste
944 text, you can use these mappings to disable the
945 pasting with the middle mouse button: >
946 :map <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
947 :imap <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
948 < You might want to disable the multi-click versions
949 too, see |double-click|.
952 ["x]gp Just like "p", but leave the cursor just after the new
956 ["x]gP Just like "P", but leave the cursor just after the new
960 :[line]pu[t] [x] Put the text [from register x] after [line] (default
961 current line). This always works |linewise|, thus
962 this command can be used to put a yanked block as new
964 The cursor is left on the first non-blank in the last
966 The register can also be '=' followed by an optional
967 expression. The expression continues until the end of
968 the command. You need to escape the '|' and '"'
969 characters to prevent them from terminating the
971 :put ='path' . \",/test\"
972 < If there is no expression after '=', Vim uses the
973 previous expression. You can see it with ":dis =".
975 :[line]pu[t]! [x] Put the text [from register x] before [line] (default
978 ["x]]p or *]p* *]<MiddleMouse>*
979 ["x]]<MiddleMouse> Like "p", but adjust the indent to the current line.
980 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
985 ["x][p or *[p* *[<MiddleMouse>*
986 ["x][<MiddleMouse> Like "P", but adjust the indent to the current line.
987 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
990 You can use these commands to copy text from one place to another. Do this
991 by first getting the text into a register with a yank, delete or change
992 command, then inserting the register contents with a put command. You can
993 also use these commands to move text from one file to another, because Vim
994 preserves all registers when changing buffers (the CTRL-^ command is a quick
995 way to toggle between two files).
997 *linewise-register* *characterwise-register*
998 You can repeat the put commands with "." (except for :put) and undo them. If
999 the command that was used to get the text into the register was |linewise|,
1000 Vim inserts the text below ("p") or above ("P") the line where the cursor is.
1001 Otherwise Vim inserts the text after ("p") or before ("P") the cursor. With
1002 the ":put" command, Vim always inserts the text in the next line. You can
1003 exchange two characters with the command sequence "xp". You can exchange two
1004 lines with the command sequence "ddp". You can exchange two words with the
1005 command sequence "deep" (start with the cursor in the blank space before the
1006 first word). You can use the "']" or "`]" command after the put command to
1007 move the cursor to the end of the inserted text, or use "'[" or "`[" to move
1008 the cursor to the start.
1010 *put-Visual-mode* *v_p* *v_P*
1011 When using a put command like |p| or |P| in Visual mode, Vim will try to
1012 replace the selected text with the contents of the register. Whether this
1013 works well depends on the type of selection and the type of the text in the
1014 register. With blockwise selection it also depends on the size of the block
1015 and whether the corners are on an existing character. (Implementation detail:
1016 it actually works by first putting the register after the selection and then
1017 deleting the selection.)
1018 The previously selected text is put in the unnamed register. If you want to
1019 put the same text into a Visual selection several times you need to use
1020 another register. E.g., yank the text to copy, Visually select the text to
1021 replace and use "0p . You can repeat this as many times as you like, the
1022 unnamed register will be changed each time.
1024 *blockwise-register*
1025 If you use a blockwise Visual mode command to get the text into the register,
1026 the block of text will be inserted before ("P") or after ("p") the cursor
1027 column in the current and next lines. Vim makes the whole block of text start
1028 in the same column. Thus the inserted text looks the same as when it was
1029 yanked or deleted. Vim may replace some <Tab> characters with spaces to make
1030 this happen. However, if the width of the block is not a multiple of a <Tab>
1031 width and the text after the inserted block contains <Tab>s, that text may be
1034 Note that after a characterwise yank command, Vim leaves the cursor on the
1035 first yanked character that is closest to the start of the buffer. This means
1036 that "yl" doesn't move the cursor, but "yh" moves the cursor one character
1038 Rationale: In Vi the "y" command followed by a backwards motion would
1039 sometimes not move the cursor to the first yanked character,
1040 because redisplaying was skipped. In Vim it always moves to
1041 the first character, as specified by Posix.
1042 With a linewise yank command the cursor is put in the first line, but the
1043 column is unmodified, thus it may not be on the first yanked character.
1045 There are nine types of registers: *registers* *E354*
1046 1. The unnamed register ""
1047 2. 10 numbered registers "0 to "9
1048 3. The small delete register "-
1049 4. 26 named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z
1050 5. four read-only registers ":, "., "% and "#
1051 6. the expression register "=
1052 7. The selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
1053 8. The black hole register "_
1054 9. Last search pattern register "/
1056 1. Unnamed register "" *quote_quote* *quotequote*
1057 Vim fills this register with text deleted with the "d", "c", "s", "x" commands
1058 or copied with the yank "y" command, regardless of whether or not a specific
1059 register was used (e.g. "xdd). This is like the unnamed register is pointing
1060 to the last used register. Thus when appending using an uppercase register
1061 name, the unnamed register contains the same text as the named register.
1062 An exception is the '_' register: "_dd does not store the deleted text in any
1064 Vim uses the contents of the unnamed register for any put command (p or P)
1065 which does not specify a register. Additionally you can access it with the
1066 name '"'. This means you have to type two double quotes. Writing to the ""
1067 register writes to register "0.
1068 {Vi: register contents are lost when changing files, no '"'}
1070 2. Numbered registers "0 to "9 *quote_number* *quote0* *quote1*
1071 *quote2* *quote3* *quote4* *quote9*
1072 Vim fills these registers with text from yank and delete commands.
1073 Numbered register 0 contains the text from the most recent yank command,
1074 unless the command specified another register with ["x].
1075 Numbered register 1 contains the text deleted by the most recent delete or
1076 change command, unless the command specified another register or the text is
1077 less than one line (the small delete register is used then). An exception is
1078 made for the delete operator with these movement commands: |%|, |(|, |)|, |`|,
1079 |/|, |?|, |n|, |N|, |{| and |}|. Register "1 is always used then (this is Vi
1080 compatible). The "- register is used as well if the delete is within a line.
1081 With each successive deletion or change, Vim shifts the previous contents
1082 of register 1 into register 2, 2 into 3, and so forth, losing the previous
1083 contents of register 9.
1084 {Vi: numbered register contents are lost when changing files; register 0 does
1087 3. Small delete register "- *quote_-* *quote-*
1088 This register contains text from commands that delete less than one line,
1089 except when the command specifies a register with ["x].
1092 4. Named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z *quote_alpha* *quotea*
1093 Vim fills these registers only when you say so. Specify them as lowercase
1094 letters to replace their previous contents or as uppercase letters to append
1095 to their previous contents. When the '>' flag is present in 'cpoptions' then
1096 a line break is inserted before the appended text.
1098 5. Read-only registers ":, "., "% and "#
1099 These are '%', '#', ':' and '.'. You can use them only with the "p", "P",
1100 and ":put" commands and with CTRL-R. {not in Vi}
1101 *quote_.* *quote.* *E29*
1102 ". Contains the last inserted text (the same as what is inserted
1103 with the insert mode commands CTRL-A and CTRL-@). Note: this
1104 doesn't work with CTRL-R on the command-line. It works a bit
1105 differently, like inserting the text instead of putting it
1106 ('textwidth' and other options affect what is inserted).
1108 "% Contains the name of the current file.
1110 "# Contains the name of the alternate file.
1111 *quote_:* *quote:* *E30*
1112 ": Contains the most recent executed command-line. Example: Use
1113 "@:" to repeat the previous command-line command.
1114 The command-line is only stored in this register when at least
1115 one character of it was typed. Thus it remains unchanged if
1116 the command was completely from a mapping.
1117 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
1120 6. Expression register "= *quote_=* *quote=* *@=*
1121 This is not really a register that stores text, but is a way to use an
1122 expression in commands which use a register. The expression register is
1123 read-only; you cannot put text into it. After the '=', the cursor moves to
1124 the command-line, where you can enter any expression (see |expression|). All
1125 normal command-line editing commands are available, including a special
1126 history for expressions. When you end the command-line by typing <CR>, Vim
1127 computes the result of the expression. If you end it with <Esc>, Vim abandons
1128 the expression. If you do not enter an expression, Vim uses the previous
1129 expression (like with the "/" command).
1131 The expression must evaluate to a String. A Number is always automatically
1132 converted to a String. For the "p" and ":put" command, if the result is a
1133 Float it's converted into a String. If the result is a List each element is
1134 turned into a String and used as a line. A Dictionary or FuncRef results in
1135 an error message (use string() to convert).
1137 If the "= register is used for the "p" command, the String is split up at <NL>
1138 characters. If the String ends in a <NL>, it is regarded as a linewise
1139 register. {not in Vi}
1141 7. Selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
1142 Use these register for storing and retrieving the selected text for the GUI.
1143 See |quotestar| and |quoteplus|. When the clipboard is not available or not
1144 working, the unnamed register is used instead. For Unix systems the clipboard
1145 is only available when the |+xterm_clipboard| feature is present. {not in Vi}
1147 Note that there is only a distinction between "* and "+ for X11 systems. For
1148 an explanation of the difference, see |x11-selection|. Under MS-Windows, use
1149 of "* and "+ is actually synonymous and refers to the |gui-clipboard|.
1151 *quote_~* *quote~* *<Drop>*
1152 The read-only "~ register stores the dropped text from the last drag'n'drop
1153 operation. When something has been dropped onto Vim, the "~ register is
1154 filled in and the <Drop> pseudo key is sent for notification. You can remap
1155 this key if you want; the default action (for all modes) is to insert the
1156 contents of the "~ register at the cursor position. {not in Vi}
1157 {only available when compiled with the |+dnd| feature, currently only with the
1160 Note: The "~ register is only used when dropping plain text onto Vim.
1161 Drag'n'drop of URI lists is handled internally.
1163 8. Black hole register "_ *quote_*
1164 When writing to this register, nothing happens. This can be used to delete
1165 text without affecting the normal registers. When reading from this register,
1166 nothing is returned. {not in Vi}
1168 9. Last search pattern register "/ *quote_/* *quote/*
1169 Contains the most recent search-pattern. This is used for "n" and 'hlsearch'.
1170 It is writable with ":let", you can change it to have 'hlsearch' highlight
1171 other matches without actually searching. You can't yank or delete into this
1172 register. The search direction is available in |v:searchforward|.
1173 Note that the valued is restored when returning from a function
1174 |function-search-undo|.
1178 You can write to a register with a ":let" command |:let-@|. Example: >
1181 If you use a put command without specifying a register, Vim uses the register
1182 that was last filled (this is also the contents of the unnamed register). If
1183 you are confused, use the ":dis" command to find out what Vim will put (this
1184 command displays all named and numbered registers; the unnamed register is
1187 The next three commands always work on whole lines.
1189 :[range]co[py] {address} *:co* *:copy*
1190 Copy the lines given by [range] to below the line
1194 :t Synonym for copy.
1196 :[range]m[ove] {address} *:m* *:mo* *:move* *E134*
1197 Move the lines given by [range] to below the line
1200 ==============================================================================
1201 6. Formatting text *formatting*
1203 :[range]ce[nter] [width] *:ce* *:center*
1204 Center lines in [range] between [width] columns
1205 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1207 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1210 :[range]ri[ght] [width] *:ri* *:right*
1211 Right-align lines in [range] at [width] columns
1212 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1214 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1218 :[range]le[ft] [indent]
1219 Left-align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
1220 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
1221 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1225 gq{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over.
1226 Formatting is done with one of three methods:
1227 1. If 'formatexpr' is not empty the expression is
1228 evaluated. This can differ for each buffer.
1229 2. If 'formatprg' is not empty an external program
1231 3. Otherwise formatting is done internally.
1233 In the third case the 'textwidth' option controls the
1234 length of each formatted line (see below).
1235 If the 'textwidth' option is 0, the formatted line
1236 length is the screen width (with a maximum width of
1238 The 'formatoptions' option controls the type of
1239 formatting |fo-table|.
1240 The cursor is left on the first non-blank of the last
1242 NOTE: The "Q" command formerly performed this
1243 function. If you still want to use "Q" for
1244 formatting, use this mapping: >
1248 gqq Format the current line. {not in Vi}
1251 {Visual}gq Format the highlighted text. (for {Visual} see
1252 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1255 gw{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over. Similar to
1256 |gq| but puts the cursor back at the same position in
1257 the text. However, 'formatprg' and 'formatexpr' are
1258 not used. {not in Vi}
1261 gww Format the current line as with "gw". {not in Vi}
1264 {Visual}gw Format the highlighted text as with "gw". (for
1265 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1267 Example: To format the current paragraph use: *gqap* >
1270 The "gq" command leaves the cursor in the line where the motion command takes
1271 the cursor. This allows you to repeat formatting repeated with ".". This
1272 works well with "gqj" (format current and next line) and "gq}" (format until
1273 end of paragraph). Note: When 'formatprg' is set, "gq" leaves the cursor on
1274 the first formatted line (as with using a filter command).
1276 If you want to format the current paragraph and continue where you were, use: >
1278 If you always want to keep paragraphs formatted you may want to add the 'a'
1279 flag to 'formatoptions'. See |auto-format|.
1281 If the 'autoindent' option is on, Vim uses the indent of the first line for
1282 the following lines.
1284 Formatting does not change empty lines (but it does change lines with only
1287 The 'joinspaces' option is used when lines are joined together.
1289 You can set the 'formatexpr' option to an expression or the 'formatprg' option
1290 to the name of an external program for Vim to use for text formatting. The
1291 'textwidth' and other options have no effect on formatting by an external
1295 There is no command in Vim to right justify text. You can do it with
1296 an external command, like "par" (e.g.: "!}par" to format until the end of the
1297 paragraph) or set 'formatprg' to "par".
1300 An overview of comment formatting is in section |30.6| of the user manual.
1302 Vim can automatically insert and format comments in a special way. Vim
1303 recognizes a comment by a specific string at the start of the line (ignoring
1304 white space). Three types of comments can be used:
1306 - A comment string that repeats at the start of each line. An example is the
1307 type of comment used in shell scripts, starting with "#".
1308 - A comment string that occurs only in the first line, not in the following
1309 lines. An example is this list with dashes.
1310 - Three-piece comments that have a start string, an end string, and optional
1311 lines in between. The strings for the start, middle and end are different.
1312 An example is the C style comment:
1314 * this is a C comment
1317 The 'comments' option is a comma-separated list of parts. Each part defines a
1318 type of comment string. A part consists of:
1321 {string} is the literal text that must appear.
1324 n Nested comment. Nesting with mixed parts is allowed. If 'comments'
1325 is "n:),n:>" a line starting with "> ) >" is a comment.
1327 b Blank (<Space>, <Tab> or <EOL>) required after {string}.
1329 f Only the first line has the comment string. Do not repeat comment on
1330 the next line, but preserve indentation (e.g., a bullet-list).
1332 s Start of three-piece comment
1334 m Middle of a three-piece comment
1336 e End of a three-piece comment
1338 l Left align. Used together with 's' or 'e', the leftmost character of
1339 start or end will line up with the leftmost character from the middle.
1340 This is the default and can be omitted. See below for more details.
1342 r Right align. Same as above but rightmost instead of leftmost. See
1343 below for more details.
1345 O Don't consider this comment for the "O" command.
1347 x Allows three-piece comments to be ended by just typing the last
1348 character of the end-comment string as the first action on a new
1349 line when the middle-comment string has been inserted automatically.
1350 See below for more details.
1353 When together with 's' or 'e': add {digit} amount of offset to an
1354 automatically inserted middle or end comment leader. The offset begins
1355 from a left alignment. See below for more details.
1358 Like {digits} but reduce the indent. This only works when there is
1359 some indent for the start or end part that can be removed.
1361 When a string has none of the 'f', 's', 'm' or 'e' flags, Vim assumes the
1362 comment string repeats at the start of each line. The flags field may be
1365 Any blank space in the text before and after the {string} is part of the
1366 {string}, so do not include leading or trailing blanks unless the blanks are a
1367 required part of the comment string.
1369 When one comment leader is part of another, specify the part after the whole.
1370 For example, to include both "-" and "->", use >
1371 :set comments=f:->,f:-
1373 A three-piece comment must always be given as start,middle,end, with no other
1374 parts in between. An example of a three-piece comment is >
1376 for C-comments. To avoid recognizing "*ptr" as a comment, the middle string
1377 includes the 'b' flag. For three-piece comments, Vim checks the text after
1378 the start and middle strings for the end string. If Vim finds the end string,
1379 the comment does not continue on the next line. Three-piece comments must
1380 have a middle string because otherwise Vim can't recognize the middle lines.
1382 Notice the use of the "x" flag in the above three-piece comment definition.
1383 When you hit Return in a C-comment, Vim will insert the middle comment leader
1384 for the new line: " * ". To close this comment you just have to type "/"
1385 before typing anything else on the new line. This will replace the
1386 middle-comment leader with the end-comment leader and apply any specified
1387 alignment, leaving just " */". There is no need to hit BackSpace first.
1390 Here is an example of alignment flags at work to make a comment stand out
1391 (kind of looks like a 1 too). Consider comment string >
1392 sr:/***,m:**,ex2:******/
1395 **<--right aligned from "r" flag
1397 offset 2 spaces from the "2" flag--->**
1399 In this case, the first comment was typed, then return was pressed 4 times,
1400 then "/" was pressed to end the comment.
1402 Here are some finer points of three part comments. There are three times when
1403 alignment and offset flags are taken into consideration: opening a new line
1404 after a start-comment, opening a new line before an end-comment, and
1405 automatically ending a three-piece comment. The end alignment flag has a
1406 backwards perspective; the result is that the same alignment flag used with
1407 "s" and "e" will result in the same indent for the starting and ending pieces.
1408 Only one alignment per comment part is meant to be used, but an offset number
1409 will override the "r" and "l" flag.
1411 Enabling 'cindent' will override the alignment flags in many cases.
1412 Reindenting using a different method like |gq| or |=| will not consult
1413 alignment flags either. The same behaviour can be defined in those other
1414 formatting options. One consideration is that 'cindent' has additional options
1415 for context based indenting of comments but cannot replicate many three piece
1416 indent alignments. However, 'indentexpr' is has the ability to work better
1417 with three piece comments.
1420 "b:*" Includes lines starting with "*", but not if the "*" is
1421 followed by a non-blank. This avoids a pointer dereference
1422 like "*str" to be recognized as a comment.
1423 "n:>" Includes a line starting with ">", ">>", ">>>", etc.
1424 "fb:-" Format a list that starts with "- ".
1426 By default, "b:#" is included. This means that a line that starts with
1427 "#include" is not recognized as a comment line. But a line that starts with
1428 "# define" is recognized. This is a compromise.
1430 {not available when compiled without the |+comments| feature}
1433 You can use the 'formatoptions' option to influence how Vim formats text.
1434 'formatoptions' is a string that can contain any of the letters below. The
1435 default setting is "tcq". You can separate the option letters with commas for
1438 letter meaning when present in 'formatoptions' ~
1440 t Auto-wrap text using textwidth
1441 c Auto-wrap comments using textwidth, inserting the current comment
1442 leader automatically.
1443 r Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting
1444 <Enter> in Insert mode.
1445 o Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting 'o' or
1447 q Allow formatting of comments with "gq".
1448 Note that formatting will not change blank lines or lines containing
1449 only the comment leader. A new paragraph starts after such a line,
1450 or when the comment leader changes.
1451 w Trailing white space indicates a paragraph continues in the next line.
1452 A line that ends in a non-white character ends a paragraph.
1453 a Automatic formatting of paragraphs. Every time text is inserted or
1454 deleted the paragraph will be reformatted. See |auto-format|.
1455 When the 'c' flag is present this only happens for recognized
1457 n When formatting text, recognize numbered lists. This actually uses
1458 the 'formatlistpat' option, thus any kind of list can be used. The
1459 indent of the text after the number is used for the next line. The
1460 default is to find a number, optionally followed by '.', ':', ')',
1461 ']' or '}'. Note that 'autoindent' must be set too. Doesn't work
1462 well together with "2".
1467 2 When formatting text, use the indent of the second line of a paragraph
1468 for the rest of the paragraph, instead of the indent of the first
1469 line. This supports paragraphs in which the first line has a
1470 different indent than the rest. Note that 'autoindent' must be set
1472 first line of a paragraph
1473 second line of the same paragraph
1475 v Vi-compatible auto-wrapping in insert mode: Only break a line at a
1476 blank that you have entered during the current insert command. (Note:
1477 this is not 100% Vi compatible. Vi has some "unexpected features" or
1478 bugs in this area. It uses the screen column instead of the line
1480 b Like 'v', but only auto-wrap if you enter a blank at or before
1481 the wrap margin. If the line was longer than 'textwidth' when you
1482 started the insert, or you do not enter a blank in the insert before
1483 reaching 'textwidth', Vim does not perform auto-wrapping.
1484 l Long lines are not broken in insert mode: When a line was longer than
1485 'textwidth' when the insert command started, Vim does not
1486 automatically format it.
1487 m Also break at a multi-byte character above 255. This is useful for
1488 Asian text where every character is a word on its own.
1489 M When joining lines, don't insert a space before or after a multi-byte
1490 character. Overrules the 'B' flag.
1491 B When joining lines, don't insert a space between two multi-byte
1492 characters. Overruled by the 'M' flag.
1493 1 Don't break a line after a one-letter word. It's broken before it
1494 instead (if possible).
1497 With 't' and 'c' you can specify when Vim performs auto-wrapping:
1499 "" no automatic formatting (you can use "gq" for manual formatting)
1500 "t" automatic formatting of text, but not comments
1501 "c" automatic formatting for comments, but not text (good for C code)
1502 "tc" automatic formatting for text and comments
1504 Note that when 'textwidth' is 0, Vim does no automatic formatting anyway (but
1505 does insert comment leaders according to the 'comments' option). An exception
1506 is when the 'a' flag is present. |auto-format|
1508 Note that when 'paste' is on, Vim does no formatting at all.
1510 Note that 'textwidth' can be non-zero even if Vim never performs auto-wrapping;
1511 'textwidth' is still useful for formatting with "gq".
1513 If the 'comments' option includes "/*", "*" and/or "*/", then Vim has some
1514 built in stuff to treat these types of comments a bit more cleverly.
1515 Opening a new line before or after "/*" or "*/" (with 'r' or 'o' present in
1516 'formatoptions') gives the correct start of the line automatically. The same
1517 happens with formatting and auto-wrapping. Opening a line after a line
1518 starting with "/*" or "*" and containing "*/", will cause no comment leader to
1519 be inserted, and the indent of the new line is taken from the line containing
1520 the start of the comment.
1523 * Your typical comment. ~
1525 The indent on this line is the same as the start of the above
1528 All of this should be really cool, especially in conjunction with the new
1529 :autocmd command to prepare different settings for different types of file.
1532 for C code (only format comments): >
1534 < for Mail/news (format all, don't start comment with "o" command): >
1538 Automatic formatting *auto-format*
1540 When the 'a' flag is present in 'formatoptions' text is formatted
1541 automatically when inserting text or deleting text. This works nice for
1542 editing text paragraphs. A few hints on how to use this:
1544 - You need to properly define paragraphs. The simplest is paragraphs that are
1545 separated by a blank line. When there is no separating blank line, consider
1546 using the 'w' flag and adding a space at the end of each line in the
1547 paragraphs except the last one.
1549 - You can set the 'formatoptions' based on the type of file |filetype| or
1550 specifically for one file with a |modeline|.
1552 - Set 'formatoptions' to "aw2tq" to make text with indents like this:
1555 bla foobar bla foobar bla
1557 bla foobar bla bla foobar
1559 - Add the 'c' flag to only auto-format comments. Useful in source code.
1561 - Set 'textwidth' to the desired width. If it is zero then 79 is used, or the
1562 width of the screen if this is smaller.
1566 - When part of the text is not properly separated in paragraphs, making
1567 changes in this text will cause it to be formatted anyway. Consider doing >
1571 - When using the 'w' flag (trailing space means paragraph continues) and
1572 deleting the last line of a paragraph with |dd|, the paragraph will be
1573 joined with the next one.
1575 - Changed text is saved for undo. Formatting is also a change. Thus each
1576 format action saves text for undo. This may consume quite a lot of memory.
1578 - Formatting a long paragraph and/or with complicated indenting may be slow.
1580 ==============================================================================
1581 7. Sorting text *sorting*
1583 Vim has a sorting function and a sorting command. The sorting function can be
1584 found here: |sort()|.
1587 :[range]sor[t][!] [i][u][r][n][x][o] [/{pattern}/]
1588 Sort lines in [range]. When no range is given all
1591 With [!] the order is reversed.
1593 With [i] case is ignored.
1595 With [n] sorting is done on the first decimal number
1596 in the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
1597 One leading '-' is included in the number.
1599 With [x] sorting is done on the first hexadecimal
1600 number in the line (after or inside a {pattern}
1601 match). A leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored.
1602 One leading '-' is included in the number.
1604 With [o] sorting is done on the first octal number in
1605 the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
1607 With [u] only keep the first of a sequence of
1608 identical lines (ignoring case when [i] is used).
1609 Without this flag, a sequence of identical lines
1610 will be kept in their original order.
1611 Note that leading and trailing white space may cause
1612 lines to be different.
1614 When /{pattern}/ is specified and there is no [r] flag
1615 the text matched with {pattern} is skipped, so that
1616 you sort on what comes after the match.
1617 Instead of the slash any non-letter can be used.
1618 For example, to sort on the second comma-separated
1621 < To sort on the text at virtual column 10 (thus
1622 ignoring the difference between tabs and spaces): >
1624 < To sort on the first number in the line, no matter
1625 what is in front of it: >
1627 < (Explanation: ".\{-}" matches any text, "\ze" sets the
1628 end of the match and \d matches a digit.)
1629 With [r] sorting is done on the matching {pattern}
1630 instead of skipping past it as described above.
1631 For example, to sort on only the first three letters
1635 < If a {pattern} is used, any lines which don't have a
1636 match for {pattern} are kept in their current order,
1637 but separate from the lines which do match {pattern}.
1638 If you sorted in reverse, they will be in reverse
1639 order after the sorted lines, otherwise they will be
1640 in their original order, right before the sorted
1643 If {pattern} is empty (e.g. // is specified), the
1644 last search pattern is used. This allows trying out
1647 Note that using ":sort" with ":global" doesn't sort the matching lines, it's
1650 The details about sorting depend on the library function used. There is no
1651 guarantee that sorting is "stable" or obeys the current locale. You will have
1654 The sorting can be interrupted, but if you interrupt it too late in the
1655 process you may end up with duplicated lines. This also depends on the system
1656 library function used.
1658 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: