1 *syntax.txt* For Vim version 7.1b. Last change: 2007 May 07
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
7 Syntax highlighting *syntax* *syntax-highlighting* *coloring*
9 Syntax highlighting enables Vim to show parts of the text in another font or
10 color. Those parts can be specific keywords or text matching a pattern. Vim
11 doesn't parse the whole file (to keep it fast), so the highlighting has its
12 limitations. Lexical highlighting might be a better name, but since everybody
13 calls it syntax highlighting we'll stick with that.
15 Vim supports syntax highlighting on all terminals. But since most ordinary
16 terminals have very limited highlighting possibilities, it works best in the
20 |usr_06.txt| introduces syntax highlighting.
21 |usr_44.txt| introduces writing a syntax file.
23 1. Quick start |:syn-qstart|
24 2. Syntax files |:syn-files|
25 3. Syntax loading procedure |syntax-loading|
26 4. Syntax file remarks |:syn-file-remarks|
27 5. Defining a syntax |:syn-define|
28 6. :syntax arguments |:syn-arguments|
29 7. Syntax patterns |:syn-pattern|
30 8. Syntax clusters |:syn-cluster|
31 9. Including syntax files |:syn-include|
32 10. Synchronizing |:syn-sync|
33 11. Listing syntax items |:syntax|
34 12. Highlight command |:highlight|
35 13. Linking groups |:highlight-link|
36 14. Cleaning up |:syn-clear|
37 15. Highlighting tags |tag-highlight|
38 16. Color xterms |xterm-color|
40 {Vi does not have any of these commands}
42 Syntax highlighting is not available when the |+syntax| feature has been
43 disabled at compile time.
45 ==============================================================================
46 1. Quick start *:syn-qstart*
48 *:syn-enable* *:syntax-enable*
49 This command switches on syntax highlighting: >
53 What this command actually does is to execute the command >
54 :source $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/syntax.vim
56 If the VIM environment variable is not set, Vim will try to find
57 the path in another way (see |$VIMRUNTIME|). Usually this works just
58 fine. If it doesn't, try setting the VIM environment variable to the
59 directory where the Vim stuff is located. For example, if your syntax files
60 are in the "/usr/vim/vim50/syntax" directory, set $VIMRUNTIME to
61 "/usr/vim/vim50". You must do this in the shell, before starting Vim.
63 *:syn-on* *:syntax-on*
64 The ":syntax enable" command will keep your current color settings. This
65 allows using ":highlight" commands to set your preferred colors before or
66 after using this command. If you want Vim to overrule your settings with the
70 *:hi-normal* *:highlight-normal*
71 If you are running in the GUI, you can get white text on a black background
73 :highlight Normal guibg=Black guifg=White
74 For a color terminal see |:hi-normal-cterm|.
75 For setting up your own colors syntax highlighting see |syncolor|.
77 NOTE: The syntax files on MS-DOS and Windows have lines that end in <CR><NL>.
78 The files for Unix end in <NL>. This means you should use the right type of
79 file for your system. Although on MS-DOS and Windows the right format is
80 automatically selected if the 'fileformats' option is not empty.
82 NOTE: When using reverse video ("gvim -fg white -bg black"), the default value
83 of 'background' will not be set until the GUI window is opened, which is after
84 reading the |gvimrc|. This will cause the wrong default highlighting to be
85 used. To set the default value of 'background' before switching on
86 highlighting, include the ":gui" command in the |gvimrc|: >
88 :gui " open window and set default for 'background'
89 :syntax on " start highlighting, use 'background' to set colors
91 NOTE: Using ":gui" in the |gvimrc| means that "gvim -f" won't start in the
92 foreground! Use ":gui -f" then.
95 You can toggle the syntax on/off with this command >
96 :if exists("syntax_on") | syntax off | else | syntax enable | endif
98 To put this into a mapping, you can use: >
99 :map <F7> :if exists("syntax_on") <Bar>
102 \ syntax enable <Bar>
104 [using the |<>| notation, type this literally]
107 The ":syntax" commands are implemented by sourcing a file. To see exactly how
108 this works, look in the file:
110 :syntax enable $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/syntax.vim
111 :syntax on $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/syntax.vim
112 :syntax manual $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/manual.vim
113 :syntax off $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/nosyntax.vim
114 Also see |syntax-loading|.
116 ==============================================================================
117 2. Syntax files *:syn-files*
119 The syntax and highlighting commands for one language are normally stored in
120 a syntax file. The name convention is: "{name}.vim". Where {name} is the
121 name of the language, or an abbreviation (to fit the name in 8.3 characters,
122 a requirement in case the file is used on a DOS filesystem).
124 c.vim perl.vim java.vim html.vim
125 cpp.vim sh.vim csh.vim
127 The syntax file can contain any Ex commands, just like a vimrc file. But
128 the idea is that only commands for a specific language are included. When a
129 language is a superset of another language, it may include the other one,
130 for example, the cpp.vim file could include the c.vim file: >
131 :so $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/c.vim
133 The .vim files are normally loaded with an autocommand. For example: >
134 :au Syntax c runtime! syntax/c.vim
135 :au Syntax cpp runtime! syntax/cpp.vim
136 These commands are normally in the file $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/synload.vim.
139 MAKING YOUR OWN SYNTAX FILES *mysyntaxfile*
141 When you create your own syntax files, and you want to have Vim use these
142 automatically with ":syntax enable", do this:
144 1. Create your user runtime directory. You would normally use the first item
145 of the 'runtimepath' option. Example for Unix: >
148 2. Create a directory in there called "syntax". For Unix: >
151 3. Write the Vim syntax file. Or download one from the internet. Then write
152 it in your syntax directory. For example, for the "mine" syntax: >
153 :w ~/.vim/syntax/mine.vim
155 Now you can start using your syntax file manually: >
157 You don't have to exit Vim to use this.
159 If you also want Vim to detect the type of file, see |new-filetype|.
161 If you are setting up a system with many users and you don't want each user
162 to add the same syntax file, you can use another directory from 'runtimepath'.
165 ADDING TO AN EXISTING SYNTAX FILE *mysyntaxfile-add*
167 If you are mostly satisfied with an existing syntax file, but would like to
168 add a few items or change the highlighting, follow these steps:
170 1. Create your user directory from 'runtimepath', see above.
172 2. Create a directory in there called "after/syntax". For Unix: >
174 mkdir ~/.vim/after/syntax
176 3. Write a Vim script that contains the commands you want to use. For
177 example, to change the colors for the C syntax: >
178 highlight cComment ctermfg=Green guifg=Green
180 4. Write that file in the "after/syntax" directory. Use the name of the
181 syntax, with ".vim" added. For our C syntax: >
182 :w ~/.vim/after/syntax/c.vim
184 That's it. The next time you edit a C file the Comment color will be
185 different. You don't even have to restart Vim.
187 If you have multiple files, you can use the filetype as the directory name.
188 All the "*.vim" files in this directory will be used, for example:
189 ~/.vim/after/syntax/c/one.vim
190 ~/.vim/after/syntax/c/two.vim
193 REPLACING AN EXISTING SYNTAX FILE *mysyntaxfile-replace*
195 If you don't like a distributed syntax file, or you have downloaded a new
196 version, follow the same steps as for |mysyntaxfile| above. Just make sure
197 that you write the syntax file in a directory that is early in 'runtimepath'.
198 Vim will only load the first syntax file found.
202 *group-name* *{group-name}* *E669* *W18*
203 The name for a highlight or syntax group must consist of ASCII letters, digits
204 and the underscore. As a regexp: "[a-zA-Z0-9_]*"
206 To be able to allow each user to pick his favorite set of colors, there must
207 be preferred names for highlight groups that are common for many languages.
208 These are the suggested group names (if syntax highlighting works properly
209 you can see the actual color, except for "Ignore"):
213 *Constant any constant
214 String a string constant: "this is a string"
215 Character a character constant: 'c', '\n'
216 Number a number constant: 234, 0xff
217 Boolean a boolean constant: TRUE, false
218 Float a floating point constant: 2.3e10
220 *Identifier any variable name
221 Function function name (also: methods for classes)
223 *Statement any statement
224 Conditional if, then, else, endif, switch, etc.
225 Repeat for, do, while, etc.
226 Label case, default, etc.
227 Operator "sizeof", "+", "*", etc.
228 Keyword any other keyword
229 Exception try, catch, throw
231 *PreProc generic Preprocessor
232 Include preprocessor #include
233 Define preprocessor #define
235 PreCondit preprocessor #if, #else, #endif, etc.
237 *Type int, long, char, etc.
238 StorageClass static, register, volatile, etc.
239 Structure struct, union, enum, etc.
242 *Special any special symbol
243 SpecialChar special character in a constant
244 Tag you can use CTRL-] on this
245 Delimiter character that needs attention
246 SpecialComment special things inside a comment
247 Debug debugging statements
249 *Underlined text that stands out, HTML links
251 *Ignore left blank, hidden
253 *Error any erroneous construct
255 *Todo anything that needs extra attention; mostly the
256 keywords TODO FIXME and XXX
258 The names marked with * are the preferred groups; the others are minor groups.
259 For the preferred groups, the "syntax.vim" file contains default highlighting.
260 The minor groups are linked to the preferred groups, so they get the same
261 highlighting. You can override these defaults by using ":highlight" commands
262 after sourcing the "syntax.vim" file.
264 Note that highlight group names are not case sensitive. "String" and "string"
265 can be used for the same group.
267 The following names are reserved and cannot be used as a group name:
268 NONE ALL ALLBUT contains contained
270 ==============================================================================
271 3. Syntax loading procedure *syntax-loading*
273 This explains the details that happen when the command ":syntax enable" is
274 issued. When Vim initializes itself, it finds out where the runtime files are
275 located. This is used here as the variable |$VIMRUNTIME|.
277 ":syntax enable" and ":syntax on" do the following:
279 Source $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/syntax.vim
281 +- Clear out any old syntax by sourcing $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/nosyntax.vim
283 +- Source first syntax/synload.vim in 'runtimepath'
285 | +- Setup the colors for syntax highlighting. If a color scheme is
286 | | defined it is loaded again with ":colors {name}". Otherwise
287 | | ":runtime! syntax/syncolor.vim" is used. ":syntax on" overrules
288 | | existing colors, ":syntax enable" only sets groups that weren't
291 | +- Set up syntax autocmds to load the appropriate syntax file when
292 | | the 'syntax' option is set. *synload-1*
294 | +- Source the user's optional file, from the |mysyntaxfile| variable.
295 | This is for backwards compatibility with Vim 5.x only. *synload-2*
297 +- Do ":filetype on", which does ":runtime! filetype.vim". It loads any
298 | filetype.vim files found. It should always Source
299 | $VIMRUNTIME/filetype.vim, which does the following.
301 | +- Install autocmds based on suffix to set the 'filetype' option
302 | | This is where the connection between file name and file type is
303 | | made for known file types. *synload-3*
305 | +- Source the user's optional file, from the *myfiletypefile*
306 | | variable. This is for backwards compatibility with Vim 5.x only.
309 | +- Install one autocommand which sources scripts.vim when no file
310 | | type was detected yet. *synload-5*
312 | +- Source $VIMRUNTIME/menu.vim, to setup the Syntax menu. |menu.vim|
314 +- Install a FileType autocommand to set the 'syntax' option when a file
315 | type has been detected. *synload-6*
317 +- Execute syntax autocommands to start syntax highlighting for each
318 already loaded buffer.
321 Upon loading a file, Vim finds the relevant syntax file as follows:
323 Loading the file triggers the BufReadPost autocommands.
325 +- If there is a match with one of the autocommands from |synload-3|
326 | (known file types) or |synload-4| (user's file types), the 'filetype'
327 | option is set to the file type.
329 +- The autocommand at |synload-5| is triggered. If the file type was not
330 | found yet, then scripts.vim is searched for in 'runtimepath'. This
331 | should always load $VIMRUNTIME/scripts.vim, which does the following.
333 | +- Source the user's optional file, from the *myscriptsfile*
334 | | variable. This is for backwards compatibility with Vim 5.x only.
336 | +- If the file type is still unknown, check the contents of the file,
337 | again with checks like "getline(1) =~ pattern" as to whether the
338 | file type can be recognized, and set 'filetype'.
340 +- When the file type was determined and 'filetype' was set, this
341 | triggers the FileType autocommand |synload-6| above. It sets
342 | 'syntax' to the determined file type.
344 +- When the 'syntax' option was set above, this triggers an autocommand
345 | from |synload-1| (and |synload-2|). This find the main syntax file in
346 | 'runtimepath', with this command:
347 | runtime! syntax/<name>.vim
349 +- Any other user installed FileType or Syntax autocommands are
350 triggered. This can be used to change the highlighting for a specific
353 ==============================================================================
354 4. Syntax file remarks *:syn-file-remarks*
356 *b:current_syntax-variable*
357 Vim stores the name of the syntax that has been loaded in the
358 "b:current_syntax" variable. You can use this if you want to load other
359 settings, depending on which syntax is active. Example: >
360 :au BufReadPost * if b:current_syntax == "csh"
361 :au BufReadPost * do-some-things
362 :au BufReadPost * endif
365 2HTML *2html.vim* *convert-to-HTML*
367 This is not a syntax file itself, but a script that converts the current
368 window into HTML. Vim opens a new window in which it builds the HTML file.
370 You are not supposed to set the 'filetype' or 'syntax' option to "2html"!
371 Source the script to convert the current file: >
373 :runtime! syntax/2html.vim
375 Warning: This is slow!
377 Or use the ":TOhtml" user command. It is defined in a standard plugin.
378 ":TOhtml" also works with a range and in a Visual area: >
382 After you save the resulting file, you can view it with any HTML viewer, such
383 as Netscape. The colors should be exactly the same as you see them in Vim.
385 To restrict the conversion to a range of lines set "html_start_line" and
386 "html_end_line" to the first and last line to be converted. Example, using
387 the last set Visual area: >
389 :let html_start_line = line("'<")
390 :let html_end_line = line("'>")
392 The lines are numbered according to 'number' option and the Number
393 highlighting. You can force lines to be numbered in the HTML output by
394 setting "html_number_lines" to non-zero value: >
395 :let html_number_lines = 1
396 Force to omit the line numbers by using a zero value: >
397 :let html_number_lines = 0
398 Go back to the default to use 'number' by deleting the variable: >
399 :unlet html_number_lines
401 Closed folds are put in the HTML as they are displayed. If you don't want
402 this, use the |zR| command before invoking 2html, or use: >
403 :let html_ignore_folding = 1
405 By default, HTML optimized for old browsers is generated. If you prefer using
406 cascading style sheets (CSS1) for the attributes (resulting in considerably
407 shorter and valid HTML 4 file), use: >
408 :let html_use_css = 1
410 By default "<pre>" and "</pre>" is used around the text. This makes it show
411 up as you see it in Vim, but without wrapping. If you prefer wrapping, at the
412 risk of making some things look a bit different, use: >
414 This will use <br> at the end of each line and use " " for repeated
417 The current value of 'encoding' is used to specify the charset of the HTML
418 file. This only works for those values of 'encoding' that have an equivalent
419 HTML charset name. To overrule this set g:html_use_encoding to the name of
420 the charset to be used: >
421 :let html_use_encoding = "foobar"
422 To omit the line that specifies the charset, set g:html_use_encoding to an
424 :let html_use_encoding = ""
425 To go back to the automatic mechanism, delete the g:html_use_encoding
427 :unlet html_use_encoding
429 For diff mode a sequence of more than 3 filler lines is displayed as three
430 lines with the middle line mentioning the total number of inserted lines. If
431 you prefer to see all the inserted lines use: >
432 :let html_whole_filler = 1
433 And to go back to displaying up to three lines again: >
434 :unlet html_whole_filler
436 *convert-to-XML* *convert-to-XHTML*
437 An alternative is to have the script generate XHTML (XML compliant HTML). To
438 do this set the "use_xhtml" variable: >
440 To disable it again delete the variable: >
442 The generated XHTML file can be used in DocBook XML documents. See:
443 http://people.mech.kuleuven.ac.be/~pissaris/howto/src2db.html
446 - This only works in a version with GUI support. If the GUI is not actually
447 running (possible for X11) it still works, but not very well (the colors
449 - Older browsers will not show the background colors.
450 - From most browsers you can also print the file (in color)!
452 Here is an example how to run the script over all .c and .h files from a
454 for f in *.[ch]; do gvim -f +"syn on" +"run! syntax/2html.vim" +"wq" +"q" $f; done
457 ABEL *abel.vim* *ft-abel-syntax*
459 ABEL highlighting provides some user-defined options. To enable them, assign
460 any value to the respective variable. Example: >
461 :let abel_obsolete_ok=1
462 To disable them use ":unlet". Example: >
463 :unlet abel_obsolete_ok
466 abel_obsolete_ok obsolete keywords are statements, not errors
467 abel_cpp_comments_illegal do not interpret '//' as inline comment leader
475 ANT *ant.vim* *ft-ant-syntax*
477 The ant syntax file provides syntax highlighting for javascript and python
478 by default. Syntax highlighting for other script languages can be installed
479 by the function AntSyntaxScript(), which takes the tag name as first argument
480 and the script syntax file name as second argument. Example: >
482 :call AntSyntaxScript('perl', 'perl.vim')
484 will install syntax perl highlighting for the following ant code >
486 <script language = 'perl'><![CDATA[
487 # everything inside is highlighted as perl
490 See |mysyntaxfile-add| for installing script languages permanently.
493 APACHE *apache.vim* *ft-apache-syntax*
495 The apache syntax file provides syntax highlighting depending on Apache HTTP
496 server version, by default for 1.3.x. Set "apache_version" to Apache version
497 (as a string) to get highlighting for another version. Example: >
499 :let apache_version = "2.0"
502 *asm.vim* *asmh8300.vim* *nasm.vim* *masm.vim* *asm68k*
503 ASSEMBLY *ft-asm-syntax* *ft-asmh8300-syntax* *ft-nasm-syntax*
504 *ft-masm-syntax* *ft-asm68k-syntax* *fasm.vim*
506 Files matching "*.i" could be Progress or Assembly. If the automatic detection
507 doesn't work for you, or you don't edit Progress at all, use this in your
509 :let filetype_i = "asm"
510 Replace "asm" with the type of assembly you use.
512 There are many types of assembly languages that all use the same file name
513 extensions. Therefore you will have to select the type yourself, or add a
514 line in the assembly file that Vim will recognize. Currently these syntax
516 asm GNU assembly (the default)
517 asm68k Motorola 680x0 assembly
518 asmh8300 Hitachi H-8300 version of GNU assembly
519 ia64 Intel Itanium 64
520 fasm Flat assembly (http://flatassembler.net)
521 masm Microsoft assembly (probably works for any 80x86)
522 nasm Netwide assembly
523 tasm Turbo Assembly (with opcodes 80x86 up to Pentium, and
525 pic PIC assembly (currently for PIC16F84)
527 The most flexible is to add a line in your assembly file containing: >
529 Replace "nasm" with the name of the real assembly syntax. This line must be
530 one of the first five lines in the file.
532 The syntax type can always be overruled for a specific buffer by setting the
533 b:asmsyntax variable: >
534 :let b:asmsyntax=nasm
536 If b:asmsyntax is not set, either automatically or by hand, then the value of
537 the global variable asmsyntax is used. This can be seen as a default assembly
541 As a last resort, if nothing is defined, the "asm" syntax is used.
544 Netwide assembler (nasm.vim) optional highlighting ~
546 To enable a feature: >
547 :let {variable}=1|set syntax=nasm
548 To disable a feature: >
549 :unlet {variable} |set syntax=nasm
552 nasm_loose_syntax unofficial parser allowed syntax not as Error
553 (parser dependent; not recommended)
554 nasm_ctx_outside_macro contexts outside macro not as Error
555 nasm_no_warn potentially risky syntax not as ToDo
558 ASPPERL and ASPVBS *ft-aspperl-syntax* *ft-aspvbs-syntax*
560 *.asp and *.asa files could be either Perl or Visual Basic script. Since it's
561 hard to detect this you can set two global variables to tell Vim what you are
562 using. For Perl script use: >
563 :let g:filetype_asa = "aspperl"
564 :let g:filetype_asp = "aspperl"
565 For Visual Basic use: >
566 :let g:filetype_asa = "aspvbs"
567 :let g:filetype_asp = "aspvbs"
570 BAAN *baan.vim* *baan-syntax*
572 The baan.vim gives syntax support for BaanC of release BaanIV upto SSA ERP LN
573 for both 3 GL and 4 GL programming. Large number of standard defines/constants
576 Some special violation of coding standards will be signalled when one specify
582 Syntax folding can be enabled at various levels through the variables
583 mentioned below (Set those in your |.vimrc|). The more complex folding on
584 source blocks and SQL can be CPU intensive.
586 To allow any folding and enable folding at function level use: >
588 Folding can be enabled at source block level as if, while, for ,... The
589 indentation preceding the begin/end keywords has to match (spaces are not
590 considered equal to a tab). >
591 let baan_fold_block=1
592 Folding can be enabled for embedded SQL blocks as SELECT, SELECTDO,
593 SELECTEMPTY, ... The indentation preceding the begin/end keywords has to
594 match (spaces are not considered equal to a tab). >
596 Note: Block folding can result in many small folds. It is suggested to |:set|
597 the options 'foldminlines' and 'foldnestmax' in |.vimrc| or use |:setlocal| in
598 .../after/syntax/baan.vim (see |after-directory|). Eg: >
603 BASIC *basic.vim* *vb.vim* *ft-basic-syntax* *ft-vb-syntax*
605 Both Visual Basic and "normal" basic use the extension ".bas". To detect
606 which one should be used, Vim checks for the string "VB_Name" in the first
607 five lines of the file. If it is not found, filetype will be "basic",
608 otherwise "vb". Files with the ".frm" extension will always be seen as Visual
612 C *c.vim* *ft-c-syntax*
614 A few things in C highlighting are optional. To enable them assign any value
615 to the respective variable. Example: >
616 :let c_comment_strings=1
617 To disable them use ":unlet". Example: >
618 :unlet c_comment_strings
621 c_gnu GNU gcc specific items
622 c_comment_strings strings and numbers inside a comment
623 c_space_errors trailing white space and spaces before a <Tab>
624 c_no_trail_space_error ... but no trailing spaces
625 c_no_tab_space_error ... but no spaces before a <Tab>
626 c_no_bracket_error don't highlight {}; inside [] as errors
627 c_no_curly_error don't highlight {}; inside [] and () as errors;
628 except { and } in first column
629 c_no_ansi don't do standard ANSI types and constants
630 c_ansi_typedefs ... but do standard ANSI types
631 c_ansi_constants ... but do standard ANSI constants
632 c_no_utf don't highlight \u and \U in strings
633 c_syntax_for_h use C syntax for *.h files, instead of C++
634 c_no_if0 don't highlight "#if 0" blocks as comments
635 c_no_cformat don't highlight %-formats in strings
636 c_no_c99 don't highlight C99 standard items
638 When 'foldmethod' is set to "syntax" then /* */ comments and { } blocks will
639 become a fold. If you don't want comments to become a fold use: >
640 :let c_no_comment_fold = 1
641 "#if 0" blocks are also folded, unless: >
642 :let c_no_if0_fold = 1
644 If you notice highlighting errors while scrolling backwards, which are fixed
645 when redrawing with CTRL-L, try setting the "c_minlines" internal variable
646 to a larger number: >
647 :let c_minlines = 100
648 This will make the syntax synchronization start 100 lines before the first
649 displayed line. The default value is 50 (15 when c_no_if0 is set). The
650 disadvantage of using a larger number is that redrawing can become slow.
652 When using the "#if 0" / "#endif" comment highlighting, notice that this only
653 works when the "#if 0" is within "c_minlines" from the top of the window. If
654 you have a long "#if 0" construct it will not be highlighted correctly.
656 To match extra items in comments, use the cCommentGroup cluster.
658 :au Syntax c call MyCadd()
660 : syn keyword cMyItem contained Ni
661 : syn cluster cCommentGroup add=cMyItem
662 : hi link cMyItem Title
665 ANSI constants will be highlighted with the "cConstant" group. This includes
666 "NULL", "SIG_IGN" and others. But not "TRUE", for example, because this is
667 not in the ANSI standard. If you find this confusing, remove the cConstant
669 :hi link cConstant NONE
671 If you see '{' and '}' highlighted as an error where they are OK, reset the
672 highlighting for cErrInParen and cErrInBracket.
674 If you want to use folding in your C files, you can add these lines in a file
675 an the "after" directory in 'runtimepath'. For Unix this would be
676 ~/.vim/after/syntax/c.vim. >
677 syn region myFold start="{" end="}" transparent fold
679 set foldmethod=syntax
681 CH *ch.vim* *ft-ch-syntax*
683 C/C++ interpreter. Ch has similar syntax highlighting to C and builds upon
684 the C syntax file. See |c.vim| for all the settings that are available for C.
686 By setting a variable you can tell Vim to use Ch syntax for *.h files, instead
688 :let ch_syntax_for_h = 1
691 CHILL *chill.vim* *ft-chill-syntax*
693 Chill syntax highlighting is similar to C. See |c.vim| for all the settings
694 that are available. Additionally there is:
696 chill_space_errors like c_space_errors
697 chill_comment_string like c_comment_strings
698 chill_minlines like c_minlines
701 CHANGELOG *changelog.vim* *ft-changelog-syntax*
703 ChangeLog supports highlighting spaces at the start of a line.
704 If you do not like this, add following line to your .vimrc: >
705 let g:changelog_spacing_errors = 0
706 This works the next time you edit a changelog file. You can also use
707 "b:changelog_spacing_errors" to set this per buffer (before loading the syntax
710 You can change the highlighting used, e.g., to flag the spaces as an error: >
711 :hi link ChangelogError Error
712 Or to avoid the highlighting: >
713 :hi link ChangelogError NONE
714 This works immediately.
717 COBOL *cobol.vim* *ft-cobol-syntax*
719 COBOL highlighting has different needs for legacy code than it does for fresh
720 development. This is due to differences in what is being done (maintenance
721 versus development) and other factors. To enable legacy code highlighting,
722 add this line to your .vimrc: >
723 :let cobol_legacy_code = 1
724 To disable it again, use this: >
725 :unlet cobol_legacy_code
728 COLD FUSION *coldfusion.vim* *ft-coldfusion-syntax*
730 The ColdFusion has its own version of HTML comments. To turn on ColdFusion
731 comment highlighting, add the following line to your startup file: >
733 :let html_wrong_comments = 1
735 The ColdFusion syntax file is based on the HTML syntax file.
738 CSH *csh.vim* *ft-csh-syntax*
740 This covers the shell named "csh". Note that on some systems tcsh is actually
743 Detecting whether a file is csh or tcsh is notoriously hard. Some systems
744 symlink /bin/csh to /bin/tcsh, making it almost impossible to distinguish
745 between csh and tcsh. In case VIM guesses wrong you can set the
746 "filetype_csh" variable. For using csh: >
748 :let filetype_csh = "csh"
752 :let filetype_csh = "tcsh"
754 Any script with a tcsh extension or a standard tcsh filename (.tcshrc,
755 tcsh.tcshrc, tcsh.login) will have filetype tcsh. All other tcsh/csh scripts
756 will be classified as tcsh, UNLESS the "filetype_csh" variable exists. If the
757 "filetype_csh" variable exists, the filetype will be set to the value of the
761 CYNLIB *cynlib.vim* *ft-cynlib-syntax*
763 Cynlib files are C++ files that use the Cynlib class library to enable
764 hardware modelling and simulation using C++. Typically Cynlib files have a .cc
765 or a .cpp extension, which makes it very difficult to distinguish them from a
766 normal C++ file. Thus, to enable Cynlib highlighting for .cc files, add this
767 line to your .vimrc file: >
769 :let cynlib_cyntax_for_cc=1
771 Similarly for cpp files (this extension is only usually used in Windows) >
773 :let cynlib_cyntax_for_cpp=1
775 To disable these again, use this: >
777 :unlet cynlib_cyntax_for_cc
778 :unlet cynlib_cyntax_for_cpp
781 CWEB *cweb.vim* *ft-cweb-syntax*
783 Files matching "*.w" could be Progress or cweb. If the automatic detection
784 doesn't work for you, or you don't edit Progress at all, use this in your
786 :let filetype_w = "cweb"
789 DESKTOP *desktop.vim* *ft-desktop-syntax*
791 Primary goal of this syntax file is to highlight .desktop and .directory files
792 according to freedesktop.org standard: http://pdx.freedesktop.org/Standards/
793 But actually almost none implements this standard fully. Thus it will
794 highlight all Unix ini files. But you can force strict highlighting according
795 to standard by placing this in your vimrc file: >
796 :let enforce_freedesktop_standard = 1
799 DIRCOLORS *dircolors.vim* *ft-dircolors-syntax*
801 The dircolors utility highlighting definition has one option. It exists to
802 provide compatibility with the Slackware GNU/Linux distributions version of
803 the command. It adds a few keywords that are generally ignored by most
804 versions. On Slackware systems, however, the utility accepts the keywords and
805 uses them for processing. To enable the Slackware keywords add the following
806 line to your startup file: >
807 let dircolors_is_slackware = 1
810 DOCBOOK *docbk.vim* *ft-docbk-syntax* *docbook*
811 DOCBOOK XML *docbkxml.vim* *ft-docbkxml-syntax*
812 DOCBOOK SGML *docbksgml.vim* *ft-docbksgml-syntax*
814 There are two types of DocBook files: SGML and XML. To specify what type you
815 are using the "b:docbk_type" variable should be set. Vim does this for you
816 automatically if it can recognize the type. When Vim can't guess it the type
818 You can set the type manually: >
819 :let docbk_type = "sgml"
821 :let docbk_type = "xml"
822 You need to do this before loading the syntax file, which is complicated.
823 Simpler is setting the filetype to "docbkxml" or "docbksgml": >
824 :set filetype=docbksgml
826 :set filetype=docbkxml
829 DOSBATCH *dosbatch.vim* *ft-dosbatch-syntax*
831 There is one option with highlighting DOS batch files. This covers new
832 extensions to the Command Interpreter introduced with Windows 2000 and
833 is controlled by the variable dosbatch_cmdextversion. For Windows NT
834 this should have the value 1, and for Windows 2000 it should be 2.
835 Select the version you want with the following line: >
837 :let dosbatch_cmdextversion = 1
839 If this variable is not defined it defaults to a value of 2 to support
842 A second option covers whether *.btm files should be detected as type
843 "dosbatch" (MS-DOS batch files) or type "btm" (4DOS batch files). The latter
844 is used by default. You may select the former with the following line: >
846 :let g:dosbatch_syntax_for_btm = 1
848 If this variable is undefined or zero, btm syntax is selected.
851 DOXYGEN *doxygen.vim* *doxygen-syntax*
853 Doxygen generates code documentation using a special documentation format
854 (similar to Javadoc). This syntax script adds doxygen highlighting to c, cpp
855 and idl files, and should also work with java.
857 There are a few of ways to turn on doxygen formatting. It can be done
858 explicitly or in a modeline by appending '.doxygen' to the syntax of the file.
860 :set syntax=c.doxygen
862 // vim:syntax=c.doxygen
864 It can also be done automatically for c, cpp and idl files by setting the
865 global or buffer-local variable load_doxygen_syntax. This is done by adding
866 the following to your .vimrc. >
867 :let g:load_doxygen_syntax=1
869 There are a couple of variables that have an affect on syntax highlighting, and
870 are to do with non-standard highlighting options.
872 Variable Default Effect ~
873 g:doxygen_enhanced_color
874 g:doxygen_enhanced_colour 0 Use non-standard highlighting for
877 doxygen_my_rendering 0 Disable rendering of HTML bold, italic
878 and html_my_rendering underline.
880 doxygen_javadoc_autobrief 1 Set to 0 to disable javadoc autobrief
883 doxygen_end_punctuation '[.]' Set to regexp match for the ending
886 There are also some hilight groups worth mentioning as they can be useful in
890 doxygenErrorComment The colour of an end-comment when missing
891 punctuation in a code, verbatim or dot section
892 doxygenLinkError The colour of an end-comment when missing the
893 \endlink from a \link section.
896 DTD *dtd.vim* *ft-dtd-syntax*
898 The DTD syntax highlighting is case sensitive by default. To disable
899 case-sensitive highlighting, add the following line to your startup file: >
901 :let dtd_ignore_case=1
903 The DTD syntax file will highlight unknown tags as errors. If
904 this is annoying, it can be turned off by setting: >
906 :let dtd_no_tag_errors=1
908 before sourcing the dtd.vim syntax file.
909 Parameter entity names are highlighted in the definition using the
910 'Type' highlighting group and 'Comment' for punctuation and '%'.
911 Parameter entity instances are highlighted using the 'Constant'
912 highlighting group and the 'Type' highlighting group for the
913 delimiters % and ;. This can be turned off by setting: >
915 :let dtd_no_param_entities=1
917 The DTD syntax file is also included by xml.vim to highlight included dtd's.
920 EIFFEL *eiffel.vim* *ft-eiffel-syntax*
922 While Eiffel is not case-sensitive, its style guidelines are, and the
923 syntax highlighting file encourages their use. This also allows to
924 highlight class names differently. If you want to disable case-sensitive
925 highlighting, add the following line to your startup file: >
927 :let eiffel_ignore_case=1
929 Case still matters for class names and TODO marks in comments.
931 Conversely, for even stricter checks, add one of the following lines: >
934 :let eiffel_pedantic=1
936 Setting eiffel_strict will only catch improper capitalization for the
937 five predefined words "Current", "Void", "Result", "Precursor", and
938 "NONE", to warn against their accidental use as feature or class names.
940 Setting eiffel_pedantic will enforce adherence to the Eiffel style
941 guidelines fairly rigorously (like arbitrary mixes of upper- and
942 lowercase letters as well as outdated ways to capitalize keywords).
944 If you want to use the lower-case version of "Current", "Void",
945 "Result", and "Precursor", you can use >
947 :let eiffel_lower_case_predef=1
949 instead of completely turning case-sensitive highlighting off.
951 Support for ISE's proposed new creation syntax that is already
952 experimentally handled by some compilers can be enabled by: >
956 Finally, some vendors support hexadecimal constants. To handle them, add >
958 :let eiffel_hex_constants=1
960 to your startup file.
963 ERLANG *erlang.vim* *ft-erlang-syntax*
965 The erlang highlighting supports Erlang (ERicsson LANGuage).
966 Erlang is case sensitive and default extension is ".erl".
968 If you want to disable keywords highlighting, put in your .vimrc: >
969 :let erlang_keywords = 1
970 If you want to disable built-in-functions highlighting, put in your
972 :let erlang_functions = 1
973 If you want to disable special characters highlighting, put in
975 :let erlang_characters = 1
978 FLEXWIKI *flexwiki.vim* *ft-flexwiki-syntax*
980 FlexWiki is an ASP.NET-based wiki package available at http://www.flexwiki.com
982 Syntax highlighting is available for the most common elements of FlexWiki
983 syntax. The associated ftplugin script sets some buffer-local options to make
984 editing FlexWiki pages more convenient. FlexWiki considers a newline as the
985 start of a new paragraph, so the ftplugin sets 'tw'=0 (unlimited line length),
986 'wrap' (wrap long lines instead of using horizontal scrolling), 'linebreak'
987 (to wrap at a character in 'breakat' instead of at the last char on screen),
988 and so on. It also includes some keymaps that are disabled by default.
990 If you want to enable the keymaps that make "j" and "k" and the cursor keys
991 move up and down by display lines, add this to your .vimrc: >
992 :let flexwiki_maps = 1
995 FORM *form.vim* *ft-form-syntax*
997 The coloring scheme for syntax elements in the FORM file uses the default
998 modes Conditional, Number, Statement, Comment, PreProc, Type, and String,
999 following the language specifications in 'Symbolic Manipulation with FORM'' by
1000 J.A.M. Vermaseren, CAN, Netherlands, 1991.
1002 If you want include your own changes to the default colors, you have to
1003 redefine the following syntax groups:
1008 - formHeaderStatement
1015 Note that the form.vim syntax file implements FORM preprocessor commands and
1016 directives per default in the same syntax group.
1018 A predefined enhanced color mode for FORM is available to distinguish between
1019 header statements and statements in the body of a FORM program. To activate
1020 this mode define the following variable in your vimrc file >
1022 :let form_enhanced_color=1
1024 The enhanced mode also takes advantage of additional color features for a dark
1025 gvim display. Here, statements are colored LightYellow instead of Yellow, and
1026 conditionals are LightBlue for better distinction.
1029 FORTRAN *fortran.vim* *ft-fortran-syntax*
1031 Default highlighting and dialect ~
1032 Highlighting appropriate for f95 (Fortran 95) is used by default. This choice
1033 should be appropriate for most users most of the time because Fortran 95 is a
1034 superset of Fortran 90 and almost a superset of Fortran 77.
1036 Fortran source code form ~
1037 Fortran 9x code can be in either fixed or free source form. Note that the
1038 syntax highlighting will not be correct if the form is incorrectly set.
1040 When you create a new fortran file, the syntax script assumes fixed source
1041 form. If you always use free source form, then >
1042 :let fortran_free_source=1
1043 in your .vimrc prior to the :syntax on command. If you always use fixed source
1045 :let fortran_fixed_source=1
1046 in your .vimrc prior to the :syntax on command.
1048 If the form of the source code depends upon the file extension, then it is
1049 most convenient to set fortran_free_source in a ftplugin file. For more
1050 information on ftplugin files, see |ftplugin|. For example, if all your
1051 fortran files with an .f90 extension are written in free source form and the
1052 rest in fixed source form, add the following code to your ftplugin file >
1053 let s:extfname = expand("%:e")
1054 if s:extfname ==? "f90"
1055 let fortran_free_source=1
1056 unlet! fortran_fixed_source
1058 let fortran_fixed_source=1
1059 unlet! fortran_free_source
1061 Note that this will work only if the "filetype plugin indent on" command
1062 precedes the "syntax on" command in your .vimrc file.
1064 When you edit an existing fortran file, the syntax script will assume free
1065 source form if the fortran_free_source variable has been set, and assumes
1066 fixed source form if the fortran_fixed_source variable has been set. If
1067 neither of these variables have been set, the syntax script attempts to
1068 determine which source form has been used by examining the first five columns
1069 of the first 250 lines of your file. If no signs of free source form are
1070 detected, then the file is assumed to be in fixed source form. The algorithm
1071 should work in the vast majority of cases. In some cases, such as a file that
1072 begins with 250 or more full-line comments, the script may incorrectly decide
1073 that the fortran code is in fixed form. If that happens, just add a
1074 non-comment statement beginning anywhere in the first five columns of the
1075 first twenty five lines, save (:w) and then reload (:e!) the file.
1077 Tabs in fortran files ~
1078 Tabs are not recognized by the Fortran standards. Tabs are not a good idea in
1079 fixed format fortran source code which requires fixed column boundaries.
1080 Therefore, tabs are marked as errors. Nevertheless, some programmers like
1081 using tabs. If your fortran files contain tabs, then you should set the
1082 variable fortran_have_tabs in your .vimrc with a command such as >
1083 :let fortran_have_tabs=1
1084 placed prior to the :syntax on command. Unfortunately, the use of tabs will
1085 mean that the syntax file will not be able to detect incorrect margins.
1087 Syntax folding of fortran files ~
1088 If you wish to use foldmethod=syntax, then you must first set the variable
1089 fortran_fold with a command such as >
1091 to instruct the syntax script to define fold regions for program units, that
1092 is main programs starting with a program statement, subroutines, function
1093 subprograms, block data subprograms, interface blocks, and modules. If you
1094 also set the variable fortran_fold_conditionals with a command such as >
1095 :let fortran_fold_conditionals=1
1096 then fold regions will also be defined for do loops, if blocks, and select
1097 case constructs. If you also set the variable
1098 fortran_fold_multilinecomments with a command such as >
1099 :let fortran_fold_multilinecomments=1
1100 then fold regions will also be defined for three or more consecutive comment
1101 lines. Note that defining fold regions can be slow for large files.
1103 If fortran_fold, and possibly fortran_fold_conditionals and/or
1104 fortran_fold_multilinecomments, have been set, then vim will fold your file if
1105 you set foldmethod=syntax. Comments or blank lines placed between two program
1106 units are not folded because they are seen as not belonging to any program
1109 More precise fortran syntax ~
1110 If you set the variable fortran_more_precise with a command such as >
1111 :let fortran_more_precise=1
1112 then the syntax coloring will be more precise but slower. In particular,
1113 statement labels used in do, goto and arithmetic if statements will be
1114 recognized, as will construct names at the end of a do, if, select or forall
1117 Non-default fortran dialects ~
1118 The syntax script supports five Fortran dialects: f95, f90, f77, the Lahey
1119 subset elf90, and the Imagine1 subset F.
1121 If you use f77 with extensions, even common ones like do/enddo loops, do/while
1122 loops and free source form that are supported by most f77 compilers including
1123 g77 (GNU Fortran), then you will probably find the default highlighting
1124 satisfactory. However, if you use strict f77 with no extensions, not even free
1125 source form or the MIL STD 1753 extensions, then the advantages of setting the
1126 dialect to f77 are that names such as SUM are recognized as user variable
1127 names and not highlighted as f9x intrinsic functions, that obsolete constructs
1128 such as ASSIGN statements are not highlighted as todo items, and that fixed
1129 source form will be assumed.
1131 If you use elf90 or F, the advantage of setting the dialect appropriately is
1132 that f90 features excluded from these dialects will be highlighted as todo
1133 items and that free source form will be assumed as required for these
1136 The dialect can be selected by setting the variable fortran_dialect. The
1137 permissible values of fortran_dialect are case-sensitive and must be "f95",
1138 "f90", "f77", "elf" or "F". Invalid values of fortran_dialect are ignored.
1140 If all your fortran files use the same dialect, set fortran_dialect in your
1141 .vimrc prior to your syntax on statement. If the dialect depends upon the file
1142 extension, then it is most convenient to set it in a ftplugin file. For more
1143 information on ftplugin files, see |ftplugin|. For example, if all your
1144 fortran files with an .f90 extension are written in the elf subset, your
1145 ftplugin file should contain the code >
1146 let s:extfname = expand("%:e")
1147 if s:extfname ==? "f90"
1148 let fortran_dialect="elf"
1150 unlet! fortran_dialect
1152 Note that this will work only if the "filetype plugin indent on" command
1153 precedes the "syntax on" command in your .vimrc file.
1155 Finer control is necessary if the file extension does not uniquely identify
1156 the dialect. You can override the default dialect, on a file-by-file basis, by
1157 including a comment with the directive "fortran_dialect=xx" (where xx=f77 or
1158 elf or F or f90 or f95) in one of the first three lines in your file. For
1159 example, your older .f files may be written in extended f77 but your newer
1160 ones may be F codes, and you would identify the latter by including in the
1161 first three lines of those files a Fortran comment of the form >
1163 F overrides elf if both directives are present.
1166 Parenthesis checking does not catch too few closing parentheses. Hollerith
1167 strings are not recognized. Some keywords may be highlighted incorrectly
1168 because Fortran90 has no reserved words.
1170 For further information related to fortran, see |ft-fortran-indent| and
1171 |ft-fortran-plugin|.
1174 FVWM CONFIGURATION FILES *fvwm.vim* *ft-fvwm-syntax*
1176 In order for Vim to recognize Fvwm configuration files that do not match
1177 the patterns *fvwmrc* or *fvwm2rc* , you must put additional patterns
1178 appropriate to your system in your myfiletypes.vim file. For these
1179 patterns, you must set the variable "b:fvwm_version" to the major version
1180 number of Fvwm, and the 'filetype' option to fvwm.
1182 For example, to make Vim identify all files in /etc/X11/fvwm2/
1183 as Fvwm2 configuration files, add the following: >
1185 :au! BufNewFile,BufRead /etc/X11/fvwm2/* let b:fvwm_version = 2 |
1188 If you'd like Vim to highlight all valid color names, tell it where to
1189 find the color database (rgb.txt) on your system. Do this by setting
1190 "rgb_file" to its location. Assuming your color database is located
1191 in /usr/X11/lib/X11/, you should add the line >
1193 :let rgb_file = "/usr/X11/lib/X11/rgb.txt"
1195 to your .vimrc file.
1198 GSP *gsp.vim* *ft-gsp-syntax*
1200 The default coloring style for GSP pages is defined by |html.vim|, and
1201 the coloring for java code (within java tags or inline between backticks)
1202 is defined by |java.vim|. The following HTML groups defined in |html.vim|
1203 are redefined to incorporate and highlight inline java code:
1211 Highlighting should look fine most of the places where you'd see inline
1212 java code, but in some special cases it may not. To add another HTML
1213 group where you will have inline java code where it does not highlight
1214 correctly, just copy the line you want from |html.vim| and add gspJava
1215 to the contains clause.
1217 The backticks for inline java are highlighted according to the htmlError
1218 group to make them easier to see.
1221 GROFF *groff.vim* *ft-groff-syntax*
1223 The groff syntax file is a wrapper for |nroff.vim|, see the notes
1224 under that heading for examples of use and configuration. The purpose
1225 of this wrapper is to set up groff syntax extensions by setting the
1226 filetype from a |modeline| or in a personal filetype definitions file
1227 (see |filetype.txt|).
1230 HASKELL *haskell.vim* *lhaskell.vim* *ft-haskell-syntax*
1232 The Haskell syntax files support plain Haskell code as well as literate
1233 Haskell code, the latter in both Bird style and TeX style. The Haskell
1234 syntax highlighting will also highlight C preprocessor directives.
1236 If you want to highlight delimiter characters (useful if you have a
1237 light-coloured background), add to your .vimrc: >
1238 :let hs_highlight_delimiters = 1
1239 To treat True and False as keywords as opposed to ordinary identifiers,
1241 :let hs_highlight_boolean = 1
1242 To also treat the names of primitive types as keywords: >
1243 :let hs_highlight_types = 1
1244 And to treat the names of even more relatively common types as keywords: >
1245 :let hs_highlight_more_types = 1
1246 If you want to highlight the names of debugging functions, put in
1248 :let hs_highlight_debug = 1
1250 The Haskell syntax highlighting also highlights C preprocessor
1251 directives, and flags lines that start with # but are not valid
1252 directives as erroneous. This interferes with Haskell's syntax for
1253 operators, as they may start with #. If you want to highlight those
1254 as operators as opposed to errors, put in your .vimrc: >
1255 :let hs_allow_hash_operator = 1
1257 The syntax highlighting for literate Haskell code will try to
1258 automatically guess whether your literate Haskell code contains
1259 TeX markup or not, and correspondingly highlight TeX constructs
1260 or nothing at all. You can override this globally by putting
1262 :let lhs_markup = none
1263 for no highlighting at all, or >
1264 :let lhs_markup = tex
1265 to force the highlighting to always try to highlight TeX markup.
1266 For more flexibility, you may also use buffer local versions of
1267 this variable, so e.g. >
1268 :let b:lhs_markup = tex
1269 will force TeX highlighting for a particular buffer. It has to be
1270 set before turning syntax highlighting on for the buffer or
1274 HTML *html.vim* *ft-html-syntax*
1276 The coloring scheme for tags in the HTML file works as follows.
1278 The <> of opening tags are colored differently than the </> of a closing tag.
1279 This is on purpose! For opening tags the 'Function' color is used, while for
1280 closing tags the 'Type' color is used (See syntax.vim to check how those are
1283 Known tag names are colored the same way as statements in C. Unknown tag
1284 names are colored with the same color as the <> or </> respectively which
1285 makes it easy to spot errors
1287 Note that the same is true for argument (or attribute) names. Known attribute
1288 names are colored differently than unknown ones.
1290 Some HTML tags are used to change the rendering of text. The following tags
1291 are recognized by the html.vim syntax coloring file and change the way normal
1292 text is shown: <B> <I> <U> <EM> <STRONG> (<EM> is used as an alias for <I>,
1293 while <STRONG> as an alias for <B>), <H1> - <H6>, <HEAD>, <TITLE> and <A>, but
1294 only if used as a link (that is, it must include a href as in
1295 <A href="somefile.html">).
1297 If you want to change how such text is rendered, you must redefine the
1298 following syntax groups:
1302 - htmlBoldUnderlineItalic
1304 - htmlUnderlineItalic
1306 - htmlTitle for titles
1307 - htmlH1 - htmlH6 for headings
1309 To make this redefinition work you must redefine them all with the exception
1310 of the last two (htmlTitle and htmlH[1-6], which are optional) and define the
1311 following variable in your vimrc (this is due to the order in which the files
1312 are read during initialization) >
1313 :let html_my_rendering=1
1315 If you'd like to see an example download mysyntax.vim at
1316 http://www.fleiner.com/vim/download.html
1318 You can also disable this rendering by adding the following line to your
1320 :let html_no_rendering=1
1322 HTML comments are rather special (see an HTML reference document for the
1323 details), and the syntax coloring scheme will highlight all errors.
1324 However, if you prefer to use the wrong style (starts with <!-- and
1325 ends with --!>) you can define >
1326 :let html_wrong_comments=1
1328 JavaScript and Visual Basic embedded inside HTML documents are highlighted as
1329 'Special' with statements, comments, strings and so on colored as in standard
1330 programming languages. Note that only JavaScript and Visual Basic are currently
1331 supported, no other scripting language has been added yet.
1333 Embedded and inlined cascading style sheets (CSS) are highlighted too.
1335 There are several html preprocessor languages out there. html.vim has been
1336 written such that it should be trivial to include it. To do so add the
1337 following two lines to the syntax coloring file for that language
1338 (the example comes from the asp.vim file):
1340 runtime! syntax/html.vim
1341 syn cluster htmlPreproc add=asp
1343 Now you just need to make sure that you add all regions that contain
1344 the preprocessor language to the cluster htmlPreproc.
1347 HTML/OS (by Aestiva) *htmlos.vim* *ft-htmlos-syntax*
1349 The coloring scheme for HTML/OS works as follows:
1351 Functions and variable names are the same color by default, because VIM
1352 doesn't specify different colors for Functions and Identifiers. To change
1353 this (which is recommended if you want function names to be recognizable in a
1354 different color) you need to add the following line to either your ~/.vimrc: >
1355 :hi Function term=underline cterm=bold ctermfg=LightGray
1357 Of course, the ctermfg can be a different color if you choose.
1359 Another issues that HTML/OS runs into is that there is no special filetype to
1360 signify that it is a file with HTML/OS coding. You can change this by opening
1361 a file and turning on HTML/OS syntax by doing the following: >
1364 Lastly, it should be noted that the opening and closing characters to begin a
1365 block of HTML/OS code can either be << or [[ and >> or ]], respectively.
1368 IA64 *ia64.vim* *intel-itanium* *ft-ia64-syntax*
1370 Highlighting for the Intel Itanium 64 assembly language. See |asm.vim| for
1371 how to recognize this filetype.
1373 To have *.inc files be recognized as IA64, add this to your .vimrc file: >
1374 :let g:filetype_inc = "ia64"
1377 INFORM *inform.vim* *ft-inform-syntax*
1379 Inform highlighting includes symbols provided by the Inform Library, as
1380 most programs make extensive use of it. If do not wish Library symbols
1381 to be highlighted add this to your vim startup: >
1382 :let inform_highlight_simple=1
1384 By default it is assumed that Inform programs are Z-machine targeted,
1385 and highlights Z-machine assembly language symbols appropriately. If
1386 you intend your program to be targeted to a Glulx/Glk environment you
1387 need to add this to your startup sequence: >
1388 :let inform_highlight_glulx=1
1390 This will highlight Glulx opcodes instead, and also adds glk() to the
1391 set of highlighted system functions.
1393 The Inform compiler will flag certain obsolete keywords as errors when
1394 it encounters them. These keywords are normally highlighted as errors
1395 by Vim. To prevent such error highlighting, you must add this to your
1397 :let inform_suppress_obsolete=1
1399 By default, the language features highlighted conform to Compiler
1400 version 6.30 and Library version 6.11. If you are using an older
1401 Inform development environment, you may with to add this to your
1403 :let inform_highlight_old=1
1405 IDL *idl.vim* *idl-syntax*
1407 IDL (Interface Definition Language) files are used to define RPC calls. In
1408 Microsoft land, this is also used for defining COM interfaces and calls.
1410 IDL's structure is simple enough to permit a full grammar based approach to
1411 rather than using a few heuristics. The result is large and somewhat
1412 repetitive but seems to work.
1414 There are some Microsoft extensions to idl files that are here. Some of them
1415 are disabled by defining idl_no_ms_extensions.
1417 The more complex of the extensions are disabled by defining idl_no_extensions.
1421 idl_no_ms_extensions Disable some of the Microsoft specific
1423 idl_no_extensions Disable complex extensions
1424 idlsyntax_showerror Show IDL errors (can be rather intrusive, but
1426 idlsyntax_showerror_soft Use softer colours by default for errors
1429 JAVA *java.vim* *ft-java-syntax*
1431 The java.vim syntax highlighting file offers several options:
1433 In Java 1.0.2 it was never possible to have braces inside parens, so this was
1434 flagged as an error. Since Java 1.1 this is possible (with anonymous
1435 classes), and therefore is no longer marked as an error. If you prefer the old
1436 way, put the following line into your vim startup file: >
1437 :let java_mark_braces_in_parens_as_errors=1
1439 All identifiers in java.lang.* are always visible in all classes. To
1440 highlight them use: >
1441 :let java_highlight_java_lang_ids=1
1443 You can also highlight identifiers of most standard Java packages if you
1444 download the javaid.vim script at http://www.fleiner.com/vim/download.html.
1445 If you prefer to only highlight identifiers of a certain package, say java.io
1446 use the following: >
1447 :let java_highlight_java_io=1
1448 Check the javaid.vim file for a list of all the packages that are supported.
1450 Function names are not highlighted, as the way to find functions depends on
1451 how you write Java code. The syntax file knows two possible ways to highlight
1454 If you write function declarations that are always indented by either
1455 a tab, 8 spaces or 2 spaces you may want to set >
1456 :let java_highlight_functions="indent"
1457 However, if you follow the Java guidelines about how functions and classes are
1458 supposed to be named (with respect to upper and lowercase), use >
1459 :let java_highlight_functions="style"
1460 If both options do not work for you, but you would still want function
1461 declarations to be highlighted create your own definitions by changing the
1462 definitions in java.vim or by creating your own java.vim which includes the
1463 original one and then adds the code to highlight functions.
1465 In Java 1.1 the functions System.out.println() and System.err.println() should
1466 only be used for debugging. Therefore it is possible to highlight debugging
1467 statements differently. To do this you must add the following definition in
1468 your startup file: >
1469 :let java_highlight_debug=1
1470 The result will be that those statements are highlighted as 'Special'
1471 characters. If you prefer to have them highlighted differently you must define
1472 new highlightings for the following groups.:
1473 Debug, DebugSpecial, DebugString, DebugBoolean, DebugType
1474 which are used for the statement itself, special characters used in debug
1475 strings, strings, boolean constants and types (this, super) respectively. I
1476 have opted to chose another background for those statements.
1478 In order to help you to write code that can be easily ported between
1479 Java and C++, all C++ keywords are marked as error in a Java program.
1480 However, if you use them regularly, you may want to define the following
1481 variable in your .vimrc file: >
1482 :let java_allow_cpp_keywords=1
1484 Javadoc is a program that takes special comments out of Java program files and
1485 creates HTML pages. The standard configuration will highlight this HTML code
1486 similarly to HTML files (see |html.vim|). You can even add Javascript
1487 and CSS inside this code (see below). There are four differences however:
1488 1. The title (all characters up to the first '.' which is followed by
1489 some white space or up to the first '@') is colored differently (to change
1490 the color change the group CommentTitle).
1491 2. The text is colored as 'Comment'.
1492 3. HTML comments are colored as 'Special'
1493 4. The special Javadoc tags (@see, @param, ...) are highlighted as specials
1494 and the argument (for @see, @param, @exception) as Function.
1495 To turn this feature off add the following line to your startup file: >
1496 :let java_ignore_javadoc=1
1498 If you use the special Javadoc comment highlighting described above you
1499 can also turn on special highlighting for Javascript, visual basic
1500 scripts and embedded CSS (stylesheets). This makes only sense if you
1501 actually have Javadoc comments that include either Javascript or embedded
1502 CSS. The options to use are >
1503 :let java_javascript=1
1507 In order to highlight nested parens with different colors define colors
1508 for javaParen, javaParen1 and javaParen2, for example with >
1509 :hi link javaParen Comment
1511 :hi javaParen ctermfg=blue guifg=#0000ff
1513 If you notice highlighting errors while scrolling backwards, which are fixed
1514 when redrawing with CTRL-L, try setting the "java_minlines" internal variable
1515 to a larger number: >
1516 :let java_minlines = 50
1517 This will make the syntax synchronization start 50 lines before the first
1518 displayed line. The default value is 10. The disadvantage of using a larger
1519 number is that redrawing can become slow.
1522 LACE *lace.vim* *ft-lace-syntax*
1524 Lace (Language for Assembly of Classes in Eiffel) is case insensitive, but the
1525 style guide lines are not. If you prefer case insensitive highlighting, just
1526 define the vim variable 'lace_case_insensitive' in your startup file: >
1527 :let lace_case_insensitive=1
1530 LEX *lex.vim* *ft-lex-syntax*
1532 Lex uses brute-force synchronizing as the "^%%$" section delimiter
1533 gives no clue as to what section follows. Consequently, the value for >
1534 :syn sync minlines=300
1535 may be changed by the user if s/he is experiencing synchronization
1536 difficulties (such as may happen with large lex files).
1539 LISP *lisp.vim* *ft-lisp-syntax*
1541 The lisp syntax highlighting provides two options: >
1543 g:lisp_instring : if it exists, then "(...)" strings are highlighted
1544 as if the contents of the string were lisp.
1545 Useful for AutoLisp.
1546 g:lisp_rainbow : if it exists and is nonzero, then differing levels
1547 of parenthesization will receive different
1550 The g:lisp_rainbow option provides 10 levels of individual colorization for
1551 the parentheses and backquoted parentheses. Because of the quantity of
1552 colorization levels, unlike non-rainbow highlighting, the rainbow mode
1553 specifies its highlighting using ctermfg and guifg, thereby bypassing the
1554 usual colorscheme control using standard highlighting groups. The actual
1555 highlighting used depends on the dark/bright setting (see |'bg'|).
1558 LITE *lite.vim* *ft-lite-syntax*
1560 There are two options for the lite syntax highlighting.
1562 If you like SQL syntax highlighting inside Strings, use this: >
1564 :let lite_sql_query = 1
1566 For syncing, minlines defaults to 100. If you prefer another value, you can
1567 set "lite_minlines" to the value you desire. Example: >
1569 :let lite_minlines = 200
1572 LPC *lpc.vim* *ft-lpc-syntax*
1574 LPC stands for a simple, memory-efficient language: Lars Pensj| C. The
1575 file name of LPC is usually *.c. Recognizing these files as LPC would bother
1576 users writing only C programs. If you want to use LPC syntax in Vim, you
1577 should set a variable in your .vimrc file: >
1579 :let lpc_syntax_for_c = 1
1581 If it doesn't work properly for some particular C or LPC files, use a
1582 modeline. For a LPC file:
1586 For a C file that is recognized as LPC:
1590 If you don't want to set the variable, use the modeline in EVERY LPC file.
1592 There are several implementations for LPC, we intend to support most widely
1593 used ones. Here the default LPC syntax is for MudOS series, for MudOS v22
1594 and before, you should turn off the sensible modifiers, and this will also
1595 asserts the new efuns after v22 to be invalid, don't set this variable when
1596 you are using the latest version of MudOS: >
1598 :let lpc_pre_v22 = 1
1600 For LpMud 3.2 series of LPC: >
1602 :let lpc_compat_32 = 1
1604 For LPC4 series of LPC: >
1606 :let lpc_use_lpc4_syntax = 1
1608 For uLPC series of LPC:
1609 uLPC has been developed to Pike, so you should use Pike syntax
1610 instead, and the name of your source file should be *.pike
1613 LUA *lua.vim* *ft-lua-syntax*
1615 This syntax file may be used for Lua 4.0, Lua 5.0 or Lua 5.1 (the latter is
1616 the default). You can select one of these versions using the global variables
1617 lua_version and lua_subversion. For example, to activate Lua
1618 4.0 syntax highlighting, use this command: >
1620 :let lua_version = 4
1622 If you are using Lua 5.0, use these commands: >
1624 :let lua_version = 5
1625 :let lua_subversion = 0
1627 To restore highlighting for Lua 5.1: >
1629 :let lua_version = 5
1630 :let lua_subversion = 1
1633 MAIL *mail.vim* *ft-mail.vim*
1635 Vim highlights all the standard elements of an email (headers, signatures,
1636 quoted text and URLs / email addresses). In keeping with standard conventions,
1637 signatures begin in a line containing only "--" followed optionally by
1638 whitespaces and end with a newline.
1640 Vim treats lines beginning with ']', '}', '|', '>' or a word followed by '>'
1641 as quoted text. However Vim highlights headers and signatures in quoted text
1642 only if the text is quoted with '>' (optionally followed by one space).
1644 By default mail.vim synchronises syntax to 100 lines before the first
1645 displayed line. If you have a slow machine, and generally deal with emails
1646 with short headers, you can change this to a smaller value: >
1648 :let mail_minlines = 30
1651 MAKE *make.vim* *ft-make-syntax*
1653 In makefiles, commands are usually highlighted to make it easy for you to spot
1654 errors. However, this may be too much coloring for you. You can turn this
1655 feature off by using: >
1657 :let make_no_commands = 1
1660 MAPLE *maple.vim* *ft-maple-syntax*
1662 Maple V, by Waterloo Maple Inc, supports symbolic algebra. The language
1663 supports many packages of functions which are selectively loaded by the user.
1664 The standard set of packages' functions as supplied in Maple V release 4 may be
1665 highlighted at the user's discretion. Users may place in their .vimrc file: >
1669 to get all package functions highlighted, or users may select any subset by
1670 choosing a variable/package from the table below and setting that variable to
1671 1, also in their .vimrc file (prior to sourcing
1672 $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/syntax.vim).
1674 Table of Maple V Package Function Selectors >
1675 mv_DEtools mv_genfunc mv_networks mv_process
1676 mv_Galois mv_geometry mv_numapprox mv_simplex
1677 mv_GaussInt mv_grobner mv_numtheory mv_stats
1678 mv_LREtools mv_group mv_orthopoly mv_student
1679 mv_combinat mv_inttrans mv_padic mv_sumtools
1680 mv_combstruct mv_liesymm mv_plots mv_tensor
1681 mv_difforms mv_linalg mv_plottools mv_totorder
1682 mv_finance mv_logic mv_powseries
1685 MATHEMATICA *mma.vim* *ft-mma-syntax* *ft-mathematica-syntax*
1687 Empty *.m files will automatically be presumed to be Matlab files unless you
1688 have the following in your .vimrc: >
1690 let filetype_m = "mma"
1693 MOO *moo.vim* *ft-moo-syntax*
1695 If you use C-style comments inside expressions and find it mangles your
1696 highlighting, you may want to use extended (slow!) matches for C-style
1699 :let moo_extended_cstyle_comments = 1
1701 To disable highlighting of pronoun substitution patterns inside strings: >
1703 :let moo_no_pronoun_sub = 1
1705 To disable highlighting of the regular expression operator '%|', and matching
1706 '%(' and '%)' inside strings: >
1708 :let moo_no_regexp = 1
1710 Unmatched double quotes can be recognized and highlighted as errors: >
1712 :let moo_unmatched_quotes = 1
1714 To highlight builtin properties (.name, .location, .programmer etc.): >
1716 :let moo_builtin_properties = 1
1718 Unknown builtin functions can be recognized and highlighted as errors. If you
1719 use this option, add your own extensions to the mooKnownBuiltinFunction group.
1720 To enable this option: >
1722 :let moo_unknown_builtin_functions = 1
1724 An example of adding sprintf() to the list of known builtin functions: >
1726 :syn keyword mooKnownBuiltinFunction sprintf contained
1729 MSQL *msql.vim* *ft-msql-syntax*
1731 There are two options for the msql syntax highlighting.
1733 If you like SQL syntax highlighting inside Strings, use this: >
1735 :let msql_sql_query = 1
1737 For syncing, minlines defaults to 100. If you prefer another value, you can
1738 set "msql_minlines" to the value you desire. Example: >
1740 :let msql_minlines = 200
1743 NCF *ncf.vim* *ft-ncf-syntax*
1745 There is one option for NCF syntax highlighting.
1747 If you want to have unrecognized (by ncf.vim) statements highlighted as
1750 :let ncf_highlight_unknowns = 1
1752 If you don't want to highlight these errors, leave it unset.
1755 NROFF *nroff.vim* *ft-nroff-syntax*
1757 The nroff syntax file works with AT&T n/troff out of the box. You need to
1758 activate the GNU groff extra features included in the syntax file before you
1761 For example, Linux and BSD distributions use groff as their default text
1762 processing package. In order to activate the extra syntax highlighting
1763 features for groff, add the following option to your start-up files: >
1765 :let b:nroff_is_groff = 1
1767 Groff is different from the old AT&T n/troff that you may still find in
1768 Solaris. Groff macro and request names can be longer than 2 characters and
1769 there are extensions to the language primitives. For example, in AT&T troff
1770 you access the year as a 2-digit number with the request \(yr. In groff you
1771 can use the same request, recognized for compatibility, or you can use groff's
1772 native syntax, \[yr]. Furthermore, you can use a 4-digit year directly:
1773 \[year]. Macro requests can be longer than 2 characters, for example, GNU mm
1774 accepts the requests ".VERBON" and ".VERBOFF" for creating verbatim
1777 In order to obtain the best formatted output g/troff can give you, you should
1778 follow a few simple rules about spacing and punctuation.
1780 1. Do not leave empty spaces at the end of lines.
1782 2. Leave one space and one space only after an end-of-sentence period,
1783 exclamation mark, etc.
1785 3. For reasons stated below, it is best to follow all period marks with a
1788 The reason behind these unusual tips is that g/n/troff have a line breaking
1789 algorithm that can be easily upset if you don't follow the rules given above.
1791 Unlike TeX, troff fills text line-by-line, not paragraph-by-paragraph and,
1792 furthermore, it does not have a concept of glue or stretch, all horizontal and
1793 vertical space input will be output as is.
1795 Therefore, you should be careful about not using more space between sentences
1796 than you intend to have in your final document. For this reason, the common
1797 practice is to insert a carriage return immediately after all punctuation
1798 marks. If you want to have "even" text in your final processed output, you
1799 need to maintaining regular spacing in the input text. To mark both trailing
1800 spaces and two or more spaces after a punctuation as an error, use: >
1802 :let nroff_space_errors = 1
1804 Another technique to detect extra spacing and other errors that will interfere
1805 with the correct typesetting of your file, is to define an eye-catching
1806 highlighting definition for the syntax groups "nroffDefinition" and
1807 "nroffDefSpecial" in your configuration files. For example: >
1809 hi def nroffDefinition term=italic cterm=italic gui=reverse
1810 hi def nroffDefSpecial term=italic,bold cterm=italic,bold
1813 If you want to navigate preprocessor entries in your source file as easily as
1814 with section markers, you can activate the following option in your .vimrc
1817 let b:preprocs_as_sections = 1
1819 As well, the syntax file adds an extra paragraph marker for the extended
1820 paragraph macro (.XP) in the ms package.
1822 Finally, there is a |groff.vim| syntax file that can be used for enabling
1823 groff syntax highlighting either on a file basis or globally by default.
1826 OCAML *ocaml.vim* *ft-ocaml-syntax*
1828 The OCaml syntax file handles files having the following prefixes: .ml,
1829 .mli, .mll and .mly. By setting the following variable >
1831 :let ocaml_revised = 1
1833 you can switch from standard OCaml-syntax to revised syntax as supported
1834 by the camlp4 preprocessor. Setting the variable >
1836 :let ocaml_noend_error = 1
1838 prevents highlighting of "end" as error, which is useful when sources
1839 contain very long structures that Vim does not synchronize anymore.
1842 PAPP *papp.vim* *ft-papp-syntax*
1844 The PApp syntax file handles .papp files and, to a lesser extend, .pxml
1845 and .pxsl files which are all a mixture of perl/xml/html/other using xml
1846 as the top-level file format. By default everything inside phtml or pxml
1847 sections is treated as a string with embedded preprocessor commands. If
1848 you set the variable: >
1850 :let papp_include_html=1
1852 in your startup file it will try to syntax-hilight html code inside phtml
1853 sections, but this is relatively slow and much too colourful to be able to
1856 The newest version of the papp.vim syntax file can usually be found at
1857 http://papp.plan9.de.
1860 PASCAL *pascal.vim* *ft-pascal-syntax*
1862 Files matching "*.p" could be Progress or Pascal. If the automatic detection
1863 doesn't work for you, or you don't edit Progress at all, use this in your
1866 :let filetype_p = "pascal"
1868 The Pascal syntax file has been extended to take into account some extensions
1869 provided by Turbo Pascal, Free Pascal Compiler and GNU Pascal Compiler.
1870 Delphi keywords are also supported. By default, Turbo Pascal 7.0 features are
1871 enabled. If you prefer to stick with the standard Pascal keywords, add the
1872 following line to your startup file: >
1874 :let pascal_traditional=1
1876 To switch on Delphi specific constructions (such as one-line comments,
1879 :let pascal_delphi=1
1882 The option pascal_symbol_operator controls whether symbol operators such as +,
1883 *, .., etc. are displayed using the Operator color or not. To colorize symbol
1884 operators, add the following line to your startup file: >
1886 :let pascal_symbol_operator=1
1888 Some functions are highlighted by default. To switch it off: >
1890 :let pascal_no_functions=1
1892 Furthermore, there are specific variable for some compiler. Besides
1893 pascal_delphi, there are pascal_gpc and pascal_fpc. Default extensions try to
1894 match Turbo Pascal. >
1902 To ensure that strings are defined on a single line, you can define the
1903 pascal_one_line_string variable. >
1905 :let pascal_one_line_string=1
1907 If you dislike <Tab> chars, you can set the pascal_no_tabs variable. Tabs
1908 will be highlighted as Error. >
1910 :let pascal_no_tabs=1
1914 PERL *perl.vim* *ft-perl-syntax*
1916 There are a number of possible options to the perl syntax highlighting.
1918 If you use POD files or POD segments, you might: >
1920 :let perl_include_pod = 1
1922 The reduce the complexity of parsing (and increase performance) you can switch
1923 off two elements in the parsing of variable names and contents. >
1925 To handle package references in variable and function names not differently
1926 from the rest of the name (like 'PkgName::' in '$PkgName::VarName'): >
1928 :let perl_no_scope_in_variables = 1
1930 (In Vim 6.x it was the other way around: "perl_want_scope_in_variables"
1933 If you do not want complex things like '@{${"foo"}}' to be parsed: >
1935 :let perl_no_extended_vars = 1
1937 (In Vim 6.x it was the other way around: "perl_extended_vars" enabled it.)
1939 The coloring strings can be changed. By default strings and qq friends will be
1940 highlighted like the first line. If you set the variable
1941 perl_string_as_statement, it will be highlighted as in the second line.
1943 "hello world!"; qq|hello world|;
1944 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^NN^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^N (unlet perl_string_as_statement)
1945 S^^^^^^^^^^^^SNNSSS^^^^^^^^^^^SN (let perl_string_as_statement)
1947 (^ = perlString, S = perlStatement, N = None at all)
1949 The syncing has 3 options. The first two switch off some triggering of
1950 synchronization and should only be needed in case it fails to work properly.
1951 If while scrolling all of a sudden the whole screen changes color completely
1952 then you should try and switch off one of those. Let me know if you can figure
1953 out the line that causes the mistake.
1955 One triggers on "^\s*sub\s*" and the other on "^[$@%]" more or less. >
1957 :let perl_no_sync_on_sub
1958 :let perl_no_sync_on_global_var
1960 Below you can set the maximum distance VIM should look for starting points for
1961 its attempts in syntax highlighting. >
1963 :let perl_sync_dist = 100
1965 If you want to use folding with perl, set perl_fold: >
1969 If you want to fold blocks in if statements, etc. as well set the following: >
1971 :let perl_fold_blocks = 1
1973 To avoid folding packages or subs when perl_fold is let, let the appropriate
1976 :unlet perl_nofold_packages
1977 :unlet perl_nofold_subs
1981 PHP3 and PHP4 *php.vim* *php3.vim* *ft-php-syntax* *ft-php3-syntax*
1983 [note: previously this was called "php3", but since it now also supports php4
1984 it has been renamed to "php"]
1986 There are the following options for the php syntax highlighting.
1988 If you like SQL syntax highlighting inside Strings: >
1990 let php_sql_query = 1
1992 For highlighting the Baselib methods: >
1996 Enable HTML syntax highlighting inside strings: >
1998 let php_htmlInStrings = 1
2000 Using the old colorstyle: >
2002 let php_oldStyle = 1
2004 Enable highlighting ASP-style short tags: >
2006 let php_asp_tags = 1
2008 Disable short tags: >
2010 let php_noShortTags = 1
2012 For highlighting parent error ] or ): >
2014 let php_parent_error_close = 1
2016 For skipping an php end tag, if there exists an open ( or [ without a closing
2019 let php_parent_error_open = 1
2021 Enable folding for classes and functions: >
2025 Selecting syncing method: >
2027 let php_sync_method = x
2029 x = -1 to sync by search (default),
2030 x > 0 to sync at least x lines backwards,
2031 x = 0 to sync from start.
2034 PLAINTEX *plaintex.vim* *ft-plaintex-syntax*
2036 TeX is a typesetting language, and plaintex is the file type for the "plain"
2037 variant of TeX. If you never want your *.tex files recognized as plain TeX,
2038 see |ft-tex-plugin|.
2040 This syntax file has the option >
2042 let g:plaintex_delimiters = 1
2044 if you want to highlight brackets "[]" and braces "{}".
2047 PPWIZARD *ppwiz.vim* *ft-ppwiz-syntax*
2049 PPWizard is a preprocessor for HTML and OS/2 INF files
2051 This syntax file has the options:
2053 - ppwiz_highlight_defs : determines highlighting mode for PPWizard's
2054 definitions. Possible values are
2056 ppwiz_highlight_defs = 1 : PPWizard #define statements retain the
2057 colors of their contents (e.g. PPWizard macros and variables)
2059 ppwiz_highlight_defs = 2 : preprocessor #define and #evaluate
2060 statements are shown in a single color with the exception of line
2061 continuation symbols
2063 The default setting for ppwiz_highlight_defs is 1.
2065 - ppwiz_with_html : If the value is 1 (the default), highlight literal
2066 HTML code; if 0, treat HTML code like ordinary text.
2069 PHTML *phtml.vim* *ft-phtml-syntax*
2071 There are two options for the phtml syntax highlighting.
2073 If you like SQL syntax highlighting inside Strings, use this: >
2075 :let phtml_sql_query = 1
2077 For syncing, minlines defaults to 100. If you prefer another value, you can
2078 set "phtml_minlines" to the value you desire. Example: >
2080 :let phtml_minlines = 200
2083 POSTSCRIPT *postscr.vim* *ft-postscr-syntax*
2085 There are several options when it comes to highlighting PostScript.
2087 First which version of the PostScript language to highlight. There are
2088 currently three defined language versions, or levels. Level 1 is the original
2089 and base version, and includes all extensions prior to the release of level 2.
2090 Level 2 is the most common version around, and includes its own set of
2091 extensions prior to the release of level 3. Level 3 is currently the highest
2092 level supported. You select which level of the PostScript language you want
2093 highlighted by defining the postscr_level variable as follows: >
2095 :let postscr_level=2
2097 If this variable is not defined it defaults to 2 (level 2) since this is
2098 the most prevalent version currently.
2100 Note, not all PS interpreters will support all language features for a
2101 particular language level. In particular the %!PS-Adobe-3.0 at the start of
2102 PS files does NOT mean the PostScript present is level 3 PostScript!
2104 If you are working with Display PostScript, you can include highlighting of
2105 Display PS language features by defining the postscr_display variable as
2108 :let postscr_display=1
2110 If you are working with Ghostscript, you can include highlighting of
2111 Ghostscript specific language features by defining the variable
2112 postscr_ghostscript as follows: >
2114 :let postscr_ghostscript=1
2116 PostScript is a large language, with many predefined elements. While it
2117 useful to have all these elements highlighted, on slower machines this can
2118 cause Vim to slow down. In an attempt to be machine friendly font names and
2119 character encodings are not highlighted by default. Unless you are working
2120 explicitly with either of these this should be ok. If you want them to be
2121 highlighted you should set one or both of the following variables: >
2123 :let postscr_fonts=1
2124 :let postscr_encodings=1
2126 There is a stylistic option to the highlighting of and, or, and not. In
2127 PostScript the function of these operators depends on the types of their
2128 operands - if the operands are booleans then they are the logical operators,
2129 if they are integers then they are binary operators. As binary and logical
2130 operators can be highlighted differently they have to be highlighted one way
2131 or the other. By default they are treated as logical operators. They can be
2132 highlighted as binary operators by defining the variable
2133 postscr_andornot_binary as follows: >
2135 :let postscr_andornot_binary=1
2138 *ptcap.vim* *ft-printcap-syntax*
2139 PRINTCAP + TERMCAP *ft-ptcap-syntax* *ft-termcap-syntax*
2141 This syntax file applies to the printcap and termcap databases.
2143 In order for Vim to recognize printcap/termcap files that do not match
2144 the patterns *printcap*, or *termcap*, you must put additional patterns
2145 appropriate to your system in your |myfiletypefile| file. For these
2146 patterns, you must set the variable "b:ptcap_type" to either "print" or
2147 "term", and then the 'filetype' option to ptcap.
2149 For example, to make Vim identify all files in /etc/termcaps/ as termcap
2150 files, add the following: >
2152 :au BufNewFile,BufRead /etc/termcaps/* let b:ptcap_type = "term" |
2153 \ set filetype=ptcap
2155 If you notice highlighting errors while scrolling backwards, which
2156 are fixed when redrawing with CTRL-L, try setting the "ptcap_minlines"
2157 internal variable to a larger number: >
2159 :let ptcap_minlines = 50
2161 (The default is 20 lines.)
2164 PROGRESS *progress.vim* *ft-progress-syntax*
2166 Files matching "*.w" could be Progress or cweb. If the automatic detection
2167 doesn't work for you, or you don't edit cweb at all, use this in your
2169 :let filetype_w = "progress"
2170 The same happens for "*.i", which could be assembly, and "*.p", which could be
2171 Pascal. Use this if you don't use assembly and Pascal: >
2172 :let filetype_i = "progress"
2173 :let filetype_p = "progress"
2176 PYTHON *python.vim* *ft-python-syntax*
2178 There are four options to control Python syntax highlighting.
2180 For highlighted numbers: >
2181 :let python_highlight_numbers = 1
2183 For highlighted builtin functions: >
2184 :let python_highlight_builtins = 1
2186 For highlighted standard exceptions: >
2187 :let python_highlight_exceptions = 1
2189 For highlighted trailing whitespace and mix of spaces and tabs:
2190 :let python_highlight_space_errors = 1
2192 If you want all possible Python highlighting (the same as setting the
2193 preceding three options): >
2194 :let python_highlight_all = 1
2197 QUAKE *quake.vim* *ft-quake-syntax*
2199 The Quake syntax definition should work for most any FPS (First Person
2200 Shooter) based on one of the Quake engines. However, the command names vary
2201 a bit between the three games (Quake, Quake 2, and Quake 3 Arena) so the
2202 syntax definition checks for the existence of three global variables to allow
2203 users to specify what commands are legal in their files. The three variables
2204 can be set for the following effects:
2206 set to highlight commands only available in Quake: >
2207 :let quake_is_quake1 = 1
2209 set to highlight commands only available in Quake 2: >
2210 :let quake_is_quake2 = 1
2212 set to highlight commands only available in Quake 3 Arena: >
2213 :let quake_is_quake3 = 1
2215 Any combination of these three variables is legal, but might highlight more
2216 commands than are actually available to you by the game.
2219 READLINE *readline.vim* *ft-readline-syntax*
2221 The readline library is primarily used by the BASH shell, which adds quite a
2222 few commands and options to the ones already available. To highlight these
2223 items as well you can add the following to your |vimrc| or just type it in the
2224 command line before loading a file with the readline syntax: >
2225 let readline_has_bash = 1
2227 This will add highlighting for the commands that BASH (version 2.05a and
2228 later, and part earlier) adds.
2231 REXX *rexx.vim* *ft-rexx-syntax*
2233 If you notice highlighting errors while scrolling backwards, which are fixed
2234 when redrawing with CTRL-L, try setting the "rexx_minlines" internal variable
2235 to a larger number: >
2236 :let rexx_minlines = 50
2237 This will make the syntax synchronization start 50 lines before the first
2238 displayed line. The default value is 10. The disadvantage of using a larger
2239 number is that redrawing can become slow.
2242 RUBY *ruby.vim* *ft-ruby-syntax*
2244 There are a number of options to the Ruby syntax highlighting.
2246 By default, the "end" keyword is colorized according to the opening statement
2247 of the block it closes. While useful, this feature can be expensive; if you
2248 experience slow redrawing (or you are on a terminal with poor color support)
2249 you may want to turn it off by defining the "ruby_no_expensive" variable: >
2251 :let ruby_no_expensive = 1
2253 In this case the same color will be used for all control keywords.
2255 If you do want this feature enabled, but notice highlighting errors while
2256 scrolling backwards, which are fixed when redrawing with CTRL-L, try setting
2257 the "ruby_minlines" variable to a value larger than 50: >
2259 :let ruby_minlines = 100
2261 Ideally, this value should be a number of lines large enough to embrace your
2262 largest class or module.
2264 Highlighting of special identifiers can be disabled by removing the
2265 rubyIdentifier highlighting: >
2267 :hi link rubyIdentifier NONE
2269 This will prevent highlighting of special identifiers like "ConstantName",
2270 "$global_var", "@@class_var", "@instance_var", "| block_param |", and
2273 Significant methods of Kernel, Module and Object are highlighted by default.
2274 This can be disabled by defining "ruby_no_special_methods": >
2276 :let ruby_no_special_methods = 1
2278 This will prevent highlighting of important methods such as "require", "attr",
2279 "private", "raise" and "proc".
2281 Ruby operators can be highlighted. This is enabled by defining
2284 :let ruby_operators = 1
2286 Whitespace errors can be highlighted by defining "ruby_space_errors": >
2288 :let ruby_space_errors = 1
2290 This will highlight trailing whitespace and tabs preceded by a space character
2291 as errors. This can be refined by defining "ruby_no_trail_space_error" and
2292 "ruby_no_tab_space_error" which will ignore trailing whitespace and tabs after
2293 spaces respectively.
2295 Folding can be enabled by defining "ruby_fold": >
2299 This will set the 'foldmethod' option to "syntax" and allow folding of
2300 classes, modules, methods, code blocks, heredocs and comments.
2302 Folding of multiline comments can be disabled by defining
2303 "ruby_no_comment_fold": >
2305 :let ruby_no_comment_fold = 1
2308 SCHEME *scheme.vim* *ft-scheme-syntax*
2310 By default only R5RS keywords are highlighted and properly indented.
2312 MzScheme-specific stuff will be used if b:is_mzscheme or g:is_mzscheme
2313 variables are defined.
2315 Also scheme.vim supports keywords of the Chicken Scheme->C compiler. Define
2316 b:is_chicken or g:is_chicken, if you need them.
2319 SDL *sdl.vim* *ft-sdl-syntax*
2321 The SDL highlighting probably misses a few keywords, but SDL has so many
2322 of them it's almost impossibly to cope.
2324 The new standard, SDL-2000, specifies that all identifiers are
2325 case-sensitive (which was not so before), and that all keywords can be
2326 used either completely lowercase or completely uppercase. To have the
2327 highlighting reflect this, you can set the following variable: >
2330 This also sets many new keywords. If you want to disable the old
2331 keywords, which is probably a good idea, use: >
2335 The indentation is probably also incomplete, but right now I am very
2336 satisfied with it for my own projects.
2339 SED *sed.vim* *ft-sed-syntax*
2341 To make tabs stand out from regular blanks (accomplished by using Todo
2342 highlighting on the tabs), define "highlight_sedtabs" by putting >
2344 :let highlight_sedtabs = 1
2346 in the vimrc file. (This special highlighting only applies for tabs
2347 inside search patterns, replacement texts, addresses or text included
2348 by an Append/Change/Insert command.) If you enable this option, it is
2349 also a good idea to set the tab width to one character; by doing that,
2350 you can easily count the number of tabs in a string.
2354 The transform command (y) is treated exactly like the substitute
2355 command. This means that, as far as this syntax file is concerned,
2356 transform accepts the same flags as substitute, which is wrong.
2357 (Transform accepts no flags.) I tolerate this bug because the
2358 involved commands need very complex treatment (95 patterns, one for
2359 each plausible pattern delimiter).
2362 SGML *sgml.vim* *ft-sgml-syntax*
2364 The coloring scheme for tags in the SGML file works as follows.
2366 The <> of opening tags are colored differently than the </> of a closing tag.
2367 This is on purpose! For opening tags the 'Function' color is used, while for
2368 closing tags the 'Type' color is used (See syntax.vim to check how those are
2371 Known tag names are colored the same way as statements in C. Unknown tag
2372 names are not colored which makes it easy to spot errors.
2374 Note that the same is true for argument (or attribute) names. Known attribute
2375 names are colored differently than unknown ones.
2377 Some SGML tags are used to change the rendering of text. The following tags
2378 are recognized by the sgml.vim syntax coloring file and change the way normal
2379 text is shown: <varname> <emphasis> <command> <function> <literal>
2380 <replaceable> <ulink> and <link>.
2382 If you want to change how such text is rendered, you must redefine the
2383 following syntax groups:
2389 - sgmlLink for links
2391 To make this redefinition work you must redefine them all and define the
2392 following variable in your vimrc (this is due to the order in which the files
2393 are read during initialization) >
2394 let sgml_my_rendering=1
2396 You can also disable this rendering by adding the following line to your
2398 let sgml_no_rendering=1
2400 (Adapted from the html.vim help text by Claudio Fleiner <claudio@fleiner.com>)
2403 SH *sh.vim* *ft-sh-syntax* *ft-bash-syntax* *ft-ksh-syntax*
2405 This covers the "normal" Unix (Borne) sh, bash and the Korn shell.
2407 Vim attempts to determine which shell type is in use by specifying that
2408 various filenames are of specific types: >
2411 bash: .bashrc* bashrc bash.bashrc .bash_profile* *.bash
2413 If none of these cases pertain, then the first line of the file is examined
2414 (ex. /bin/sh /bin/ksh /bin/bash). If the first line specifies a shelltype,
2415 then that shelltype is used. However some files (ex. .profile) are known to
2416 be shell files but the type is not apparent. Furthermore, on many systems
2417 sh is symbolically linked to "bash" (Linux, Windows+cygwin) or "ksh" (Posix).
2419 One may specify a global default by instantiating one of the following three
2420 variables in your <.vimrc>:
2423 let g:is_kornshell = 1
2424 < posix: (using this is the same as setting is_kornshell to 1) >
2428 < sh: (default) Borne shell >
2431 If there's no "#! ..." line, and the user hasn't availed himself/herself of a
2432 default sh.vim syntax setting as just shown, then syntax/sh.vim will assume
2433 the Borne shell syntax. No need to quote RFCs or market penetration
2434 statistics in error reports, please -- just select the default version of
2435 the sh your system uses in your <.vimrc>.
2437 If, in your <.vimrc>, you set >
2438 let g:sh_fold_enabled= 1
2440 then various syntax items (HereDocuments and function bodies) become
2441 syntax-foldable (see |:syn-fold|).
2443 If you notice highlighting errors while scrolling backwards, which are fixed
2444 when redrawing with CTRL-L, try setting the "sh_minlines" internal variable
2445 to a larger number. Example: >
2447 let sh_minlines = 500
2449 This will make syntax synchronization start 500 lines before the first
2450 displayed line. The default value is 200. The disadvantage of using a larger
2451 number is that redrawing can become slow.
2453 If you don't have much to synchronize on, displaying can be very slow. To
2454 reduce this, the "sh_maxlines" internal variable can be set. Example: >
2456 let sh_maxlines = 100
2458 The default is to use the twice sh_minlines. Set it to a smaller number to
2459 speed up displaying. The disadvantage is that highlight errors may appear.
2462 SPEEDUP (AspenTech plant simulator) *spup.vim* *ft-spup-syntax*
2464 The Speedup syntax file has some options:
2466 - strict_subsections : If this variable is defined, only keywords for
2467 sections and subsections will be highlighted as statements but not
2468 other keywords (like WITHIN in the OPERATION section).
2470 - highlight_types : Definition of this variable causes stream types
2471 like temperature or pressure to be highlighted as Type, not as a
2472 plain Identifier. Included are the types that are usually found in
2473 the DECLARE section; if you defined own types, you have to include
2474 them in the syntax file.
2476 - oneline_comments : this value ranges from 1 to 3 and determines the
2477 highlighting of # style comments.
2479 oneline_comments = 1 : allow normal Speedup code after an even
2482 oneline_comments = 2 : show code starting with the second # as
2483 error. This is the default setting.
2485 oneline_comments = 3 : show the whole line as error if it contains
2488 Since especially OPERATION sections tend to become very large due to
2489 PRESETting variables, syncing may be critical. If your computer is
2490 fast enough, you can increase minlines and/or maxlines near the end of
2494 SQL *sql.vim* *ft-sql-syntax*
2495 *sqlinformix.vim* *ft-sqlinformix-syntax*
2496 *sqlanywhere.vim* *ft-sqlanywhere-syntax*
2498 While there is an ANSI standard for SQL, most database engines add their own
2499 custom extensions. Vim currently supports the Oracle and Informix dialects of
2500 SQL. Vim assumes "*.sql" files are Oracle SQL by default.
2502 Vim currently has SQL support for a variety of different vendors via syntax
2503 scripts. You can change Vim's default from Oracle to any of the current SQL
2504 supported types. You can also easily alter the SQL dialect being used on a
2505 buffer by buffer basis.
2507 For more detailed instructions see |sql.txt|.
2510 TCSH *tcsh.vim* *ft-tcsh-syntax*
2512 This covers the shell named "tcsh". It is a superset of csh. See |csh.vim|
2513 for how the filetype is detected.
2515 Tcsh does not allow \" in strings unless the "backslash_quote" shell variable
2516 is set. If you want VIM to assume that no backslash quote constructs exist add
2517 this line to your .vimrc: >
2519 :let tcsh_backslash_quote = 0
2521 If you notice highlighting errors while scrolling backwards, which are fixed
2522 when redrawing with CTRL-L, try setting the "tcsh_minlines" internal variable
2523 to a larger number: >
2525 :let tcsh_minlines = 100
2527 This will make the syntax synchronization start 100 lines before the first
2528 displayed line. The default value is 15. The disadvantage of using a larger
2529 number is that redrawing can become slow.
2532 TEX *tex.vim* *ft-tex-syntax*
2535 Want Syntax Folding? ~
2537 As of version 28 of <syntax/tex.vim>, syntax-based folding of parts, chapters,
2538 sections, subsections, etc are supported. Put >
2539 let g:tex_fold_enabled=1
2540 in your <.vimrc>, and :set fdm=syntax. I suggest doing the latter via a
2541 modeline at the end of your LaTeX file: >
2545 Run-on Comments/Math? ~
2547 The <syntax/tex.vim> highlighting supports TeX, LaTeX, and some AmsTeX. The
2548 highlighting supports three primary zones/regions: normal, texZone, and
2549 texMathZone. Although considerable effort has been made to have these zones
2550 terminate properly, zones delineated by $..$ and $$..$$ cannot be synchronized
2551 as there's no difference between start and end patterns. Consequently, a
2552 special "TeX comment" has been provided >
2554 which will forcibly terminate the highlighting of either a texZone or a
2558 Slow Syntax Highlighting? ~
2560 If you have a slow computer, you may wish to reduce the values for >
2561 :syn sync maxlines=200
2562 :syn sync minlines=50
2563 (especially the latter). If your computer is fast, you may wish to
2564 increase them. This primarily affects synchronizing (i.e. just what group,
2565 if any, is the text at the top of the screen supposed to be in?).
2567 *tex-morecommands* *tex-package*
2568 Wish To Highlight More Commmands? ~
2570 LaTeX is a programmable language, and so there are thousands of packages full
2571 of specialized LaTeX commands, syntax, and fonts. If you're using such a
2572 package you'll often wish that the distributed syntax/tex.vim would support
2573 it. However, clearly this is impractical. So please consider using the
2574 techniques in |mysyntaxfile-add| to extend or modify the highlighting provided
2578 Excessive Error Highlighting? ~
2580 The <tex.vim> supports lexical error checking of various sorts. Thus,
2581 although the error checking is ofttimes very useful, it can indicate
2582 errors where none actually are. If this proves to be a problem for you,
2583 you may put in your <.vimrc> the following statement: >
2585 and all error checking by <syntax/tex.vim> will be suppressed.
2588 Need a new Math Group? ~
2590 If you want to include a new math group in your LaTeX, the following
2591 code shows you an example as to how you might do so: >
2592 call TexNewMathZone(sfx,mathzone,starform)
2593 You'll want to provide the new math group with a unique suffix
2594 (currently, A-L and V-Z are taken by <syntax/tex.vim> itself).
2595 As an example, consider how eqnarray is set up by <syntax/tex.vim>: >
2596 call TexNewMathZone("D","eqnarray",1)
2597 You'll need to change "mathzone" to the name of your new math group,
2598 and then to the call to it in .vim/after/syntax/tex.vim.
2599 The "starform" variable, if true, implies that your new math group
2600 has a starred form (ie. eqnarray*).
2603 Starting a New Style? ~
2605 One may use "\makeatletter" in *.tex files, thereby making the use of "@" in
2606 commands available. However, since the *.tex file doesn't have one of the
2607 following suffices: sty cls clo dtx ltx, the syntax highlighting will flag
2608 such use of @ as an error. To solve this: >
2610 :let b:tex_stylish = 1
2613 Putting "let g:tex_stylish=1" into your <.vimrc> will make <syntax/tex.vim>
2614 always accept such use of @.
2617 TF *tf.vim* *ft-tf-syntax*
2619 There is one option for the tf syntax highlighting.
2621 For syncing, minlines defaults to 100. If you prefer another value, you can
2622 set "tf_minlines" to the value you desire. Example: >
2624 :let tf_minlines = your choice
2627 VIM *vim.vim* *ft-vim-syntax*
2629 There is a tradeoff between more accurate syntax highlighting versus
2630 screen updating speed. To improve accuracy, you may wish to increase
2631 the g:vim_minlines variable. The g:vim_maxlines variable may be used
2632 to improve screen updating rates (see |:syn-sync| for more on this).
2634 g:vim_minlines : used to set synchronization minlines
2635 g:vim_maxlines : used to set synchronization maxlines
2637 The g:vimembedscript option allows for somewhat faster loading of syntax
2638 highlighting for vim scripts at the expense of supporting syntax highlighting
2639 for external scripting languages (currently perl, python, ruby, and tcl).
2641 g:vimembedscript == 1 (default) <vim.vim> will allow highlighting
2642 g:vimembedscript doesn't exist of supported embedded scripting
2643 languages: perl, python, ruby and
2646 g:vimembedscript == 0 Syntax highlighting for embedded
2647 scripting languages will not be
2650 Not all error highlighting that syntax/vim.vim does may be correct; VimL is a
2651 difficult language to highlight correctly. A way to suppress error
2652 highlighting is to put: >
2654 let g:vimsyntax_noerror = 1
2659 XF86CONFIG *xf86conf.vim* *ft-xf86conf-syntax*
2661 The syntax of XF86Config file differs in XFree86 v3.x and v4.x. Both
2662 variants are supported. Automatic detection is used, but is far from perfect.
2663 You may need to specify the version manually. Set the variable
2664 xf86conf_xfree86_version to 3 or 4 according to your XFree86 version in
2665 your .vimrc. Example: >
2666 :let xf86conf_xfree86_version=3
2667 When using a mix of versions, set the b:xf86conf_xfree86_version variable.
2669 Note that spaces and underscores in option names are not supported. Use
2670 "SyncOnGreen" instead of "__s yn con gr_e_e_n" if you want the option name
2674 XML *xml.vim* *ft-xml-syntax*
2676 Xml namespaces are highlighted by default. This can be inhibited by
2677 setting a global variable: >
2679 :let g:xml_namespace_transparent=1
2682 The xml syntax file provides syntax |folding| (see |:syn-fold|) between
2683 start and end tags. This can be turned on by >
2685 :let g:xml_syntax_folding = 1
2686 :set foldmethod=syntax
2688 Note: syntax folding might slow down syntax highlighting significantly,
2689 especially for large files.
2692 X Pixmaps (XPM) *xpm.vim* *ft-xpm-syntax*
2694 xpm.vim creates its syntax items dynamically based upon the contents of the
2695 XPM file. Thus if you make changes e.g. in the color specification strings,
2696 you have to source it again e.g. with ":set syn=xpm".
2698 To copy a pixel with one of the colors, yank a "pixel" with "yl" and insert it
2699 somewhere else with "P".
2701 Do you want to draw with the mouse? Try the following: >
2702 :function! GetPixel()
2703 : let c = getline(".")[col(".") - 1]
2705 : exe "noremap <LeftMouse> <LeftMouse>r".c
2706 : exe "noremap <LeftDrag> <LeftMouse>r".c
2708 :noremap <RightMouse> <LeftMouse>:call GetPixel()<CR>
2709 :set guicursor=n:hor20 " to see the color beneath the cursor
2710 This turns the right button into a pipette and the left button into a pen.
2711 It will work with XPM files that have one character per pixel only and you
2712 must not click outside of the pixel strings, but feel free to improve it.
2714 It will look much better with a font in a quadratic cell size, e.g. for X: >
2715 :set guifont=-*-clean-medium-r-*-*-8-*-*-*-*-80-*
2717 ==============================================================================
2718 5. Defining a syntax *:syn-define* *E410*
2720 Vim understands three types of syntax items:
2723 It can only contain keyword characters, according to the 'iskeyword'
2724 option. It cannot contain other syntax items. It will only match with a
2725 complete word (there are no keyword characters before or after the match).
2726 The keyword "if" would match in "if(a=b)", but not in "ifdef x", because
2727 "(" is not a keyword character and "d" is.
2730 This is a match with a single regexp pattern.
2733 This starts at a match of the "start" regexp pattern and ends with a match
2734 with the "end" regexp pattern. Any other text can appear in between. A
2735 "skip" regexp pattern can be used to avoid matching the "end" pattern.
2737 Several syntax ITEMs can be put into one syntax GROUP. For a syntax group
2738 you can give highlighting attributes. For example, you could have an item
2739 to define a "/* .. */" comment and another one that defines a "// .." comment,
2740 and put them both in the "Comment" group. You can then specify that a
2741 "Comment" will be in bold font and have a blue color. You are free to make
2742 one highlight group for one syntax item, or put all items into one group.
2743 This depends on how you want to specify your highlighting attributes. Putting
2744 each item in its own group results in having to specify the highlighting
2745 for a lot of groups.
2747 Note that a syntax group and a highlight group are similar. For a highlight
2748 group you will have given highlight attributes. These attributes will be used
2749 for the syntax group with the same name.
2751 In case more than one item matches at the same position, the one that was
2752 defined LAST wins. Thus you can override previously defined syntax items by
2753 using an item that matches the same text. But a keyword always goes before a
2754 match or region. And a keyword with matching case always goes before a
2755 keyword with ignoring case.
2758 PRIORITY *:syn-priority*
2760 When several syntax items may match, these rules are used:
2762 1. When multiple Match or Region items start in the same position, the item
2763 defined last has priority.
2764 2. A Keyword has priority over Match and Region items.
2765 3. An item that starts in an earlier position has priority over items that
2766 start in later positions.
2769 DEFINING CASE *:syn-case* *E390*
2771 :sy[ntax] case [match | ignore]
2772 This defines if the following ":syntax" commands will work with
2773 matching case, when using "match", or with ignoring case, when using
2774 "ignore". Note that any items before this are not affected, and all
2775 items until the next ":syntax case" command are affected.
2778 SPELL CHECKING *:syn-spell*
2780 :sy[ntax] spell [toplevel | notoplevel | default]
2781 This defines where spell checking is to be done for text that is not
2784 toplevel: Text is spell checked.
2785 notoplevel: Text is not spell checked.
2786 default: When there is a @Spell cluster no spell checking.
2788 For text in syntax items use the @Spell and @NoSpell clusters
2789 |spell-syntax|. When there is no @Spell and no @NoSpell cluster then
2790 spell checking is done for "default" and "toplevel".
2792 To activate spell checking the 'spell' option must be set.
2795 DEFINING KEYWORDS *:syn-keyword*
2797 :sy[ntax] keyword {group-name} [{options}] {keyword} .. [{options}]
2799 This defines a number of keywords.
2801 {group-name} Is a syntax group name such as "Comment".
2802 [{options}] See |:syn-arguments| below.
2803 {keyword} .. Is a list of keywords which are part of this group.
2806 :syntax keyword Type int long char
2808 The {options} can be given anywhere in the line. They will apply to
2809 all keywords given, also for options that come after a keyword.
2810 These examples do exactly the same: >
2811 :syntax keyword Type contained int long char
2812 :syntax keyword Type int long contained char
2813 :syntax keyword Type int long char contained
2815 When you have a keyword with an optional tail, like Ex commands in
2816 Vim, you can put the optional characters inside [], to define all the
2817 variations at once: >
2818 :syntax keyword vimCommand ab[breviate] n[ext]
2820 Don't forget that a keyword can only be recognized if all the
2821 characters are included in the 'iskeyword' option. If one character
2822 isn't, the keyword will never be recognized.
2823 Multi-byte characters can also be used. These do not have to be in
2826 A keyword always has higher priority than a match or region, the
2827 keyword is used if more than one item matches. Keywords do not nest
2828 and a keyword can't contain anything else.
2830 Note that when you have a keyword that is the same as an option (even
2831 one that isn't allowed here), you can not use it. Use a match
2834 The maximum length of a keyword is 80 characters.
2836 The same keyword can be defined multiple times, when its containment
2837 differs. For example, you can define the keyword once not contained
2838 and use one highlight group, and once contained, and use a different
2839 highlight group. Example: >
2840 :syn keyword vimCommand tag
2841 :syn keyword vimSetting contained tag
2842 < When finding "tag" outside of any syntax item, the "vimCommand"
2843 highlight group is used. When finding "tag" in a syntax item that
2844 contains "vimSetting", the "vimSetting" group is used.
2847 DEFINING MATCHES *:syn-match*
2849 :sy[ntax] match {group-name} [{options}] [excludenl] {pattern} [{options}]
2851 This defines one match.
2853 {group-name} A syntax group name such as "Comment".
2854 [{options}] See |:syn-arguments| below.
2855 [excludenl] Don't make a pattern with the end-of-line "$"
2856 extend a containing match or region. Must be
2857 given before the pattern. |:syn-excludenl|
2858 {pattern} The search pattern that defines the match.
2859 See |:syn-pattern| below.
2860 Note that the pattern may match more than one
2861 line, which makes the match depend on where
2862 Vim starts searching for the pattern. You
2863 need to make sure syncing takes care of this.
2865 Example (match a character constant): >
2866 :syntax match Character /'.'/hs=s+1,he=e-1
2869 DEFINING REGIONS *:syn-region* *:syn-start* *:syn-skip* *:syn-end*
2871 :sy[ntax] region {group-name} [{options}]
2872 [matchgroup={group-name}]
2876 start={start_pattern} ..
2877 [skip={skip_pattern}]
2878 end={end_pattern} ..
2881 This defines one region. It may span several lines.
2883 {group-name} A syntax group name such as "Comment".
2884 [{options}] See |:syn-arguments| below.
2885 [matchgroup={group-name}] The syntax group to use for the following
2886 start or end pattern matches only. Not used
2887 for the text in between the matched start and
2888 end patterns. Use NONE to reset to not using
2889 a different group for the start or end match.
2890 See |:syn-matchgroup|.
2891 keepend Don't allow contained matches to go past a
2892 match with the end pattern. See
2894 extend Override a "keepend" for an item this region
2895 is contained in. See |:syn-extend|.
2896 excludenl Don't make a pattern with the end-of-line "$"
2897 extend a containing match or item. Only
2898 useful for end patterns. Must be given before
2899 the patterns it applies to. |:syn-excludenl|
2900 start={start_pattern} The search pattern that defines the start of
2901 the region. See |:syn-pattern| below.
2902 skip={skip_pattern} The search pattern that defines text inside
2903 the region where not to look for the end
2904 pattern. See |:syn-pattern| below.
2905 end={end_pattern} The search pattern that defines the end of
2906 the region. See |:syn-pattern| below.
2909 :syntax region String start=+"+ skip=+\\"+ end=+"+
2911 The start/skip/end patterns and the options can be given in any order.
2912 There can be zero or one skip pattern. There must be one or more
2913 start and end patterns. This means that you can omit the skip
2914 pattern, but you must give at least one start and one end pattern. It
2915 is allowed to have white space before and after the equal sign
2916 (although it mostly looks better without white space).
2918 When more than one start pattern is given, a match with one of these
2919 is sufficient. This means there is an OR relation between the start
2920 patterns. The last one that matches is used. The same is true for
2923 The search for the end pattern starts right after the start pattern.
2924 Offsets are not used for this. This implies that the match for the
2925 end pattern will never overlap with the start pattern.
2927 The skip and end pattern can match across line breaks, but since the
2928 search for the pattern can start in any line it often does not do what
2929 you want. The skip pattern doesn't avoid a match of an end pattern in
2930 the next line. Use single-line patterns to avoid trouble.
2932 Note: The decision to start a region is only based on a matching start
2933 pattern. There is no check for a matching end pattern. This does NOT
2935 :syn region First start="(" end=":"
2936 :syn region Second start="(" end=";"
2937 < The Second always matches before the First (last defined pattern has
2938 higher priority). The Second region then continues until the next
2939 ';', no matter if there is a ':' before it. Using a match does work: >
2940 :syn match First "(\_.\{-}:"
2941 :syn match Second "(\_.\{-};"
2942 < This pattern matches any character or line break with "\_." and
2943 repeats that with "\{-}" (repeat as few as possible).
2946 By default, a contained match can obscure a match for the end pattern.
2947 This is useful for nesting. For example, a region that starts with
2948 "{" and ends with "}", can contain another region. An encountered "}"
2949 will then end the contained region, but not the outer region:
2950 { starts outer "{}" region
2951 { starts contained "{}" region
2952 } ends contained "{}" region
2953 } ends outer "{} region
2954 If you don't want this, the "keepend" argument will make the matching
2955 of an end pattern of the outer region also end any contained item.
2956 This makes it impossible to nest the same region, but allows for
2957 contained items to highlight parts of the end pattern, without causing
2958 that to skip the match with the end pattern. Example: >
2959 :syn match vimComment +"[^"]\+$+
2960 :syn region vimCommand start="set" end="$" contains=vimComment keepend
2961 < The "keepend" makes the vimCommand always end at the end of the line,
2962 even though the contained vimComment includes a match with the <EOL>.
2964 When "keepend" is not used, a match with an end pattern is retried
2965 after each contained match. When "keepend" is included, the first
2966 encountered match with an end pattern is used, truncating any
2969 The "keepend" behavior can be changed by using the "extend" argument.
2970 When an item with "extend" is contained in an item that uses
2971 "keepend", the "keepend" is ignored and the containing region will be
2973 This can be used to have some contained items extend a region while
2974 others don't. Example: >
2976 :syn region htmlRef start=+<a>+ end=+</a>+ keepend contains=htmlItem,htmlScript
2977 :syn match htmlItem +<[^>]*>+ contained
2978 :syn region htmlScript start=+<script+ end=+</script[^>]*>+ contained extend
2980 < Here the htmlItem item does not make the htmlRef item continue
2981 further, it is only used to highlight the <> items. The htmlScript
2982 item does extend the htmlRef item.
2985 :syn region xmlFold start="<a>" end="</a>" fold transparent keepend extend
2986 < This defines a region with "keepend", so that its end cannot be
2987 changed by contained items, like when the "</a>" is matched to
2988 highlight it differently. But when the xmlFold region is nested (it
2989 includes itself), the "extend" applies, so that the "</a>" of a nested
2990 region only ends that region, and not the one it is contained in.
2993 When a pattern for a match or end pattern of a region includes a '$'
2994 to match the end-of-line, it will make a region item that it is
2995 contained in continue on the next line. For example, a match with
2996 "\\$" (backslash at the end of the line) can make a region continue
2997 that would normally stop at the end of the line. This is the default
2998 behavior. If this is not wanted, there are two ways to avoid it:
2999 1. Use "keepend" for the containing item. This will keep all
3000 contained matches from extending the match or region. It can be
3001 used when all contained items must not extend the containing item.
3002 2. Use "excludenl" in the contained item. This will keep that match
3003 from extending the containing match or region. It can be used if
3004 only some contained items must not extend the containing item.
3005 "excludenl" must be given before the pattern it applies to.
3008 "matchgroup" can be used to highlight the start and/or end pattern
3009 differently than the body of the region. Example: >
3010 :syntax region String matchgroup=Quote start=+"+ skip=+\\"+ end=+"+
3011 < This will highlight the quotes with the "Quote" group, and the text in
3012 between with the "String" group.
3013 The "matchgroup" is used for all start and end patterns that follow,
3014 until the next "matchgroup". Use "matchgroup=NONE" to go back to not
3017 In a start or end pattern that is highlighted with "matchgroup" the
3018 contained items of the region are not used. This can be used to avoid
3019 that a contained item matches in the start or end pattern match. When
3020 using "transparent", this does not apply to a start or end pattern
3021 match that is highlighted with "matchgroup".
3023 Here is an example, which highlights three levels of parentheses in
3025 :sy region par1 matchgroup=par1 start=/(/ end=/)/ contains=par2
3026 :sy region par2 matchgroup=par2 start=/(/ end=/)/ contains=par3 contained
3027 :sy region par3 matchgroup=par3 start=/(/ end=/)/ contains=par1 contained
3028 :hi par1 ctermfg=red guifg=red
3029 :hi par2 ctermfg=blue guifg=blue
3030 :hi par3 ctermfg=darkgreen guifg=darkgreen
3032 ==============================================================================
3033 6. :syntax arguments *:syn-arguments*
3035 The :syntax commands that define syntax items take a number of arguments.
3036 The common ones are explained here. The arguments may be given in any order
3037 and may be mixed with patterns.
3039 Not all commands accept all arguments. This table shows which arguments
3040 can not be used for all commands:
3042 contains oneline fold display extend ~
3043 :syntax keyword - - - - -
3044 :syntax match yes - yes yes yes
3045 :syntax region yes yes yes yes yes
3047 These arguments can be used for all three commands:
3057 contained *:syn-contained*
3059 When the "contained" argument is given, this item will not be recognized at
3060 the top level, but only when it is mentioned in the "contains" field of
3061 another match. Example: >
3062 :syntax keyword Todo TODO contained
3063 :syntax match Comment "//.*" contains=Todo
3066 display *:syn-display*
3068 If the "display" argument is given, this item will be skipped when the
3069 detected highlighting will not be displayed. This will speed up highlighting,
3070 by skipping this item when only finding the syntax state for the text that is
3073 Generally, you can use "display" for match and region items that meet these
3075 - The item does not continue past the end of a line. Example for C: A region
3076 for a "/*" comment can't contain "display", because it continues on the next
3078 - The item does not contain items that continue past the end of the line or
3079 make it continue on the next line.
3080 - The item does not change the size of any item it is contained in. Example
3081 for C: A match with "\\$" in a preprocessor match can't have "display",
3082 because it may make that preprocessor match shorter.
3083 - The item does not allow other items to match that didn't match otherwise,
3084 and that item may extend the match too far. Example for C: A match for a
3085 "//" comment can't use "display", because a "/*" inside that comment would
3086 match then and start a comment which extends past the end of the line.
3088 Examples, for the C language, where "display" can be used:
3089 - match with a number
3090 - match with a label
3093 transparent *:syn-transparent*
3095 If the "transparent" argument is given, this item will not be highlighted
3096 itself, but will take the highlighting of the item it is contained in. This
3097 is useful for syntax items that don't need any highlighting but are used
3098 only to skip over a part of the text.
3100 The "contains=" argument is also inherited from the item it is contained in,
3101 unless a "contains" argument is given for the transparent item itself. To
3102 avoid that unwanted items are contained, use "contains=NONE". Example, which
3103 highlights words in strings, but makes an exception for "vim": >
3104 :syn match myString /'[^']*'/ contains=myWord,myVim
3105 :syn match myWord /\<[a-z]*\>/ contained
3106 :syn match myVim /\<vim\>/ transparent contained contains=NONE
3107 :hi link myString String
3108 :hi link myWord Comment
3109 Since the "myVim" match comes after "myWord" it is the preferred match (last
3110 match in the same position overrules an earlier one). The "transparent"
3111 argument makes the "myVim" match use the same highlighting as "myString". But
3112 it does not contain anything. If the "contains=NONE" argument would be left
3113 out, then "myVim" would use the contains argument from myString and allow
3114 "myWord" to be contained, which will be highlighted as a Constant. This
3115 happens because a contained match doesn't match inside itself in the same
3116 position, thus the "myVim" match doesn't overrule the "myWord" match here.
3118 When you look at the colored text, it is like looking at layers of contained
3119 items. The contained item is on top of the item it is contained in, thus you
3120 see the contained item. When a contained item is transparent, you can look
3121 through, thus you see the item it is contained in. In a picture:
3128 xxxx yyy more contained items
3129 .................... contained item (transparent)
3130 ============================= first item
3132 The 'x', 'y' and '=' represent a highlighted syntax item. The '.' represent a
3137 =======xxxx=======yyy========
3139 Thus you look through the transparent "....".
3142 oneline *:syn-oneline*
3144 The "oneline" argument indicates that the region does not cross a line
3145 boundary. It must match completely in the current line. However, when the
3146 region has a contained item that does cross a line boundary, it continues on
3147 the next line anyway. A contained item can be used to recognize a line
3148 continuation pattern. But the "end" pattern must still match in the first
3149 line, otherwise the region doesn't even start.
3151 When the start pattern includes a "\n" to match an end-of-line, the end
3152 pattern must be found in the same line as where the start pattern ends. The
3153 end pattern may also include an end-of-line. Thus the "oneline" argument
3154 means that the end of the start pattern and the start of the end pattern must
3155 be within one line. This can't be changed by a skip pattern that matches a
3161 The "fold" argument makes the fold level increased by one for this item.
3163 :syn region myFold start="{" end="}" transparent fold
3165 :set foldmethod=syntax
3166 This will make each {} block form one fold.
3168 The fold will start on the line where the item starts, and end where the item
3169 ends. If the start and end are within the same line, there is no fold.
3170 The 'foldnestmax' option limits the nesting of syntax folds.
3171 {not available when Vim was compiled without |+folding| feature}
3174 *:syn-contains* *E405* *E406* *E407* *E408* *E409*
3175 contains={groupname},..
3177 The "contains" argument is followed by a list of syntax group names. These
3178 groups will be allowed to begin inside the item (they may extend past the
3179 containing group's end). This allows for recursive nesting of matches and
3180 regions. If there is no "contains" argument, no groups will be contained in
3181 this item. The group names do not need to be defined before they can be used
3185 If the only item in the contains list is "ALL", then all
3186 groups will be accepted inside the item.
3188 contains=ALLBUT,{group-name},..
3189 If the first item in the contains list is "ALLBUT", then all
3190 groups will be accepted inside the item, except the ones that
3191 are listed. Example: >
3192 :syntax region Block start="{" end="}" ... contains=ALLBUT,Function
3195 If the first item in the contains list is "TOP", then all
3196 groups will be accepted that don't have the "contained"
3198 contains=TOP,{group-name},..
3199 Like "TOP", but excluding the groups that are listed.
3202 If the first item in the contains list is "CONTAINED", then
3203 all groups will be accepted that have the "contained"
3205 contains=CONTAINED,{group-name},..
3206 Like "CONTAINED", but excluding the groups that are
3210 The {group-name} in the "contains" list can be a pattern. All group names
3211 that match the pattern will be included (or excluded, if "ALLBUT" is used).
3212 The pattern cannot contain white space or a ','. Example: >
3213 ... contains=Comment.*,Keyw[0-3]
3214 The matching will be done at moment the syntax command is executed. Groups
3215 that are defined later will not be matched. Also, if the current syntax
3216 command defines a new group, it is not matched. Be careful: When putting
3217 syntax commands in a file you can't rely on groups NOT being defined, because
3218 the file may have been sourced before, and ":syn clear" doesn't remove the
3221 The contained groups will also match in the start and end patterns of a
3222 region. If this is not wanted, the "matchgroup" argument can be used
3223 |:syn-matchgroup|. The "ms=" and "me=" offsets can be used to change the
3224 region where contained items do match. Note that this may also limit the
3225 area that is highlighted
3228 containedin={groupname}... *:syn-containedin*
3230 The "containedin" argument is followed by a list of syntax group names. The
3231 item will be allowed to begin inside these groups. This works as if the
3232 containing item has a "contains=" argument that includes this item.
3234 The {groupname}... can be used just like for "contains", as explained above.
3236 This is useful when adding a syntax item afterwards. An item can be told to
3237 be included inside an already existing item, without changing the definition
3238 of that item. For example, to highlight a word in a C comment after loading
3240 :syn keyword myword HELP containedin=cComment contained
3241 Note that "contained" is also used, to avoid that the item matches at the top
3244 Matches for "containedin" are added to the other places where the item can
3245 appear. A "contains" argument may also be added as usual. Don't forget that
3246 keywords never contain another item, thus adding them to "containedin" won't
3250 nextgroup={groupname},.. *:syn-nextgroup*
3252 The "nextgroup" argument is followed by a list of syntax group names,
3253 separated by commas (just like with "contains", so you can also use patterns).
3255 If the "nextgroup" argument is given, the mentioned syntax groups will be
3256 tried for a match, after the match or region ends. If none of the groups have
3257 a match, highlighting continues normally. If there is a match, this group
3258 will be used, even when it is not mentioned in the "contains" field of the
3259 current group. This is like giving the mentioned group priority over all
3260 other groups. Example: >
3261 :syntax match ccFoobar "Foo.\{-}Bar" contains=ccFoo
3262 :syntax match ccFoo "Foo" contained nextgroup=ccFiller
3263 :syntax region ccFiller start="." matchgroup=ccBar end="Bar" contained
3265 This will highlight "Foo" and "Bar" differently, and only when there is a
3266 "Bar" after "Foo". In the text line below, "f" shows where ccFoo is used for
3267 highlighting, and "bbb" where ccBar is used. >
3269 Foo asdfasd Bar asdf Foo asdf Bar asdf
3272 Note the use of ".\{-}" to skip as little as possible until the next Bar.
3273 when ".*" would be used, the "asdf" in between "Bar" and "Foo" would be
3274 highlighted according to the "ccFoobar" group, because the ccFooBar match
3275 would include the first "Foo" and the last "Bar" in the line (see |pattern|).
3278 skipwhite *:syn-skipwhite*
3279 skipnl *:syn-skipnl*
3280 skipempty *:syn-skipempty*
3282 These arguments are only used in combination with "nextgroup". They can be
3283 used to allow the next group to match after skipping some text:
3284 skipwhite skip over space and Tab characters
3285 skipnl skip over the end of a line
3286 skipempty skip over empty lines (implies a "skipnl")
3288 When "skipwhite" is present, the white space is only skipped if there is no
3289 next group that matches the white space.
3291 When "skipnl" is present, the match with nextgroup may be found in the next
3292 line. This only happens when the current item ends at the end of the current
3293 line! When "skipnl" is not present, the nextgroup will only be found after
3294 the current item in the same line.
3296 When skipping text while looking for a next group, the matches for other
3297 groups are ignored. Only when no next group matches, other items are tried
3298 for a match again. This means that matching a next group and skipping white
3299 space and <EOL>s has a higher priority than other items.
3302 :syn match ifstart "\<if.*" nextgroup=ifline skipwhite skipempty
3303 :syn match ifline "[^ \t].*" nextgroup=ifline skipwhite skipempty contained
3304 :syn match ifline "endif" contained
3305 Note that the "[^ \t].*" match matches all non-white text. Thus it would also
3306 match "endif". Therefore the "endif" match is put last, so that it takes
3308 Note that this example doesn't work for nested "if"s. You need to add
3309 "contains" arguments to make that work (omitted for simplicity of the
3312 ==============================================================================
3313 7. Syntax patterns *:syn-pattern* *E401* *E402*
3315 In the syntax commands, a pattern must be surrounded by two identical
3316 characters. This is like it works for the ":s" command. The most common to
3317 use is the double quote. But if the pattern contains a double quote, you can
3318 use another character that is not used in the pattern. Examples: >
3319 :syntax region Comment start="/\*" end="\*/"
3320 :syntax region String start=+"+ end=+"+ skip=+\\"+
3322 See |pattern| for the explanation of what a pattern is. Syntax patterns are
3323 always interpreted like the 'magic' options is set, no matter what the actual
3324 value of 'magic' is. And the patterns are interpreted like the 'l' flag is
3325 not included in 'cpoptions'. This was done to make syntax files portable and
3326 independent of 'compatible' and 'magic' settings.
3328 Try to avoid patterns that can match an empty string, such as "[a-z]*".
3329 This slows down the highlighting a lot, because it matches everywhere.
3331 *:syn-pattern-offset*
3332 The pattern can be followed by a character offset. This can be used to
3333 change the highlighted part, and to change the text area included in the
3334 match or region (which only matters when trying to match other items). Both
3335 are relative to the matched pattern. The character offset for a skip
3336 pattern can be used to tell where to continue looking for an end pattern.
3338 The offset takes the form of "{what}={offset}"
3339 The {what} can be one of seven strings:
3341 ms Match Start offset for the start of the matched text
3342 me Match End offset for the end of the matched text
3343 hs Highlight Start offset for where the highlighting starts
3344 he Highlight End offset for where the highlighting ends
3345 rs Region Start offset for where the body of a region starts
3346 re Region End offset for where the body of a region ends
3347 lc Leading Context offset past "leading context" of pattern
3349 The {offset} can be:
3351 s start of the matched pattern
3352 s+{nr} start of the matched pattern plus {nr} chars to the right
3353 s-{nr} start of the matched pattern plus {nr} chars to the left
3354 e end of the matched pattern
3355 e+{nr} end of the matched pattern plus {nr} chars to the right
3356 e-{nr} end of the matched pattern plus {nr} chars to the left
3357 {nr} (for "lc" only): start matching {nr} chars to the left
3359 Examples: "ms=s+1", "hs=e-2", "lc=3".
3361 Although all offsets are accepted after any pattern, they are not always
3362 meaningful. This table shows which offsets are actually used:
3364 ms me hs he rs re lc ~
3365 match item yes yes yes yes - - yes
3366 region item start yes - yes - yes - yes
3367 region item skip - yes - - - - yes
3368 region item end - yes - yes - yes yes
3370 Offsets can be concatenated, with a ',' in between. Example: >
3371 :syn match String /"[^"]*"/hs=s+1,he=e-1
3377 - There must be no white space between the pattern and the character
3379 - The highlighted area will never be outside of the matched text.
3380 - A negative offset for an end pattern may not always work, because the end
3381 pattern may be detected when the highlighting should already have stopped.
3382 - The start of a match cannot be in a line other than where the pattern
3383 matched. This doesn't work: "a\nb"ms=e. You can make the highlighting
3384 start in another line, this does work: "a\nb"hs=e.
3386 Example (match a comment but don't highlight the /* and */): >
3387 :syntax region Comment start="/\*"hs=e+1 end="\*/"he=s-1
3389 /* this is a comment */
3390 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ highlighted
3392 A more complicated Example: >
3393 :syn region Exa matchgroup=Foo start="foo"hs=s+2,rs=e+2 matchgroup=Bar end="bar"me=e-1,he=e-1,re=s-1
3397 sssrrreee highlight start/region/end ("Foo", "Exa" and "Bar")
3399 Leading context *:syn-lc* *:syn-leading* *:syn-context*
3401 Note: This is an obsolete feature, only included for backwards compatibility
3402 with previous Vim versions. It's now recommended to use the |/\@<=| construct
3405 The "lc" offset specifies leading context -- a part of the pattern that must
3406 be present, but is not considered part of the match. An offset of "lc=n" will
3407 cause Vim to step back n columns before attempting the pattern match, allowing
3408 characters which have already been matched in previous patterns to also be
3409 used as leading context for this match. This can be used, for instance, to
3410 specify that an "escaping" character must not precede the match: >
3412 :syn match ZNoBackslash "[^\\]z"ms=s+1
3413 :syn match WNoBackslash "[^\\]w"lc=1
3414 :syn match Underline "_\+"
3417 ^^^ ^^^ matches Underline
3418 ^ ^ matches ZNoBackslash
3419 ^^^^ matches WNoBackslash
3421 The "ms" offset is automatically set to the same value as the "lc" offset,
3422 unless you set "ms" explicitly.
3425 Multi-line patterns *:syn-multi-line*
3427 The patterns can include "\n" to match an end-of-line. Mostly this works as
3428 expected, but there are a few exceptions.
3430 When using a start pattern with an offset, the start of the match is not
3431 allowed to start in a following line. The highlighting can start in a
3432 following line though.
3434 The skip pattern can include the "\n", but the search for an end pattern will
3435 continue in the first character of the next line, also when that character is
3436 matched by the skip pattern. This is because redrawing may start in any line
3437 halfway a region and there is no check if the skip pattern started in a
3438 previous line. For example, if the skip pattern is "a\nb" and an end pattern
3439 is "b", the end pattern does match in the second line of this: >
3442 Generally this means that the skip pattern should not match any characters
3446 External matches *:syn-ext-match*
3448 These extra regular expression items are available in region patterns:
3450 */\z(* */\z(\)* *E50* *E52*
3451 \z(\) Marks the sub-expression as "external", meaning that it is can
3452 be accessed from another pattern match. Currently only usable
3453 in defining a syntax region start pattern.
3455 */\z1* */\z2* */\z3* */\z4* */\z5*
3456 \z1 ... \z9 */\z6* */\z7* */\z8* */\z9* *E66* *E67*
3457 Matches the same string that was matched by the corresponding
3458 sub-expression in a previous start pattern match.
3460 Sometimes the start and end patterns of a region need to share a common
3461 sub-expression. A common example is the "here" document in Perl and many Unix
3462 shells. This effect can be achieved with the "\z" special regular expression
3463 items, which marks a sub-expression as "external", in the sense that it can be
3464 referenced from outside the pattern in which it is defined. The here-document
3465 example, for instance, can be done like this: >
3466 :syn region hereDoc start="<<\z(\I\i*\)" end="^\z1$"
3468 As can be seen here, the \z actually does double duty. In the start pattern,
3469 it marks the "\(\I\i*\)" sub-expression as external; in the end pattern, it
3470 changes the \1 back-reference into an external reference referring to the
3471 first external sub-expression in the start pattern. External references can
3472 also be used in skip patterns: >
3473 :syn region foo start="start \(\I\i*\)" skip="not end \z1" end="end \z1"
3475 Note that normal and external sub-expressions are completely orthogonal and
3476 indexed separately; for instance, if the pattern "\z(..\)\(..\)" is applied
3477 to the string "aabb", then \1 will refer to "bb" and \z1 will refer to "aa".
3478 Note also that external sub-expressions cannot be accessed as back-references
3479 within the same pattern like normal sub-expressions. If you want to use one
3480 sub-expression as both a normal and an external sub-expression, you can nest
3481 the two, as in "\(\z(...\)\)".
3483 Note that only matches within a single line can be used. Multi-line matches
3484 cannot be referred to.
3486 ==============================================================================
3487 8. Syntax clusters *:syn-cluster* *E400*
3489 :sy[ntax] cluster {cluster-name} [contains={group-name}..]
3490 [add={group-name}..]
3491 [remove={group-name}..]
3493 This command allows you to cluster a list of syntax groups together under a
3496 contains={group-name}..
3497 The cluster is set to the specified list of groups.
3499 The specified groups are added to the cluster.
3500 remove={group-name}..
3501 The specified groups are removed from the cluster.
3503 A cluster so defined may be referred to in a contains=.., nextgroup=.., add=..
3504 or remove=.. list with a "@" prefix. You can also use this notation to
3505 implicitly declare a cluster before specifying its contents.
3508 :syntax match Thing "# [^#]\+ #" contains=@ThingMembers
3509 :syntax cluster ThingMembers contains=ThingMember1,ThingMember2
3511 As the previous example suggests, modifications to a cluster are effectively
3512 retroactive; the membership of the cluster is checked at the last minute, so
3514 :syntax keyword A aaa
3515 :syntax keyword B bbb
3516 :syntax cluster AandB contains=A
3517 :syntax match Stuff "( aaa bbb )" contains=@AandB
3518 :syntax cluster AandB add=B " now both keywords are matched in Stuff
3520 This also has implications for nested clusters: >
3521 :syntax keyword A aaa
3522 :syntax keyword B bbb
3523 :syntax cluster SmallGroup contains=B
3524 :syntax cluster BigGroup contains=A,@SmallGroup
3525 :syntax match Stuff "( aaa bbb )" contains=@BigGroup
3526 :syntax cluster BigGroup remove=B " no effect, since B isn't in BigGroup
3527 :syntax cluster SmallGroup remove=B " now bbb isn't matched within Stuff
3529 ==============================================================================
3530 9. Including syntax files *:syn-include* *E397*
3532 It is often useful for one language's syntax file to include a syntax file for
3533 a related language. Depending on the exact relationship, this can be done in
3536 - If top-level syntax items in the included syntax file are to be
3537 allowed at the top level in the including syntax, you can simply use
3538 the |:runtime| command: >
3541 :runtime! syntax/c.vim
3542 :unlet b:current_syntax
3544 < - If top-level syntax items in the included syntax file are to be
3545 contained within a region in the including syntax, you can use the
3546 ":syntax include" command:
3548 :sy[ntax] include [@{grouplist-name}] {file-name}
3550 All syntax items declared in the included file will have the
3551 "contained" flag added. In addition, if a group list is specified,
3552 all top-level syntax items in the included file will be added to
3556 :syntax include @Pod <sfile>:p:h/pod.vim
3557 :syntax region perlPOD start="^=head" end="^=cut" contains=@Pod
3559 When {file-name} is an absolute path (starts with "/", "c:", "$VAR"
3560 or "<sfile>") that file is sourced. When it is a relative path
3561 (e.g., "syntax/pod.vim") the file is searched for in 'runtimepath'.
3562 All matching files are loaded. Using a relative path is
3563 recommended, because it allows a user to replace the included file
3564 with his own version, without replacing the file that does the ":syn
3567 ==============================================================================
3568 10. Synchronizing *:syn-sync* *E403* *E404*
3570 Vim wants to be able to start redrawing in any position in the document. To
3571 make this possible it needs to know the syntax state at the position where
3574 :sy[ntax] sync [ccomment [group-name] | minlines={N} | ...]
3576 There are four ways to synchronize:
3577 1. Always parse from the start of the file.
3579 2. Based on C-style comments. Vim understands how C-comments work and can
3580 figure out if the current line starts inside or outside a comment.
3582 3. Jumping back a certain number of lines and start parsing there.
3584 4. Searching backwards in the text for a pattern to sync on.
3587 *:syn-sync-maxlines* *:syn-sync-minlines*
3588 For the last three methods, the line range where the parsing can start is
3589 limited by "minlines" and "maxlines".
3591 If the "minlines={N}" argument is given, the parsing always starts at least
3592 that many lines backwards. This can be used if the parsing may take a few
3593 lines before it's correct, or when it's not possible to use syncing.
3595 If the "maxlines={N}" argument is given, the number of lines that are searched
3596 for a comment or syncing pattern is restricted to N lines backwards (after
3597 adding "minlines"). This is useful if you have few things to sync on and a
3598 slow machine. Example: >
3599 :syntax sync ccomment maxlines=500
3601 *:syn-sync-linebreaks*
3602 When using a pattern that matches multiple lines, a change in one line may
3603 cause a pattern to no longer match in a previous line. This means has to
3604 start above where the change was made. How many lines can be specified with
3605 the "linebreaks" argument. For example, when a pattern may include one line
3607 :syntax sync linebreaks=1
3608 The result is that redrawing always starts at least one line before where a
3609 change was made. The default value for "linebreaks" is zero. Usually the
3610 value for "minlines" is bigger than "linebreaks".
3613 First syncing method: *:syn-sync-first*
3615 :syntax sync fromstart
3617 The file will be parsed from the start. This makes syntax highlighting
3618 accurate, but can be slow for long files. Vim caches previously parsed text,
3619 so that it's only slow when parsing the text for the first time. However,
3620 when making changes some part of the next needs to be parsed again (worst
3621 case: to the end of the file).
3623 Using "fromstart" is equivalent to using "minlines" with a very large number.
3626 Second syncing method: *:syn-sync-second* *:syn-sync-ccomment*
3628 For the second method, only the "ccomment" argument needs to be given.
3630 :syntax sync ccomment
3632 When Vim finds that the line where displaying starts is inside a C-style
3633 comment, the last region syntax item with the group-name "Comment" will be
3634 used. This requires that there is a region with the group-name "Comment"!
3635 An alternate group name can be specified, for example: >
3636 :syntax sync ccomment javaComment
3637 This means that the last item specified with "syn region javaComment" will be
3638 used for the detected C comment region. This only works properly if that
3639 region does have a start pattern "\/*" and an end pattern "*\/".
3641 The "maxlines" argument can be used to restrict the search to a number of
3642 lines. The "minlines" argument can be used to at least start a number of
3643 lines back (e.g., for when there is some construct that only takes a few
3644 lines, but it hard to sync on).
3646 Note: Syncing on a C comment doesn't work properly when strings are used
3647 that cross a line and contain a "*/". Since letting strings cross a line
3648 is a bad programming habit (many compilers give a warning message), and the
3649 chance of a "*/" appearing inside a comment is very small, this restriction
3650 is hardly ever noticed.
3653 Third syncing method: *:syn-sync-third*
3655 For the third method, only the "minlines={N}" argument needs to be given.
3656 Vim will subtract {N} from the line number and start parsing there. This
3657 means {N} extra lines need to be parsed, which makes this method a bit slower.
3659 :syntax sync minlines=50
3661 "lines" is equivalent to "minlines" (used by older versions).
3664 Fourth syncing method: *:syn-sync-fourth*
3666 The idea is to synchronize on the end of a few specific regions, called a
3667 sync pattern. Only regions can cross lines, so when we find the end of some
3668 region, we might be able to know in which syntax item we are. The search
3669 starts in the line just above the one where redrawing starts. From there
3670 the search continues backwards in the file.
3672 This works just like the non-syncing syntax items. You can use contained
3673 matches, nextgroup, etc. But there are a few differences:
3674 - Keywords cannot be used.
3675 - The syntax items with the "sync" keyword form a completely separated group
3676 of syntax items. You can't mix syncing groups and non-syncing groups.
3677 - The matching works backwards in the buffer (line by line), instead of
3679 - A line continuation pattern can be given. It is used to decide which group
3680 of lines need to be searched like they were one line. This means that the
3681 search for a match with the specified items starts in the first of the
3682 consecutive that contain the continuation pattern.
3683 - When using "nextgroup" or "contains", this only works within one line (or
3684 group of continued lines).
3685 - When using a region, it must start and end in the same line (or group of
3686 continued lines). Otherwise the end is assumed to be at the end of the
3687 line (or group of continued lines).
3688 - When a match with a sync pattern is found, the rest of the line (or group of
3689 continued lines) is searched for another match. The last match is used.
3690 This is used when a line can contain both the start end the end of a region
3691 (e.g., in a C-comment like /* this */, the last "*/" is used).
3693 There are two ways how a match with a sync pattern can be used:
3694 1. Parsing for highlighting starts where redrawing starts (and where the
3695 search for the sync pattern started). The syntax group that is expected
3696 to be valid there must be specified. This works well when the regions
3697 that cross lines cannot contain other regions.
3698 2. Parsing for highlighting continues just after the match. The syntax group
3699 that is expected to be present just after the match must be specified.
3700 This can be used when the previous method doesn't work well. It's much
3701 slower, because more text needs to be parsed.
3702 Both types of sync patterns can be used at the same time.
3704 Besides the sync patterns, other matches and regions can be specified, to
3705 avoid finding unwanted matches.
3707 [The reason that the sync patterns are given separately, is that mostly the
3708 search for the sync point can be much simpler than figuring out the
3709 highlighting. The reduced number of patterns means it will go (much)
3712 *syn-sync-grouphere* *E393* *E394*
3713 :syntax sync match {sync-group-name} grouphere {group-name} "pattern" ..
3715 Define a match that is used for syncing. {group-name} is the
3716 name of a syntax group that follows just after the match. Parsing
3717 of the text for highlighting starts just after the match. A region
3718 must exist for this {group-name}. The first one defined will be used.
3719 "NONE" can be used for when there is no syntax group after the match.
3721 *syn-sync-groupthere*
3722 :syntax sync match {sync-group-name} groupthere {group-name} "pattern" ..
3724 Like "grouphere", but {group-name} is the name of a syntax group that
3725 is to be used at the start of the line where searching for the sync
3726 point started. The text between the match and the start of the sync
3727 pattern searching is assumed not to change the syntax highlighting.
3728 For example, in C you could search backwards for "/*" and "*/". If
3729 "/*" is found first, you know that you are inside a comment, so the
3730 "groupthere" is "cComment". If "*/" is found first, you know that you
3731 are not in a comment, so the "groupthere" is "NONE". (in practice
3732 it's a bit more complicated, because the "/*" and "*/" could appear
3733 inside a string. That's left as an exercise to the reader...).
3735 :syntax sync match ..
3736 :syntax sync region ..
3738 Without a "groupthere" argument. Define a region or match that is
3739 skipped while searching for a sync point.
3742 :syntax sync linecont {pattern}
3744 When {pattern} matches in a line, it is considered to continue in
3745 the next line. This means that the search for a sync point will
3746 consider the lines to be concatenated.
3748 If the "maxlines={N}" argument is given too, the number of lines that are
3749 searched for a match is restricted to N. This is useful if you have very
3750 few things to sync on and a slow machine. Example: >
3751 :syntax sync maxlines=100
3753 You can clear all sync settings with: >
3756 You can clear specific sync patterns with: >
3757 :syntax sync clear {sync-group-name} ..
3759 ==============================================================================
3760 11. Listing syntax items *:syntax* *:sy* *:syn* *:syn-list*
3762 This command lists all the syntax items: >
3766 To show the syntax items for one syntax group: >
3768 :sy[ntax] list {group-name}
3770 To list the syntax groups in one cluster: *E392* >
3772 :sy[ntax] list @{cluster-name}
3774 See above for other arguments for the ":syntax" command.
3776 Note that the ":syntax" command can be abbreviated to ":sy", although ":syn"
3777 is mostly used, because it looks better.
3779 ==============================================================================
3780 12. Highlight command *:highlight* *:hi* *E28* *E411* *E415*
3782 There are three types of highlight groups:
3783 - The ones used for specific languages. For these the name starts with the
3784 name of the language. Many of these don't have any attributes, but are
3785 linked to a group of the second type.
3786 - The ones used for all syntax languages.
3787 - The ones used for the 'highlight' option.
3789 You can see all the groups currently active with this command: >
3790 :so $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/hitest.vim
3791 This will open a new window containing all highlight group names, displayed
3794 *:colo* *:colorscheme* *E185*
3795 :colo[rscheme] {name} Load color scheme {name}. This searches 'runtimepath'
3796 for the file "colors/{name}.vim. The first one that
3798 To see the name of the currently active color scheme
3799 (if there is one): >
3801 < Doesn't work recursively, thus you can't use
3802 ":colorscheme" in a color scheme script.
3803 After the color scheme has been loaded the
3804 |ColorScheme| autocommand event is triggered.
3805 For info about writing a colorscheme file: >
3806 :edit $VIMRUNTIME/colors/README.txt
3808 :hi[ghlight] List all the current highlight groups that have
3811 :hi[ghlight] {group-name}
3812 List one highlight group.
3814 :hi[ghlight] clear Reset all highlighting to the defaults. Removes all
3815 highlighting for groups added by the user!
3816 Uses the current value of 'background' to decide which
3817 default colors to use.
3819 :hi[ghlight] clear {group-name}
3820 :hi[ghlight] {group-name} NONE
3821 Disable the highlighting for one highlight group. It
3822 is _not_ set back to the default colors.
3824 :hi[ghlight] [default] {group-name} {key}={arg} ..
3825 Add a highlight group, or change the highlighting for
3827 See |highlight-args| for the {key}={arg} arguments.
3828 See |:highlight-default| for the optional [default]
3831 Normally a highlight group is added once when starting up. This sets the
3832 default values for the highlighting. After that, you can use additional
3833 highlight commands to change the arguments that you want to set to non-default
3834 values. The value "NONE" can be used to switch the value off or go back to
3837 A simple way to change colors is with the |:colorscheme| command. This loads
3838 a file with ":highlight" commands such as this: >
3840 :hi Comment gui=bold
3842 Note that all settings that are not included remain the same, only the
3843 specified field is used, and settings are merged with previous ones. So, the
3844 result is like this single command has been used: >
3845 :hi Comment term=bold ctermfg=Cyan guifg=#80a0ff gui=bold
3847 *:highlight-verbose*
3848 When listing a highlight group and 'verbose' is non-zero, the listing will
3849 also tell where it was last set. Example: >
3851 < Comment xxx term=bold ctermfg=4 guifg=Blue ~
3852 Last set from /home/mool/vim/vim7/runtime/syntax/syncolor.vim ~
3854 When ":hi clear" is used then the script where this command is used will be
3855 mentioned for the default values. See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
3857 *highlight-args* *E416* *E417* *E423*
3858 There are three types of terminals for highlighting:
3859 term a normal terminal (vt100, xterm)
3860 cterm a color terminal (MS-DOS console, color-xterm, these have the "Co"
3864 For each type the highlighting can be given. This makes it possible to use
3865 the same syntax file on all terminals, and use the optimal highlighting.
3867 1. highlight arguments for normal terminals
3869 *bold* *underline* *undercurl*
3870 *inverse* *italic* *standout*
3871 term={attr-list} *attr-list* *highlight-term* *E418*
3872 attr-list is a comma separated list (without spaces) of the
3873 following items (in any order):
3876 undercurl not always available
3878 inverse same as reverse
3881 NONE no attributes used (used to reset it)
3883 Note that "bold" can be used here and by using a bold font. They
3884 have the same effect.
3885 "undercurl" is a curly underline. When "undercurl" is not possible
3886 then "underline" is used. In general "undercurl" is only available in
3887 the GUI. The color is set with |highlight-guisp|.
3889 start={term-list} *highlight-start* *E422*
3890 stop={term-list} *term-list* *highlight-stop*
3891 These lists of terminal codes can be used to get
3892 non-standard attributes on a terminal.
3894 The escape sequence specified with the "start" argument
3895 is written before the characters in the highlighted
3896 area. It can be anything that you want to send to the
3897 terminal to highlight this area. The escape sequence
3898 specified with the "stop" argument is written after the
3899 highlighted area. This should undo the "start" argument.
3900 Otherwise the screen will look messed up.
3902 The {term-list} can have two forms:
3904 1. A string with escape sequences.
3905 This is any string of characters, except that it can't start with
3906 "t_" and blanks are not allowed. The <> notation is recognized
3907 here, so you can use things like "<Esc>" and "<Space>". Example:
3908 start=<Esc>[27h;<Esc>[<Space>r;
3910 2. A list of terminal codes.
3911 Each terminal code has the form "t_xx", where "xx" is the name of
3912 the termcap entry. The codes have to be separated with commas.
3913 White space is not allowed. Example:
3915 The terminal codes must exist for this to work.
3918 2. highlight arguments for color terminals
3920 cterm={attr-list} *highlight-cterm*
3921 See above for the description of {attr-list} |attr-list|.
3922 The "cterm" argument is likely to be different from "term", when
3923 colors are used. For example, in a normal terminal comments could
3924 be underlined, in a color terminal they can be made Blue.
3925 Note: Many terminals (e.g., DOS console) can't mix these attributes
3926 with coloring. Use only one of "cterm=" OR "ctermfg=" OR "ctermbg=".
3928 ctermfg={color-nr} *highlight-ctermfg* *E421*
3929 ctermbg={color-nr} *highlight-ctermbg*
3930 The {color-nr} argument is a color number. Its range is zero to
3931 (not including) the number given by the termcap entry "Co".
3932 The actual color with this number depends on the type of terminal
3933 and its settings. Sometimes the color also depends on the settings of
3934 "cterm". For example, on some systems "cterm=bold ctermfg=3" gives
3935 another color, on others you just get color 3.
3937 For an xterm this depends on your resources, and is a bit
3938 unpredictable. See your xterm documentation for the defaults. The
3939 colors for a color-xterm can be changed from the .Xdefaults file.
3940 Unfortunately this means that it's not possible to get the same colors
3941 for each user. See |xterm-color| for info about color xterms.
3943 The MSDOS standard colors are fixed (in a console window), so these
3944 have been used for the names. But the meaning of color names in X11
3945 are fixed, so these color settings have been used, to make the
3946 highlighting settings portable (complicated, isn't it?). The
3947 following names are recognized, with the color number used:
3950 NR-16 NR-8 COLOR NAME ~
3957 6 3 Brown, DarkYellow
3958 7 7 LightGray, LightGrey, Gray, Grey
3959 8 0* DarkGray, DarkGrey
3960 9 4* Blue, LightBlue
3961 10 2* Green, LightGreen
3962 11 6* Cyan, LightCyan
3964 13 5* Magenta, LightMagenta
3965 14 3* Yellow, LightYellow
3968 The number under "NR-16" is used for 16-color terminals ('t_Co'
3969 greater than or equal to 16). The number under "NR-8" is used for
3970 8-color terminals ('t_Co' less than 16). The '*' indicates that the
3971 bold attribute is set for ctermfg. In many 8-color terminals (e.g.,
3972 "linux"), this causes the bright colors to appear. This doesn't work
3973 for background colors! Without the '*' the bold attribute is removed.
3974 If you want to set the bold attribute in a different way, put a
3975 "cterm=" argument AFTER the "ctermfg=" or "ctermbg=" argument. Or use
3976 a number instead of a color name.
3978 The case of the color names is ignored.
3979 Note that for 16 color ansi style terminals (including xterms), the
3980 numbers in the NR-8 column is used. Here '*' means 'add 8' so that Blue
3981 is 12, DarkGray is 8 etc.
3983 Note that for some color terminals these names may result in the wrong
3987 When setting the "ctermfg" or "ctermbg" colors for the Normal group,
3988 these will become the colors used for the non-highlighted text.
3990 :highlight Normal ctermfg=grey ctermbg=darkblue
3991 < When setting the "ctermbg" color for the Normal group, the
3992 'background' option will be adjusted automatically. This causes the
3993 highlight groups that depend on 'background' to change! This means
3994 you should set the colors for Normal first, before setting other
3996 When a colorscheme is being used, changing 'background' causes it to
3997 be reloaded, which may reset all colors (including Normal). First
3998 delete the "colors_name" variable when you don't want this.
4000 When you have set "ctermfg" or "ctermbg" for the Normal group, Vim
4001 needs to reset the color when exiting. This is done with the "op"
4002 termcap entry |t_op|. If this doesn't work correctly, try setting the
4003 't_op' option in your .vimrc.
4005 When Vim knows the normal foreground and background colors, "fg" and
4006 "bg" can be used as color names. This only works after setting the
4007 colors for the Normal group and for the MS-DOS console. Example, for
4009 :highlight Visual ctermfg=bg ctermbg=fg
4010 < Note that the colors are used that are valid at the moment this
4011 command are given. If the Normal group colors are changed later, the
4012 "fg" and "bg" colors will not be adjusted.
4015 3. highlight arguments for the GUI
4017 gui={attr-list} *highlight-gui*
4018 These give the attributes to use in the GUI mode.
4019 See |attr-list| for a description.
4020 Note that "bold" can be used here and by using a bold font. They
4021 have the same effect.
4022 Note that the attributes are ignored for the "Normal" group.
4024 font={font-name} *highlight-font*
4025 font-name is the name of a font, as it is used on the system Vim
4026 runs on. For X11 this is a complicated name, for example: >
4027 font=-misc-fixed-bold-r-normal--14-130-75-75-c-70-iso8859-1
4029 The font-name "NONE" can be used to revert to the default font.
4030 When setting the font for the "Normal" group, this becomes the default
4031 font (until the 'guifont' option is changed; the last one set is
4033 The following only works with Motif and Athena, not with other GUIs:
4034 When setting the font for the "Menu" group, the menus will be changed.
4035 When setting the font for the "Tooltip" group, the tooltips will be
4037 All fonts used, except for Menu and Tooltip, should be of the same
4038 character size as the default font! Otherwise redrawing problems will
4041 guifg={color-name} *highlight-guifg*
4042 guibg={color-name} *highlight-guibg*
4043 guisp={color-name} *highlight-guisp*
4044 These give the foreground (guifg), background (guibg) and special
4045 (guisp) color to use in the GUI. "guisp" is used for undercurl.
4046 There are a few special names:
4047 NONE no color (transparent)
4048 bg use normal background color
4049 background use normal background color
4050 fg use normal foreground color
4051 foreground use normal foreground color
4052 To use a color name with an embedded space or other special character,
4053 put it in single quotes. The single quote cannot be used then.
4055 :hi comment guifg='salmon pink'
4058 Suggested color names (these are available on most systems):
4059 Red LightRed DarkRed
4060 Green LightGreen DarkGreen SeaGreen
4061 Blue LightBlue DarkBlue SlateBlue
4062 Cyan LightCyan DarkCyan
4063 Magenta LightMagenta DarkMagenta
4064 Yellow LightYellow Brown DarkYellow
4065 Gray LightGray DarkGray
4067 Orange Purple Violet
4069 In the Win32 GUI version, additional system colors are available. See
4072 You can also specify a color by its Red, Green and Blue values.
4073 The format is "#rrggbb", where
4074 "rr" is the Red value
4075 "gg" is the Green value
4076 "bb" is the Blue value
4077 All values are hexadecimal, range from "00" to "ff". Examples: >
4078 :highlight Comment guifg=#11f0c3 guibg=#ff00ff
4080 *highlight-groups* *highlight-default*
4081 These are the default highlighting groups. These groups are used by the
4082 'highlight' option default. Note that the highlighting depends on the value
4083 of 'background'. You can see the current settings with the ":highlight"
4086 Cursor the character under the cursor
4088 CursorIM like Cursor, but used when in IME mode |CursorIM|
4090 CursorColumn the screen column that the cursor is in when 'cursorcolumn' is
4093 CursorLine the screen line that the cursor is in when 'cursorline' is
4096 Directory directory names (and other special names in listings)
4098 DiffAdd diff mode: Added line |diff.txt|
4100 DiffChange diff mode: Changed line |diff.txt|
4102 DiffDelete diff mode: Deleted line |diff.txt|
4104 DiffText diff mode: Changed text within a changed line |diff.txt|
4106 ErrorMsg error messages on the command line
4108 VertSplit the column separating vertically split windows
4110 Folded line used for closed folds
4112 FoldColumn 'foldcolumn'
4114 SignColumn column where |signs| are displayed
4116 IncSearch 'incsearch' highlighting; also used for the text replaced with
4119 LineNr Line number for ":number" and ":#" commands, and when 'number'
4122 MatchParen The character under the cursor or just before it, if it
4123 is a paired bracket, and its match. |pi_paren.txt|
4126 ModeMsg 'showmode' message (e.g., "-- INSERT --")
4128 MoreMsg |more-prompt|
4130 NonText '~' and '@' at the end of the window, characters from
4131 'showbreak' and other characters that do not really exist in
4132 the text (e.g., ">" displayed when a double-wide character
4133 doesn't fit at the end of the line).
4137 Pmenu Popup menu: normal item.
4139 PmenuSel Popup menu: selected item.
4141 PmenuSbar Popup menu: scrollbar.
4143 PmenuThumb Popup menu: Thumb of the scrollbar.
4145 Question |hit-enter| prompt and yes/no questions
4147 Search Last search pattern highlighting (see 'hlsearch').
4148 Also used for highlighting the current line in the quickfix
4149 window and similar items that need to stand out.
4151 SpecialKey Meta and special keys listed with ":map", also for text used
4152 to show unprintable characters in the text, 'listchars'.
4153 Generally: text that is displayed differently from what it
4156 SpellBad Word that is not recognized by the spellchecker. |spell|
4157 This will be combined with the highlighting used otherwise.
4159 SpellCap Word that should start with a capital. |spell|
4160 This will be combined with the highlighting used otherwise.
4162 SpellLocal Word that is recognized by the spellchecker as one that is
4163 used in another region. |spell|
4164 This will be combined with the highlighting used otherwise.
4166 SpellRare Word that is recognized by the spellchecker as one that is
4167 hardly ever used. |spell|
4168 This will be combined with the highlighting used otherwise.
4170 StatusLine status line of current window
4172 StatusLineNC status lines of not-current windows
4173 Note: if this is equal to "StatusLine" Vim will use "^^^" in
4174 the status line of the current window.
4176 TabLine tab pages line, not active tab page label
4178 TabLineFill tab pages line, where there are no labels
4180 TabLineSel tab pages line, active tab page label
4182 Title titles for output from ":set all", ":autocmd" etc.
4184 Visual Visual mode selection
4186 VisualNOS Visual mode selection when vim is "Not Owning the Selection".
4187 Only X11 Gui's |gui-x11| and |xterm-clipboard| supports this.
4189 WarningMsg warning messages
4191 WildMenu current match in 'wildmenu' completion
4193 *hl-User1* *hl-User1..9* *hl-User9*
4194 The 'statusline' syntax allows the use of 9 different highlights in the
4195 statusline and ruler (via 'rulerformat'). The names are User1 to User9.
4197 For the GUI you can use these groups to set the colors for the menu,
4198 scrollbars and tooltips. They don't have defaults. This doesn't work for the
4199 Win32 GUI. Only three highlight arguments have any effect here: font, guibg,
4203 Menu Current font, background and foreground colors of the menus.
4204 Also used for the toolbar.
4205 Applicable highlight arguments: font, guibg, guifg.
4207 NOTE: For Motif and Athena the font argument actually
4208 specifies a fontset at all times, no matter if 'guifontset' is
4209 empty, and as such it is tied to the current |:language| when
4213 Scrollbar Current background and foreground of the main window's
4215 Applicable highlight arguments: guibg, guifg.
4218 Tooltip Current font, background and foreground of the tooltips.
4219 Applicable highlight arguments: font, guibg, guifg.
4221 NOTE: For Motif and Athena the font argument actually
4222 specifies a fontset at all times, no matter if 'guifontset' is
4223 empty, and as such it is tied to the current |:language| when
4226 ==============================================================================
4227 13. Linking groups *:hi-link* *:highlight-link* *E412* *E413*
4229 When you want to use the same highlighting for several syntax groups, you
4230 can do this more easily by linking the groups into one common highlight
4231 group, and give the color attributes only for that group.
4235 :hi[ghlight][!] [default] link {from-group} {to-group}
4239 :hi[ghlight][!] [default] link {from-group} NONE
4242 - If the {from-group} and/or {to-group} doesn't exist, it is created. You
4243 don't get an error message for a non-existing group.
4244 - As soon as you use a ":highlight" command for a linked group, the link is
4246 - If there are already highlight settings for the {from-group}, the link is
4247 not made, unless the '!' is given. For a ":highlight link" command in a
4248 sourced file, you don't get an error message. This can be used to skip
4249 links for groups that already have settings.
4251 *:hi-default* *:highlight-default*
4252 The [default] argument is used for setting the default highlighting for a
4253 group. If highlighting has already been specified for the group the command
4254 will be ignored. Also when there is an existing link.
4256 Using [default] is especially useful to overrule the highlighting of a
4257 specific syntax file. For example, the C syntax file contains: >
4258 :highlight default link cComment Comment
4259 If you like Question highlighting for C comments, put this in your vimrc file: >
4260 :highlight link cComment Question
4261 Without the "default" in the C syntax file, the highlighting would be
4262 overruled when the syntax file is loaded.
4264 ==============================================================================
4265 14. Cleaning up *:syn-clear* *E391*
4267 If you want to clear the syntax stuff for the current buffer, you can use this
4271 This command should be used when you want to switch off syntax highlighting,
4272 or when you want to switch to using another syntax. It's normally not needed
4273 in a syntax file itself, because syntax is cleared by the autocommands that
4274 load the syntax file.
4275 The command also deletes the "b:current_syntax" variable, since no syntax is
4276 loaded after this command.
4278 If you want to disable syntax highlighting for all buffers, you need to remove
4279 the autocommands that load the syntax files: >
4282 What this command actually does, is executing the command >
4283 :source $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/nosyntax.vim
4284 See the "nosyntax.vim" file for details. Note that for this to work
4285 $VIMRUNTIME must be valid. See |$VIMRUNTIME|.
4287 To clean up specific syntax groups for the current buffer: >
4288 :syntax clear {group-name} ..
4289 This removes all patterns and keywords for {group-name}.
4291 To clean up specific syntax group lists for the current buffer: >
4292 :syntax clear @{grouplist-name} ..
4293 This sets {grouplist-name}'s contents to an empty list.
4295 *:syntax-reset* *:syn-reset*
4296 If you have changed the colors and messed them up, use this command to get the
4301 This doesn't change the colors for the 'highlight' option.
4303 Note that the syntax colors that you set in your vimrc file will also be reset
4304 back to their Vim default.
4305 Note that if you are using a color scheme, the colors defined by the color
4306 scheme for syntax highlighting will be lost.
4308 What this actually does is: >
4310 let g:syntax_cmd = "reset"
4311 runtime! syntax/syncolor.vim
4313 Note that this uses the 'runtimepath' option.
4316 If you want to use different colors for syntax highlighting, you can add a Vim
4317 script file to set these colors. Put this file in a directory in
4318 'runtimepath' which comes after $VIMRUNTIME, so that your settings overrule
4319 the default colors. This way these colors will be used after the ":syntax
4322 For Unix you can use the file ~/.vim/after/syntax/syncolor.vim. Example: >
4324 if &background == "light"
4325 highlight comment ctermfg=darkgreen guifg=darkgreen
4327 highlight comment ctermfg=green guifg=green
4331 Do make sure this syncolor.vim script does not use a "syntax on", set the
4332 'background' option or uses a "colorscheme" command, because it results in an
4335 Note that when a color scheme is used, there might be some confusion whether
4336 your defined colors are to be used or the colors from the scheme. This
4337 depends on the color scheme file. See |:colorscheme|.
4340 The "syntax_cmd" variable is set to one of these values when the
4341 syntax/syncolor.vim files are loaded:
4342 "on" ":syntax on" command. Highlight colors are overruled but
4344 "enable" ":syntax enable" command. Only define colors for groups that
4345 don't have highlighting yet. Use ":syntax default".
4346 "reset" ":syntax reset" command or loading a color scheme. Define all
4348 "skip" Don't define colors. Used to skip the default settings when a
4349 syncolor.vim file earlier in 'runtimepath' has already set
4352 ==============================================================================
4353 15. Highlighting tags *tag-highlight*
4355 If you want to highlight all the tags in your file, you can use the following
4358 <F11> -- Generate tags.vim file, and highlight tags.
4359 <F12> -- Just highlight tags based on existing tags.vim file.
4361 :map <F11> :sp tags<CR>:%s/^\([^ :]*:\)\=\([^ ]*\).*/syntax keyword Tag \2/<CR>:wq! tags.vim<CR>/^<CR><F12>
4362 :map <F12> :so tags.vim<CR>
4364 WARNING: The longer the tags file, the slower this will be, and the more
4365 memory Vim will consume.
4367 Only highlighting typedefs, unions and structs can be done too. For this you
4368 must use Exuberant ctags (found at http://ctags.sf.net).
4370 Put these lines in your Makefile:
4372 # Make a highlight file for types. Requires Exuberant ctags and awk
4375 ctags --c-kinds=gstu -o- *.[ch] |\
4376 awk 'BEGIN{printf("syntax keyword Type\t")}\
4377 {printf("%s ", $$1)}END{print ""}' > $@
4379 And put these lines in your .vimrc: >
4381 " load the types.vim highlighting file, if it exists
4382 autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.[ch] let fname = expand('<afile>:p:h') . '/types.vim'
4383 autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.[ch] if filereadable(fname)
4384 autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.[ch] exe 'so ' . fname
4385 autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.[ch] endif
4387 ==============================================================================
4388 16. Color xterms *xterm-color* *color-xterm*
4390 Most color xterms have only eight colors. If you don't get colors with the
4391 default setup, it should work with these lines in your .vimrc: >
4392 :if &term =~ "xterm"
4393 : if has("terminfo")
4395 : set t_Sf=<Esc>[3%p1%dm
4396 : set t_Sb=<Esc>[4%p1%dm
4399 : set t_Sf=<Esc>[3%dm
4400 : set t_Sb=<Esc>[4%dm
4403 < [<Esc> is a real escape, type CTRL-V <Esc>]
4405 You might want to change the first "if" to match the name of your terminal,
4406 e.g. "dtterm" instead of "xterm".
4408 Note: Do these settings BEFORE doing ":syntax on". Otherwise the colors may
4411 The above settings have been mentioned to work for xiterm and rxvt too.
4412 But for using 16 colors in an rxvt these should work with terminfo: >
4413 :set t_AB=<Esc>[%?%p1%{8}%<%t25;%p1%{40}%+%e5;%p1%{32}%+%;%dm
4414 :set t_AF=<Esc>[%?%p1%{8}%<%t22;%p1%{30}%+%e1;%p1%{22}%+%;%dm
4417 To test your color setup, a file has been included in the Vim distribution.
4418 To use it, execute this command: >
4419 :runtime syntax/colortest.vim
4421 Some versions of xterm (and other terminals, like the Linux console) can
4422 output lighter foreground colors, even though the number of colors is defined
4423 at 8. Therefore Vim sets the "cterm=bold" attribute for light foreground
4424 colors, when 't_Co' is 8.
4427 To get 16 colors or more, get the newest xterm version (which should be
4428 included with XFree86 3.3 and later). You can also find the latest version
4430 http://invisible-island.net/xterm/xterm.html
4431 Here is a good way to configure it. This uses 88 colors and enables the
4432 termcap-query feature, which allows Vim to ask the xterm how many colors it
4434 ./configure --disable-bold-color --enable-88-color --enable-tcap-query
4435 If you only get 8 colors, check the xterm compilation settings.
4436 (Also see |UTF8-xterm| for using this xterm with UTF-8 character encoding).
4438 This xterm should work with these lines in your .vimrc (for 16 colors): >
4441 : set t_AB=<Esc>[%?%p1%{8}%<%t%p1%{40}%+%e%p1%{92}%+%;%dm
4442 : set t_AF=<Esc>[%?%p1%{8}%<%t%p1%{30}%+%e%p1%{82}%+%;%dm
4445 : set t_Sf=<Esc>[3%dm
4446 : set t_Sb=<Esc>[4%dm
4448 < [<Esc> is a real escape, type CTRL-V <Esc>]
4450 Without |+terminfo|, Vim will recognize these settings, and automatically
4451 translate cterm colors of 8 and above to "<Esc>[9%dm" and "<Esc>[10%dm".
4452 Colors above 16 are also translated automatically.
4454 For 256 colors this has been reported to work: >
4456 :set t_AB=<Esc>[48;5;%dm
4457 :set t_AF=<Esc>[38;5;%dm
4459 Or just set the TERM environment variable to "xterm-color" or "xterm-16color"
4460 and try if that works.
4462 You probably want to use these X resources (in your ~/.Xdefaults file):
4463 XTerm*color0: #000000
4464 XTerm*color1: #c00000
4465 XTerm*color2: #008000
4466 XTerm*color3: #808000
4467 XTerm*color4: #0000c0
4468 XTerm*color5: #c000c0
4469 XTerm*color6: #008080
4470 XTerm*color7: #c0c0c0
4471 XTerm*color8: #808080
4472 XTerm*color9: #ff6060
4473 XTerm*color10: #00ff00
4474 XTerm*color11: #ffff00
4475 XTerm*color12: #8080ff
4476 XTerm*color13: #ff40ff
4477 XTerm*color14: #00ffff
4478 XTerm*color15: #ffffff
4479 Xterm*cursorColor: Black
4481 [Note: The cursorColor is required to work around a bug, which changes the
4482 cursor color to the color of the last drawn text. This has been fixed by a
4483 newer version of xterm, but not everybody is using it yet.]
4485 To get these right away, reload the .Xdefaults file to the X Option database
4486 Manager (you only need to do this when you just changed the .Xdefaults file): >
4487 xrdb -merge ~/.Xdefaults
4489 *xterm-blink* *xterm-blinking-cursor*
4490 To make the cursor blink in an xterm, see tools/blink.c. Or use Thomas
4491 Dickey's xterm above patchlevel 107 (see above for where to get it), with
4493 XTerm*cursorBlink: on
4494 XTerm*cursorOnTime: 400
4495 XTerm*cursorOffTime: 250
4496 XTerm*cursorColor: White
4499 These settings work (more or less) for an hpterm, which only supports 8
4500 foreground colors: >
4503 : set t_Sf=<Esc>[&v%p1%dS
4504 : set t_Sb=<Esc>[&v7S
4507 : set t_Sf=<Esc>[&v%dS
4508 : set t_Sb=<Esc>[&v7S
4510 < [<Esc> is a real escape, type CTRL-V <Esc>]
4512 *Eterm* *enlightened-terminal*
4513 These settings have been reported to work for the Enlightened terminal
4514 emulator, or Eterm. They might work for all xterm-like terminals that use the
4515 bold attribute to get bright colors. Add an ":if" like above when needed. >
4517 :set t_AF=^[[%?%p1%{8}%<%t3%p1%d%e%p1%{22}%+%d;1%;m
4518 :set t_AB=^[[%?%p1%{8}%<%t4%p1%d%e%p1%{32}%+%d;1%;m
4521 These settings should work for TTpro telnet. Tera Term Pro is a freeware /
4522 open-source program for MS-Windows. >
4524 set t_AB=^[[%?%p1%{8}%<%t%p1%{40}%+%e%p1%{32}%+5;%;%dm
4525 set t_AF=^[[%?%p1%{8}%<%t%p1%{30}%+%e%p1%{22}%+1;%;%dm
4526 Also make sure TTpro's Setup / Window / Full Color is enabled, and make sure
4527 that Setup / Font / Enable Bold is NOT enabled.
4528 (info provided by John Love-Jensen <eljay@Adobe.COM>)
4530 vim:tw=78:sw=4:ts=8:ft=help:norl: