1*editing.txt* For Vim version 8.1. Last change: 2018 Dec 16 2 3 4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar 5 6 7Editing files *edit-files* 8 91. Introduction |edit-intro| 102. Editing a file |edit-a-file| 113. The argument list |argument-list| 124. Writing |writing| 135. Writing and quitting |write-quit| 146. Dialogs |edit-dialogs| 157. The current directory |current-directory| 168. Editing binary files |edit-binary| 179. Encryption |encryption| 1810. Timestamps |timestamps| 1911. File Searching |file-searching| 20 21============================================================================== 221. Introduction *edit-intro* 23 24Editing a file with Vim means: 25 261. reading the file into a buffer 272. changing the buffer with editor commands 283. writing the buffer into a file 29 30 *current-file* 31As long as you don't write the buffer, the original file remains unchanged. 32If you start editing a file (read a file into the buffer), the file name is 33remembered as the "current file name". This is also known as the name of the 34current buffer. It can be used with "%" on the command line |:_%|. 35 36 *alternate-file* 37If there already was a current file name, then that one becomes the alternate 38file name. It can be used with "#" on the command line |:_#| and you can use 39the |CTRL-^| command to toggle between the current and the alternate file. 40However, the alternate file name is not changed when |:keepalt| is used. 41An alternate file name is remembered for each window. 42 43 *:keepalt* *:keepa* 44:keepalt {cmd} Execute {cmd} while keeping the current alternate file 45 name. Note that commands invoked indirectly (e.g., 46 with a function) may still set the alternate file 47 name. {not in Vi} 48 49All file names are remembered in the buffer list. When you enter a file name, 50for editing (e.g., with ":e filename") or writing (e.g., with ":w filename"), 51the file name is added to the list. You can use the buffer list to remember 52which files you edited and to quickly switch from one file to another (e.g., 53to copy text) with the |CTRL-^| command. First type the number of the file 54and then hit CTRL-^. {Vi: only one alternate file name is remembered} 55 56 57CTRL-G or *CTRL-G* *:f* *:fi* *:file* 58:f[ile] Prints the current file name (as typed, unless ":cd" 59 was used), the cursor position (unless the 'ruler' 60 option is set), and the file status (readonly, 61 modified, read errors, new file). See the 'shortmess' 62 option about how to make this message shorter. 63 {Vi does not include column number} 64 65:f[ile]! like |:file|, but don't truncate the name even when 66 'shortmess' indicates this. 67 68{count}CTRL-G Like CTRL-G, but prints the current file name with 69 full path. If the count is higher than 1 the current 70 buffer number is also given. {not in Vi} 71 72 *g_CTRL-G* *word-count* *byte-count* 73g CTRL-G Prints the current position of the cursor in five 74 ways: Column, Line, Word, Character and Byte. If the 75 number of Characters and Bytes is the same then the 76 Character position is omitted. 77 If there are characters in the line that take more 78 than one position on the screen (<Tab> or special 79 character), both the "real" column and the screen 80 column are shown, separated with a dash. 81 Also see the 'ruler' option and the |wordcount()| 82 function. 83 {not in Vi} 84 85 *v_g_CTRL-G* 86{Visual}g CTRL-G Similar to "g CTRL-G", but Word, Character, Line, and 87 Byte counts for the visually selected region are 88 displayed. 89 In Blockwise mode, Column count is also shown. (For 90 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|.) 91 {not in VI} 92 93 *:file_f* 94:f[ile][!] {name} Sets the current file name to {name}. The optional ! 95 avoids truncating the message, as with |:file|. 96 If the buffer did have a name, that name becomes the 97 |alternate-file| name. An unlisted buffer is created 98 to hold the old name. 99 *:0file* 100:0f[ile][!] Remove the name of the current buffer. The optional ! 101 avoids truncating the message, as with |:file|. {not 102 in Vi} 103 104:buffers 105:files 106:ls List all the currently known file names. See 107 'windows.txt' |:files| |:buffers| |:ls|. {not in 108 Vi} 109 110Vim will remember the full path name of a file name that you enter. In most 111cases when the file name is displayed only the name you typed is shown, but 112the full path name is being used if you used the ":cd" command |:cd|. 113 114 *home-replace* 115If the environment variable $HOME is set, and the file name starts with that 116string, it is often displayed with HOME replaced with "~". This was done to 117keep file names short. When reading or writing files the full name is still 118used, the "~" is only used when displaying file names. When replacing the 119file name would result in just "~", "~/" is used instead (to avoid confusion 120between options set to $HOME with 'backupext' set to "~"). 121 122When writing the buffer, the default is to use the current file name. Thus 123when you give the "ZZ" or ":wq" command, the original file will be 124overwritten. If you do not want this, the buffer can be written into another 125file by giving a file name argument to the ":write" command. For example: > 126 127 vim testfile 128 [change the buffer with editor commands] 129 :w newfile 130 :q 131 132This will create a file "newfile", that is a modified copy of "testfile". 133The file "testfile" will remain unchanged. Anyway, if the 'backup' option is 134set, Vim renames or copies the original file before it will be overwritten. 135You can use this file if you discover that you need the original file. See 136also the 'patchmode' option. The name of the backup file is normally the same 137as the original file with 'backupext' appended. The default "~" is a bit 138strange to avoid accidentally overwriting existing files. If you prefer ".bak" 139change the 'backupext' option. Extra dots are replaced with '_' on MS-DOS 140machines, when Vim has detected that an MS-DOS-like filesystem is being used 141(e.g., messydos or crossdos) or when the 'shortname' option is on. The 142backup file can be placed in another directory by setting 'backupdir'. 143 144 *auto-shortname* 145Technical: On the Amiga you can use 30 characters for a file name. But on an 146 MS-DOS-compatible filesystem only 8 plus 3 characters are 147 available. Vim tries to detect the type of filesystem when it is 148 creating the .swp file. If an MS-DOS-like filesystem is suspected, 149 a flag is set that has the same effect as setting the 'shortname' 150 option. This flag will be reset as soon as you start editing a 151 new file. The flag will be used when making the file name for the 152 ".swp" and ".~" files for the current file. But when you are 153 editing a file in a normal filesystem and write to an MS-DOS-like 154 filesystem the flag will not have been set. In that case the 155 creation of the ".~" file may fail and you will get an error 156 message. Use the 'shortname' option in this case. 157 158When you started editing without giving a file name, "No File" is displayed in 159messages. If the ":write" command is used with a file name argument, the file 160name for the current file is set to that file name. This only happens when 161the 'F' flag is included in 'cpoptions' (by default it is included) |cpo-F|. 162This is useful when entering text in an empty buffer and then writing it to a 163file. If 'cpoptions' contains the 'f' flag (by default it is NOT included) 164|cpo-f| the file name is set for the ":read file" command. This is useful 165when starting Vim without an argument and then doing ":read file" to start 166editing a file. 167When the file name was set and 'filetype' is empty the filetype detection 168autocommands will be triggered. 169 *not-edited* 170Because the file name was set without really starting to edit that file, you 171are protected from overwriting that file. This is done by setting the 172"notedited" flag. You can see if this flag is set with the CTRL-G or ":file" 173command. It will include "[Not edited]" when the "notedited" flag is set. 174When writing the buffer to the current file name (with ":w!"), the "notedited" 175flag is reset. 176 177 *abandon* 178Vim remembers whether you have changed the buffer. You are protected from 179losing the changes you made. If you try to quit without writing, or want to 180start editing another file, Vim will refuse this. In order to overrule this 181protection, add a '!' to the command. The changes will then be lost. For 182example: ":q" will not work if the buffer was changed, but ":q!" will. To see 183whether the buffer was changed use the "CTRL-G" command. The message includes 184the string "[Modified]" if the buffer has been changed, or "+" if the 'm' flag 185is in 'shortmess'. 186 187If you want to automatically save the changes without asking, switch on the 188'autowriteall' option. 'autowrite' is the associated Vi-compatible option 189that does not work for all commands. 190 191If you want to keep the changed buffer without saving it, switch on the 192'hidden' option. See |hidden-buffer|. Some commands work like this even when 193'hidden' is not set, check the help for the command. 194 195============================================================================== 1962. Editing a file *edit-a-file* 197 198 *:e* *:edit* *reload* 199:e[dit] [++opt] [+cmd] Edit the current file. This is useful to re-edit the 200 current file, when it has been changed outside of Vim. 201 This fails when changes have been made to the current 202 buffer and 'autowriteall' isn't set or the file can't 203 be written. 204 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 205 {Vi: no ++opt} 206 207 *:edit!* *discard* 208:e[dit]! [++opt] [+cmd] 209 Edit the current file always. Discard any changes to 210 the current buffer. This is useful if you want to 211 start all over again. 212 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 213 {Vi: no ++opt} 214 215 *:edit_f* 216:e[dit] [++opt] [+cmd] {file} 217 Edit {file}. 218 This fails when changes have been made to the current 219 buffer, unless 'hidden' is set or 'autowriteall' is 220 set and the file can be written. 221 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 222 {Vi: no ++opt} 223 224 *:edit!_f* 225:e[dit]! [++opt] [+cmd] {file} 226 Edit {file} always. Discard any changes to the 227 current buffer. 228 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 229 {Vi: no ++opt} 230 231:e[dit] [++opt] [+cmd] #[count] 232 Edit the [count]th buffer (as shown by |:files|). 233 This command does the same as [count] CTRL-^. But ":e 234 #" doesn't work if the alternate buffer doesn't have a 235 file name, while CTRL-^ still works then. 236 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 237 {Vi: no ++opt} 238 239 *:ene* *:enew* 240:ene[w] Edit a new, unnamed buffer. This fails when changes 241 have been made to the current buffer, unless 'hidden' 242 is set or 'autowriteall' is set and the file can be 243 written. 244 If 'fileformats' is not empty, the first format given 245 will be used for the new buffer. If 'fileformats' is 246 empty, the 'fileformat' of the current buffer is used. 247 {not in Vi} 248 249 *:ene!* *:enew!* 250:ene[w]! Edit a new, unnamed buffer. Discard any changes to 251 the current buffer. 252 Set 'fileformat' like |:enew|. 253 {not in Vi} 254 255 *:fin* *:find* 256:fin[d][!] [++opt] [+cmd] {file} 257 Find {file} in 'path' and then |:edit| it. 258 {not in Vi} {not available when the |+file_in_path| 259 feature was disabled at compile time} 260 261:{count}fin[d][!] [++opt] [+cmd] {file} 262 Just like ":find", but use the {count} match in 263 'path'. Thus ":2find file" will find the second 264 "file" found in 'path'. When there are fewer matches 265 for the file in 'path' than asked for, you get an 266 error message. 267 268 *:ex* 269:ex [++opt] [+cmd] [file] 270 Same as |:edit|. 271 272 *:vi* *:visual* 273:vi[sual][!] [++opt] [+cmd] [file] 274 When used in Ex mode: Leave |Ex-mode|, go back to 275 Normal mode. Otherwise same as |:edit|. 276 277 *:vie* *:view* 278:vie[w][!] [++opt] [+cmd] file 279 When used in Ex mode: Leave |Ex-mode|, go back to 280 Normal mode. Otherwise same as |:edit|, but set 281 'readonly' option for this buffer. {not in Vi} 282 283 *CTRL-^* *CTRL-6* 284CTRL-^ Edit the alternate file. Mostly the alternate file is 285 the previously edited file. This is a quick way to 286 toggle between two files. It is equivalent to ":e #", 287 except that it also works when there is no file name. 288 289 If the 'autowrite' or 'autowriteall' option is on and 290 the buffer was changed, write it. 291 Mostly the ^ character is positioned on the 6 key, 292 pressing CTRL and 6 then gets you what we call CTRL-^. 293 But on some non-US keyboards CTRL-^ is produced in 294 another way. 295 296{count}CTRL-^ Edit [count]th file in the buffer list (equivalent to 297 ":e #[count]"). This is a quick way to switch between 298 files. 299 See |CTRL-^| above for further details. 300 {not in Vi} 301 302[count]]f *]f* *[f* 303[count][f Same as "gf". Deprecated. 304 305 *gf* *E446* *E447* 306[count]gf Edit the file whose name is under or after the cursor. 307 Mnemonic: "goto file". 308 Uses the 'isfname' option to find out which characters 309 are supposed to be in a file name. Trailing 310 punctuation characters ".,:;!" are ignored. Escaped 311 spaces "\ " are reduced to a single space. 312 Uses the 'path' option as a list of directory names to 313 look for the file. See the 'path' option for details 314 about relative directories and wildcards. 315 Uses the 'suffixesadd' option to check for file names 316 with a suffix added. 317 If the file can't be found, 'includeexpr' is used to 318 modify the name and another attempt is done. 319 If a [count] is given, the count'th file that is found 320 in the 'path' is edited. 321 This command fails if Vim refuses to |abandon| the 322 current file. 323 If you want to edit the file in a new window use 324 |CTRL-W_CTRL-F|. 325 If you do want to edit a new file, use: > 326 :e <cfile> 327< To make gf always work like that: > 328 :map gf :e <cfile><CR> 329< If the name is a hypertext link, that looks like 330 "type://machine/path", you need the |netrw| plugin. 331 For Unix the '~' character is expanded, like in 332 "~user/file". Environment variables are expanded too 333 |expand-env|. 334 {not in Vi} 335 {not available when the |+file_in_path| feature was 336 disabled at compile time} 337 338 *v_gf* 339{Visual}[count]gf Same as "gf", but the highlighted text is used as the 340 name of the file to edit. 'isfname' is ignored. 341 Leading blanks are skipped, otherwise all blanks and 342 special characters are included in the file name. 343 (For {Visual} see |Visual-mode|.) 344 {not in VI} 345 346 *gF* 347[count]gF Same as "gf", except if a number follows the file 348 name, then the cursor is positioned on that line in 349 the file. The file name and the number must be 350 separated by a non-filename (see 'isfname') and 351 non-numeric character. White space between the 352 filename, the separator and the number are ignored. 353 Examples: 354 eval.c:10 ~ 355 eval.c @ 20 ~ 356 eval.c (30) ~ 357 eval.c 40 ~ 358 359 *v_gF* 360{Visual}[count]gF Same as "v_gf". 361 362These commands are used to start editing a single file. This means that the 363file is read into the buffer and the current file name is set. The file that 364is opened depends on the current directory, see |:cd|. 365 366See |read-messages| for an explanation of the message that is given after the 367file has been read. 368 369You can use the ":e!" command if you messed up the buffer and want to start 370all over again. The ":e" command is only useful if you have changed the 371current file name. 372 373 *:filename* *{file}* 374Besides the things mentioned here, more special items for where a filename is 375expected are mentioned at |cmdline-special|. 376 377Note for systems other than Unix: When using a command that accepts a single 378file name (like ":edit file") spaces in the file name are allowed, but 379trailing spaces are ignored. This is useful on systems that regularly embed 380spaces in file names (like MS-Windows and the Amiga). Example: The command 381":e Long File Name " will edit the file "Long File Name". When using a 382command that accepts more than one file name (like ":next file1 file2") 383embedded spaces must be escaped with a backslash. 384 385 *wildcard* *wildcards* 386Wildcards in {file} are expanded, but as with file completion, 'wildignore' 387and 'suffixes' apply. Which wildcards are supported depends on the system. 388These are the common ones: 389 ? matches one character 390 * matches anything, including nothing 391 ** matches anything, including nothing, recurses into directories 392 [abc] match 'a', 'b' or 'c' 393 394To avoid the special meaning of the wildcards prepend a backslash. However, 395on MS-Windows the backslash is a path separator and "path\[abc]" is still seen 396as a wildcard when "[" is in the 'isfname' option. A simple way to avoid this 397is to use "path\[[]abc]", this matches the file "path\[abc]". 398 399 *starstar-wildcard* 400Expanding "**" is possible on Unix, Win32, Mac OS/X and a few other systems. 401This allows searching a directory tree. This goes up to 100 directories deep. 402Note there are some commands where this works slightly differently, see 403|file-searching|. 404Example: > 405 :n **/*.txt 406Finds files: 407 aaa.txt ~ 408 subdir/bbb.txt ~ 409 a/b/c/d/ccc.txt ~ 410When non-wildcard characters are used right before or after "**" these are 411only matched in the top directory. They are not used for directories further 412down in the tree. For example: > 413 :n /usr/inc**/types.h 414Finds files: 415 /usr/include/types.h ~ 416 /usr/include/sys/types.h ~ 417 /usr/inc/old/types.h ~ 418Note that the path with "/sys" is included because it does not need to match 419"/inc". Thus it's like matching "/usr/inc*/*/*...", not 420"/usr/inc*/inc*/inc*". 421 422 *backtick-expansion* *`-expansion* 423On Unix and a few other systems you can also use backticks for the file name 424argument, for example: > 425 :next `find . -name ver\\*.c -print` 426 :view `ls -t *.patch \| head -n1` 427Vim will run the command in backticks using the 'shell' and use the standard 428output as argument for the given Vim command (error messages from the shell 429command will be discarded). 430To see what shell command Vim is running, set the 'verbose' option to 4. When 431the shell command returns a non-zero exit code, an error message will be 432displayed and the Vim command will be aborted. To avoid this make the shell 433always return zero like so: > 434 :next `find . -name ver\\*.c -print \|\| true` 435 436The backslashes before the star are required to prevent the shell from 437expanding "ver*.c" prior to execution of the find program. The backslash 438before the shell pipe symbol "|" prevents Vim from parsing it as command 439termination. 440This also works for most other systems, with the restriction that the 441backticks must be around the whole item. It is not possible to have text 442directly before the first or just after the last backtick. 443 444 *`=* 445You can have the backticks expanded as a Vim expression, instead of as an 446external command, by putting an equal sign right after the first backtick, 447e.g.: > 448 :e `=tempname()` 449The expression can contain just about anything, thus this can also be used to 450avoid the special meaning of '"', '|', '%' and '#'. However, 'wildignore' 451does apply like to other wildcards. 452 453Environment variables in the expression are expanded when evaluating the 454expression, thus this works: > 455 :e `=$HOME . '/.vimrc'` 456This does not work, $HOME is inside a string and used literally: > 457 :e `='$HOME' . '/.vimrc'` 458 459If the expression returns a string then names are to be separated with line 460breaks. When the result is a |List| then each item is used as a name. Line 461breaks also separate names. 462Note that such expressions are only supported in places where a filename is 463expected as an argument to an Ex-command. 464 465 *++opt* *[++opt]* 466The [++opt] argument can be used to force the value of 'fileformat', 467'fileencoding' or 'binary' to a value for one command, and to specify the 468behavior for bad characters. The form is: > 469 ++{optname} 470Or: > 471 ++{optname}={value} 472 473Where {optname} is one of: *++ff* *++enc* *++bin* *++nobin* *++edit* 474 ff or fileformat overrides 'fileformat' 475 enc or encoding overrides 'fileencoding' 476 bin or binary sets 'binary' 477 nobin or nobinary resets 'binary' 478 bad specifies behavior for bad characters 479 edit for |:read| only: keep option values as if editing 480 a file 481 482{value} cannot contain white space. It can be any valid value for these 483options. Examples: > 484 :e ++ff=unix 485This edits the same file again with 'fileformat' set to "unix". > 486 487 :w ++enc=latin1 newfile 488This writes the current buffer to "newfile" in latin1 format. 489 490There may be several ++opt arguments, separated by white space. They must all 491appear before any |+cmd| argument. 492 493 *++bad* 494The argument of "++bad=" specifies what happens with characters that can't be 495converted and illegal bytes. It can be one of three things: 496 ++bad=X A single-byte character that replaces each bad character. 497 ++bad=keep Keep bad characters without conversion. Note that this may 498 result in illegal bytes in your text! 499 ++bad=drop Remove the bad characters. 500 501The default is like "++bad=?": Replace each bad character with a question 502mark. In some places an inverted question mark is used (0xBF). 503 504Note that not all commands use the ++bad argument, even though they do not 505give an error when you add it. E.g. |:write|. 506 507Note that when reading, the 'fileformat' and 'fileencoding' options will be 508set to the used format. When writing this doesn't happen, thus a next write 509will use the old value of the option. Same for the 'binary' option. 510 511 512 *+cmd* *[+cmd]* 513The [+cmd] argument can be used to position the cursor in the newly opened 514file, or execute any other command: 515 + Start at the last line. 516 +{num} Start at line {num}. 517 +/{pat} Start at first line containing {pat}. 518 +{command} Execute {command} after opening the new file. 519 {command} is any Ex command. 520To include a white space in the {pat} or {command}, precede it with a 521backslash. Double the number of backslashes. > 522 :edit +/The\ book file 523 :edit +/dir\ dirname\\ file 524 :edit +set\ dir=c:\\\\temp file 525Note that in the last example the number of backslashes is halved twice: Once 526for the "+cmd" argument and once for the ":set" command. 527 528 *file-formats* 529The 'fileformat' option sets the <EOL> style for a file: 530'fileformat' characters name ~ 531 "dos" <CR><NL> or <NL> DOS format *DOS-format* 532 "unix" <NL> Unix format *Unix-format* 533 "mac" <CR> Mac format *Mac-format* 534Previously 'textmode' was used. It is obsolete now. 535 536When reading a file, the mentioned characters are interpreted as the <EOL>. 537In DOS format (default for MS-DOS, OS/2 and Win32), <CR><NL> and <NL> are both 538interpreted as the <EOL>. Note that when writing the file in DOS format, 539<CR> characters will be added for each single <NL>. Also see |file-read|. 540 541When writing a file, the mentioned characters are used for <EOL>. For DOS 542format <CR><NL> is used. Also see |DOS-format-write|. 543 544You can read a file in DOS format and write it in Unix format. This will 545replace all <CR><NL> pairs by <NL> (assuming 'fileformats' includes "dos"): > 546 :e file 547 :set fileformat=unix 548 :w 549If you read a file in Unix format and write with DOS format, all <NL> 550characters will be replaced with <CR><NL> (assuming 'fileformats' includes 551"unix"): > 552 :e file 553 :set fileformat=dos 554 :w 555 556If you start editing a new file and the 'fileformats' option is not empty 557(which is the default), Vim will try to detect whether the lines in the file 558are separated by the specified formats. When set to "unix,dos", Vim will 559check for lines with a single <NL> (as used on Unix and Amiga) or by a <CR> 560<NL> pair (MS-DOS). Only when ALL lines end in <CR><NL>, 'fileformat' is set 561to "dos", otherwise it is set to "unix". When 'fileformats' includes "mac", 562and no <NL> characters are found in the file, 'fileformat' is set to "mac". 563 564If the 'fileformat' option is set to "dos" on non-MS-DOS systems the message 565"[dos format]" is shown to remind you that something unusual is happening. On 566MS-DOS systems you get the message "[unix format]" if 'fileformat' is set to 567"unix". On all systems but the Macintosh you get the message "[mac format]" 568if 'fileformat' is set to "mac". 569 570If the 'fileformats' option is empty and DOS format is used, but while reading 571a file some lines did not end in <CR><NL>, "[CR missing]" will be included in 572the file message. 573If the 'fileformats' option is empty and Mac format is used, but while reading 574a file a <NL> was found, "[NL missing]" will be included in the file message. 575 576If the new file does not exist, the 'fileformat' of the current buffer is used 577when 'fileformats' is empty. Otherwise the first format from 'fileformats' is 578used for the new file. 579 580Before editing binary, executable or Vim script files you should set the 581'binary' option. A simple way to do this is by starting Vim with the "-b" 582option. This will avoid the use of 'fileformat'. Without this you risk that 583single <NL> characters are unexpectedly replaced with <CR><NL>. 584 585You can encrypt files that are written by setting the 'key' option. This 586provides some security against others reading your files. |encryption| 587 588 589============================================================================== 5903. The argument list *argument-list* *arglist* 591 592If you give more than one file name when starting Vim, this list is remembered 593as the argument list. You can jump to each file in this list. 594 595Do not confuse this with the buffer list, which you can see with the 596|:buffers| command. The argument list was already present in Vi, the buffer 597list is new in Vim. Every file name in the argument list will also be present 598in the buffer list (unless it was deleted with |:bdel| or |:bwipe|). But it's 599common that names in the buffer list are not in the argument list. 600 601This subject is introduced in section |07.2| of the user manual. 602 603There is one global argument list, which is used for all windows by default. 604It is possible to create a new argument list local to a window, see 605|:arglocal|. 606 607You can use the argument list with the following commands, and with the 608expression functions |argc()| and |argv()|. These all work on the argument 609list of the current window. 610 611 *:ar* *:args* 612:ar[gs] Print the argument list, with the current file in 613 square brackets. 614 615:ar[gs] [++opt] [+cmd] {arglist} *:args_f* 616 Define {arglist} as the new argument list and edit 617 the first one. This fails when changes have been made 618 and Vim does not want to |abandon| the current buffer. 619 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 620 {Vi: no ++opt} 621 622:ar[gs]! [++opt] [+cmd] {arglist} *:args_f!* 623 Define {arglist} as the new argument list and edit 624 the first one. Discard any changes to the current 625 buffer. 626 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 627 {Vi: no ++opt} 628 629:[count]arge[dit][!] [++opt] [+cmd] {name} .. *:arge* *:argedit* 630 Add {name}s to the argument list and edit it. 631 When {name} already exists in the argument list, this 632 entry is edited. 633 This is like using |:argadd| and then |:edit|. 634 Spaces in filenames have to be escaped with "\". 635 [count] is used like with |:argadd|. 636 If the current file cannot be |abandon|ed {name}s will 637 still be added to the argument list, but won't be 638 edited. No check for duplicates is done. 639 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 640 {not in Vi} 641 642:[count]arga[dd] {name} .. *:arga* *:argadd* *E479* 643:[count]arga[dd] 644 Add the {name}s to the argument list. When {name} is 645 omitted add the current buffer name to the argument 646 list. 647 If [count] is omitted, the {name}s are added just 648 after the current entry in the argument list. 649 Otherwise they are added after the [count]'th file. 650 If the argument list is "a b c", and "b" is the 651 current argument, then these commands result in: 652 command new argument list ~ 653 :argadd x a b x c 654 :0argadd x x a b c 655 :1argadd x a x b c 656 :$argadd x a b c x 657 And after the last one: 658 :+2argadd y a b c x y 659 There is no check for duplicates, it is possible to 660 add a file to the argument list twice. 661 The currently edited file is not changed. 662 {not in Vi} 663 Note: you can also use this method: > 664 :args ## x 665< This will add the "x" item and sort the new list. 666 667:argd[elete] {pattern} .. *:argd* *:argdelete* *E480* 668 Delete files from the argument list that match the 669 {pattern}s. {pattern} is used like a file pattern, 670 see |file-pattern|. "%" can be used to delete the 671 current entry. 672 This command keeps the currently edited file, also 673 when it's deleted from the argument list. 674 Example: > 675 :argdel *.obj 676< {not in Vi} 677 678:[range]argd[elete] Delete the {range} files from the argument list. 679 Example: > 680 :10,$argdel 681< Deletes arguments 10 and further, keeping 1-9. > 682 :$argd 683< Deletes just the last one. > 684 :argd 685 :.argd 686< Deletes the current argument. > 687 :%argd 688< Removes all the files from the arglist. 689 When the last number in the range is too high, up to 690 the last argument is deleted. 691 {not in Vi} 692 693 *:argu* *:argument* 694:[count]argu[ment] [count] [++opt] [+cmd] 695 Edit file [count] in the argument list. When [count] 696 is omitted the current entry is used. This fails 697 when changes have been made and Vim does not want to 698 |abandon| the current buffer. 699 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 700 {not in Vi} 701 702:[count]argu[ment]! [count] [++opt] [+cmd] 703 Edit file [count] in the argument list, discard any 704 changes to the current buffer. When [count] is 705 omitted the current entry is used. 706 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. 707 {not in Vi} 708 709:[count]n[ext] [++opt] [+cmd] *:n* *:ne* *:next* *E165* *E163* 710 Edit [count] next file. This fails when changes have 711 been made and Vim does not want to |abandon| the 712 current buffer. Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. {Vi: no 713 count or ++opt}. 714 715:[count]n[ext]! [++opt] [+cmd] 716 Edit [count] next file, discard any changes to the 717 buffer. Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. {Vi: no count 718 or ++opt}. 719 720:n[ext] [++opt] [+cmd] {arglist} *:next_f* 721 Same as |:args_f|. 722 723:n[ext]! [++opt] [+cmd] {arglist} 724 Same as |:args_f!|. 725 726:[count]N[ext] [count] [++opt] [+cmd] *:Next* *:N* *E164* 727 Edit [count] previous file in argument list. This 728 fails when changes have been made and Vim does not 729 want to |abandon| the current buffer. 730 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. {Vi: no count or ++opt}. 731 732:[count]N[ext]! [count] [++opt] [+cmd] 733 Edit [count] previous file in argument list. Discard 734 any changes to the buffer. Also see |++opt| and 735 |+cmd|. {Vi: no count or ++opt}. 736 737:[count]prev[ious] [count] [++opt] [+cmd] *:prev* *:previous* 738 Same as :Next. Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. {Vi: 739 only in some versions} 740 741 *:rew* *:rewind* 742:rew[ind] [++opt] [+cmd] 743 Start editing the first file in the argument list. 744 This fails when changes have been made and Vim does 745 not want to |abandon| the current buffer. 746 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. {Vi: no ++opt} 747 748:rew[ind]! [++opt] [+cmd] 749 Start editing the first file in the argument list. 750 Discard any changes to the buffer. Also see |++opt| 751 and |+cmd|. {Vi: no ++opt} 752 753 *:fir* *:first* 754:fir[st][!] [++opt] [+cmd] 755 Other name for ":rewind". {not in Vi} 756 757 *:la* *:last* 758:la[st] [++opt] [+cmd] 759 Start editing the last file in the argument list. 760 This fails when changes have been made and Vim does 761 not want to |abandon| the current buffer. 762 Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. {not in Vi} 763 764:la[st]! [++opt] [+cmd] 765 Start editing the last file in the argument list. 766 Discard any changes to the buffer. Also see |++opt| 767 and |+cmd|. {not in Vi} 768 769 *:wn* *:wnext* 770:[count]wn[ext] [++opt] 771 Write current file and start editing the [count] 772 next file. Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. {not in Vi} 773 774:[count]wn[ext] [++opt] {file} 775 Write current file to {file} and start editing the 776 [count] next file, unless {file} already exists and 777 the 'writeany' option is off. Also see |++opt| and 778 |+cmd|. {not in Vi} 779 780:[count]wn[ext]! [++opt] {file} 781 Write current file to {file} and start editing the 782 [count] next file. Also see |++opt| and |+cmd|. {not 783 in Vi} 784 785:[count]wN[ext][!] [++opt] [file] *:wN* *:wNext* 786:[count]wp[revious][!] [++opt] [file] *:wp* *:wprevious* 787 Same as :wnext, but go to previous file instead of 788 next. {not in Vi} 789 790The [count] in the commands above defaults to one. For some commands it is 791possible to use two counts. The last one (rightmost one) is used. 792 793If no [+cmd] argument is present, the cursor is positioned at the last known 794cursor position for the file. If 'startofline' is set, the cursor will be 795positioned at the first non-blank in the line, otherwise the last know column 796is used. If there is no last known cursor position the cursor will be in the 797first line (the last line in Ex mode). 798 799 *{arglist}* 800The wildcards in the argument list are expanded and the file names are sorted. 801Thus you can use the command "vim *.c" to edit all the C files. From within 802Vim the command ":n *.c" does the same. 803 804White space is used to separate file names. Put a backslash before a space or 805tab to include it in a file name. E.g., to edit the single file "foo bar": > 806 :next foo\ bar 807 808On Unix and a few other systems you can also use backticks, for example: > 809 :next `find . -name \\*.c -print` 810The backslashes before the star are required to prevent "*.c" to be expanded 811by the shell before executing the find program. 812 813 *arglist-position* 814When there is an argument list you can see which file you are editing in the 815title of the window (if there is one and 'title' is on) and with the file 816message you get with the "CTRL-G" command. You will see something like 817 (file 4 of 11) 818If 'shortmess' contains 'f' it will be 819 (4 of 11) 820If you are not really editing the file at the current position in the argument 821list it will be 822 (file (4) of 11) 823This means that you are position 4 in the argument list, but not editing the 824fourth file in the argument list. This happens when you do ":e file". 825 826 827LOCAL ARGUMENT LIST 828 829{not in Vi} 830 831 *:arglocal* 832:argl[ocal] Make a local copy of the global argument list. 833 Doesn't start editing another file. 834 835:argl[ocal][!] [++opt] [+cmd] {arglist} 836 Define a new argument list, which is local to the 837 current window. Works like |:args_f| otherwise. 838 839 *:argglobal* 840:argg[lobal] Use the global argument list for the current window. 841 Doesn't start editing another file. 842 843:argg[lobal][!] [++opt] [+cmd] {arglist} 844 Use the global argument list for the current window. 845 Define a new global argument list like |:args_f|. 846 All windows using the global argument list will see 847 this new list. 848 849There can be several argument lists. They can be shared between windows. 850When they are shared, changing the argument list in one window will also 851change it in the other window. 852 853When a window is split the new window inherits the argument list from the 854current window. The two windows then share this list, until one of them uses 855|:arglocal| or |:argglobal| to use another argument list. 856 857 858USING THE ARGUMENT LIST 859 860 *:argdo* 861:[range]argdo[!] {cmd} Execute {cmd} for each file in the argument list or 862 if [range] is specified only for arguments in that 863 range. It works like doing this: > 864 :rewind 865 :{cmd} 866 :next 867 :{cmd} 868 etc. 869< When the current file can't be |abandon|ed and the [!] 870 is not present, the command fails. 871 When an error is detected on one file, further files 872 in the argument list will not be visited. 873 The last file in the argument list (or where an error 874 occurred) becomes the current file. 875 {cmd} can contain '|' to concatenate several commands. 876 {cmd} must not change the argument list. 877 Note: While this command is executing, the Syntax 878 autocommand event is disabled by adding it to 879 'eventignore'. This considerably speeds up editing 880 each file. 881 {not in Vi} 882 Also see |:windo|, |:tabdo|, |:bufdo|, |:cdo|, |:ldo|, 883 |:cfdo| and |:lfdo| 884 885Example: > 886 :args *.c 887 :argdo set ff=unix | update 888This sets the 'fileformat' option to "unix" and writes the file if it is now 889changed. This is done for all *.c files. 890 891Example: > 892 :args *.[ch] 893 :argdo %s/\<my_foo\>/My_Foo/ge | update 894This changes the word "my_foo" to "My_Foo" in all *.c and *.h files. The "e" 895flag is used for the ":substitute" command to avoid an error for files where 896"my_foo" isn't used. ":update" writes the file only if changes were made. 897 898============================================================================== 8994. Writing *writing* *save-file* 900 901Note: When the 'write' option is off, you are not able to write any file. 902 903 *:w* *:write* 904 *E502* *E503* *E504* *E505* 905 *E512* *E514* *E667* *E796* *E949* 906:w[rite] [++opt] Write the whole buffer to the current file. This is 907 the normal way to save changes to a file. It fails 908 when the 'readonly' option is set or when there is 909 another reason why the file can't be written. 910 For ++opt see |++opt|, but only ++bin, ++nobin, ++ff 911 and ++enc are effective. 912 913:w[rite]! [++opt] Like ":write", but forcefully write when 'readonly' is 914 set or there is another reason why writing was 915 refused. 916 Note: This may change the permission and ownership of 917 the file and break (symbolic) links. Add the 'W' flag 918 to 'cpoptions' to avoid this. 919 920:[range]w[rite][!] [++opt] 921 Write the specified lines to the current file. This 922 is unusual, because the file will not contain all 923 lines in the buffer. 924 925 *:w_f* *:write_f* 926:[range]w[rite] [++opt] {file} 927 Write the specified lines to {file}, unless it 928 already exists and the 'writeany' option is off. 929 930 *:w!* 931:[range]w[rite]! [++opt] {file} 932 Write the specified lines to {file}. Overwrite an 933 existing file. 934 935 *:w_a* *:write_a* *E494* 936:[range]w[rite][!] [++opt] >> 937 Append the specified lines to the current file. 938 939:[range]w[rite][!] [++opt] >> {file} 940 Append the specified lines to {file}. '!' forces the 941 write even if file does not exist. 942 943 *:w_c* *:write_c* 944:[range]w[rite] [++opt] !{cmd} 945 Execute {cmd} with [range] lines as standard input 946 (note the space in front of the '!'). {cmd} is 947 executed like with ":!{cmd}", any '!' is replaced with 948 the previous command |:!|. 949 950The default [range] for the ":w" command is the whole buffer (1,$). If you 951write the whole buffer, it is no longer considered changed. When you 952write it to a different file with ":w somefile" it depends on the "+" flag in 953'cpoptions'. When included, the write command will reset the 'modified' flag, 954even though the buffer itself may still be different from its file. 955 956If a file name is given with ":w" it becomes the alternate file. This can be 957used, for example, when the write fails and you want to try again later with 958":w #". This can be switched off by removing the 'A' flag from the 959'cpoptions' option. 960 961Note that the 'fsync' option matters here. If it's set it may make writes 962slower (but safer). 963 964 *:sav* *:saveas* 965:sav[eas][!] [++opt] {file} 966 Save the current buffer under the name {file} and set 967 the filename of the current buffer to {file}. The 968 previous name is used for the alternate file name. 969 The [!] is needed to overwrite an existing file. 970 When 'filetype' is empty filetype detection is done 971 with the new name, before the file is written. 972 When the write was successful 'readonly' is reset. 973 {not in Vi} 974 975 *:up* *:update* 976:[range]up[date][!] [++opt] [>>] [file] 977 Like ":write", but only write when the buffer has been 978 modified. {not in Vi} 979 980 981WRITING WITH MULTIPLE BUFFERS *buffer-write* 982 983 *:wa* *:wall* 984:wa[ll] Write all changed buffers. Buffers without a file 985 name cause an error message. Buffers which are 986 readonly are not written. {not in Vi} 987 988:wa[ll]! Write all changed buffers, even the ones that are 989 readonly. Buffers without a file name are not 990 written and cause an error message. {not in Vi} 991 992 993Vim will warn you if you try to overwrite a file that has been changed 994elsewhere. See |timestamp|. 995 996 *backup* *E207* *E506* *E507* *E508* *E509* *E510* 997If you write to an existing file (but do not append) while the 'backup', 998'writebackup' or 'patchmode' option is on, a backup of the original file is 999made. The file is either copied or renamed (see 'backupcopy'). After the 1000file has been successfully written and when the 'writebackup' option is on and 1001the 'backup' option is off, the backup file is deleted. When the 'patchmode' 1002option is on the backup file may be renamed. 1003 1004 *backup-table* 1005'backup' 'writebackup' action ~ 1006 off off no backup made 1007 off on backup current file, deleted afterwards (default) 1008 on off delete old backup, backup current file 1009 on on delete old backup, backup current file 1010 1011When the 'backupskip' pattern matches with the name of the file which is 1012written, no backup file is made. The values of 'backup' and 'writebackup' are 1013ignored then. 1014 1015When the 'backup' option is on, an old backup file (with the same name as the 1016new backup file) will be deleted. If 'backup' is not set, but 'writebackup' 1017is set, an existing backup file will not be deleted. The backup file that is 1018made while the file is being written will have a different name. 1019 1020On some filesystems it's possible that in a crash you lose both the backup and 1021the newly written file (it might be there but contain bogus data). In that 1022case try recovery, because the swap file is synced to disk and might still be 1023there. |:recover| 1024 1025The directories given with the 'backupdir' option are used to put the backup 1026file in. (default: same directory as the written file). 1027 1028Whether the backup is a new file, which is a copy of the original file, or the 1029original file renamed depends on the 'backupcopy' option. See there for an 1030explanation of when the copy is made and when the file is renamed. 1031 1032If the creation of a backup file fails, the write is not done. If you want 1033to write anyway add a '!' to the command. 1034 1035 *write-permissions* 1036When writing a new file the permissions are read-write. For unix the mask is 10370666 with additionally umask applied. When writing a file that was read Vim 1038will preserve the permissions, but clear the s-bit. 1039 1040 *write-readonly* 1041When the 'cpoptions' option contains 'W', Vim will refuse to overwrite a 1042readonly file. When 'W' is not present, ":w!" will overwrite a readonly file, 1043if the system allows it (the directory must be writable). 1044 1045 *write-fail* 1046If the writing of the new file fails, you have to be careful not to lose 1047your changes AND the original file. If there is no backup file and writing 1048the new file failed, you have already lost the original file! DON'T EXIT VIM 1049UNTIL YOU WRITE OUT THE FILE! If a backup was made, it is put back in place 1050of the original file (if possible). If you exit Vim, and lose the changes 1051you made, the original file will mostly still be there. If putting back the 1052original file fails, there will be an error message telling you that you 1053lost the original file. 1054 1055 *DOS-format-write* 1056If the 'fileformat' is "dos", <CR> <NL> is used for <EOL>. This is default 1057for MS-DOS, Win32 and OS/2. On other systems the message "[dos format]" is 1058shown to remind you that an unusual <EOL> was used. 1059 *Unix-format-write* 1060If the 'fileformat' is "unix", <NL> is used for <EOL>. On MS-DOS, Win32 and 1061OS/2 the message "[unix format]" is shown. 1062 *Mac-format-write* 1063If the 'fileformat' is "mac", <CR> is used for <EOL>. On non-Mac systems the 1064message "[mac format]" is shown. 1065 1066See also |file-formats| and the 'fileformat' and 'fileformats' options. 1067 1068 *ACL* 1069ACL stands for Access Control List. It is an advanced way to control access 1070rights for a file. It is used on new MS-Windows and Unix systems, but only 1071when the filesystem supports it. 1072 Vim attempts to preserve the ACL info when writing a file. The backup file 1073will get the ACL info of the original file. 1074 The ACL info is also used to check if a file is read-only (when opening the 1075file). 1076 1077 *read-only-share* 1078When MS-Windows shares a drive on the network it can be marked as read-only. 1079This means that even if the file read-only attribute is absent, and the ACL 1080settings on NT network shared drives allow writing to the file, you can still 1081not write to the file. Vim on Win32 platforms will detect read-only network 1082drives and will mark the file as read-only. You will not be able to override 1083it with |:write|. 1084 1085 *write-device* 1086When the file name is actually a device name, Vim will not make a backup (that 1087would be impossible). You need to use "!", since the device already exists. 1088Example for Unix: > 1089 :w! /dev/lpt0 1090and for MS-DOS or MS-Windows: > 1091 :w! lpt0 1092For Unix a device is detected when the name doesn't refer to a normal file or 1093a directory. A fifo or named pipe also looks like a device to Vim. 1094For MS-DOS and MS-Windows the device is detected by its name: 1095 AUX 1096 CON 1097 CLOCK$ 1098 NUL 1099 PRN 1100 COMn n=1,2,3... etc 1101 LPTn n=1,2,3... etc 1102The names can be in upper- or lowercase. 1103 1104============================================================================== 11055. Writing and quitting *write-quit* 1106 1107 *:q* *:quit* 1108:q[uit] Quit the current window. Quit Vim if this is the last 1109 window. This fails when changes have been made and 1110 Vim refuses to |abandon| the current buffer, and when 1111 the last file in the argument list has not been 1112 edited. 1113 If there are other tab pages and quitting the last 1114 window in the current tab page the current tab page is 1115 closed |tab-page|. 1116 Triggers the |QuitPre| autocommand event. 1117 See |CTRL-W_q| for quitting another window. 1118 1119:conf[irm] q[uit] Quit, but give prompt when changes have been made, or 1120 the last file in the argument list has not been 1121 edited. See |:confirm| and 'confirm'. {not in Vi} 1122 1123:q[uit]! Quit without writing, also when the current buffer has 1124 changes. The buffer is unloaded, also when it has 1125 'hidden' set. 1126 If this is the last window and there is a modified 1127 hidden buffer, the current buffer is abandoned and the 1128 first changed hidden buffer becomes the current 1129 buffer. 1130 Use ":qall!" to exit always. 1131 1132:cq[uit] Quit always, without writing, and return an error 1133 code. See |:cq|. Used for Manx's QuickFix mode (see 1134 |quickfix|). {not in Vi} 1135 1136 *:wq* 1137:wq [++opt] Write the current file and quit. Writing fails when 1138 the file is read-only or the buffer does not have a 1139 name. Quitting fails when the last file in the 1140 argument list has not been edited. 1141 1142:wq! [++opt] Write the current file and quit. Writing fails when 1143 the current buffer does not have a name. 1144 1145:wq [++opt] {file} Write to {file} and quit. Quitting fails when the 1146 last file in the argument list has not been edited. 1147 1148:wq! [++opt] {file} Write to {file} and quit. 1149 1150:[range]wq[!] [++opt] [file] 1151 Same as above, but only write the lines in [range]. 1152 1153 *:x* *:xit* 1154:[range]x[it][!] [++opt] [file] 1155 Like ":wq", but write only when changes have been 1156 made. 1157 When 'hidden' is set and there are more windows, the 1158 current buffer becomes hidden, after writing the file. 1159 1160 *:exi* *:exit* 1161:[range]exi[t][!] [++opt] [file] 1162 Same as :xit. 1163 1164 *ZZ* 1165ZZ Write current file, if modified, and quit (same as 1166 ":x"). (Note: If there are several windows for the 1167 current file, the file is written if it was modified 1168 and the window is closed). 1169 1170 *ZQ* 1171ZQ Quit without checking for changes (same as ":q!"). 1172 {not in Vi} 1173 1174MULTIPLE WINDOWS AND BUFFERS *window-exit* 1175 1176 *:qa* *:qall* 1177:qa[ll] Exit Vim, unless there are some buffers which have been 1178 changed. (Use ":bmod" to go to the next modified buffer). 1179 When 'autowriteall' is set all changed buffers will be 1180 written, like |:wqall|. {not in Vi} 1181 1182:conf[irm] qa[ll] 1183 Exit Vim. Bring up a prompt when some buffers have been 1184 changed. See |:confirm|. {not in Vi} 1185 1186:qa[ll]! Exit Vim. Any changes to buffers are lost. {not in Vi} 1187 Also see |:cquit|, it does the same but exits with a non-zero 1188 value. 1189 1190 *:quita* *:quitall* 1191:quita[ll][!] Same as ":qall". {not in Vi} 1192 1193:wqa[ll] [++opt] *:wqa* *:wqall* *:xa* *:xall* 1194:xa[ll] Write all changed buffers and exit Vim. If there are buffers 1195 without a file name, which are readonly or which cannot be 1196 written for another reason, Vim will not quit. {not in Vi} 1197 1198:conf[irm] wqa[ll] [++opt] 1199:conf[irm] xa[ll] 1200 Write all changed buffers and exit Vim. Bring up a prompt 1201 when some buffers are readonly or cannot be written for 1202 another reason. See |:confirm|. {not in Vi} 1203 1204:wqa[ll]! [++opt] 1205:xa[ll]! Write all changed buffers, even the ones that are readonly, 1206 and exit Vim. If there are buffers without a file name or 1207 which cannot be written for another reason, or there is a 1208 terminal with a running job, Vim will not quit. 1209 {not in Vi} 1210 1211============================================================================== 12126. Dialogs *edit-dialogs* 1213 1214 *:confirm* *:conf* 1215:conf[irm] {command} Execute {command}, and use a dialog when an 1216 operation has to be confirmed. Can be used on the 1217 |:q|, |:qa| and |:w| commands (the latter to override 1218 a read-only setting), and any other command that can 1219 fail in such a way, such as |:only|, |:buffer|, 1220 |:bdelete|, etc. 1221 1222Examples: > 1223 :confirm w foo 1224< Will ask for confirmation when "foo" already exists. > 1225 :confirm q 1226< Will ask for confirmation when there are changes. > 1227 :confirm qa 1228< If any modified, unsaved buffers exist, you will be prompted to save 1229 or abandon each one. There are also choices to "save all" or "abandon 1230 all". 1231 1232If you want to always use ":confirm", set the 'confirm' option. 1233 1234 *:browse* *:bro* *E338* *E614* *E615* *E616* 1235:bro[wse] {command} Open a file selection dialog for an argument to 1236 {command}. At present this works for |:e|, |:w|, 1237 |:wall|, |:wq|, |:wqall|, |:x|, |:xall|, |:exit|, 1238 |:view|, |:sview|, |:r|, |:saveas|, |:sp|, |:mkexrc|, 1239 |:mkvimrc|, |:mksession|, |:mkview|, |:split|, 1240 |:vsplit|, |:tabe|, |:tabnew|, |:cfile|, |:cgetfile|, 1241 |:caddfile|, |:lfile|, |:lgetfile|, |:laddfile|, 1242 |:diffsplit|, |:diffpatch|, |:open|, |:pedit|, 1243 |:redir|, |:source|, |:update|, |:visual|, |:vsplit|, 1244 and |:qall| if 'confirm' is set. 1245 {only in Win32, Athena, Motif, GTK and Mac GUI} 1246 When ":browse" is not possible you get an error 1247 message. If the |+browse| feature is missing or the 1248 {command} doesn't support browsing, the {command} is 1249 executed without a dialog. 1250 ":browse set" works like |:options|. 1251 See also |:oldfiles| for ":browse oldfiles". 1252 1253The syntax is best shown via some examples: > 1254 :browse e $vim/foo 1255< Open the browser in the $vim/foo directory, and edit the 1256 file chosen. > 1257 :browse e 1258< Open the browser in the directory specified with 'browsedir', 1259 and edit the file chosen. > 1260 :browse w 1261< Open the browser in the directory of the current buffer, 1262 with the current buffer filename as default, and save the 1263 buffer under the filename chosen. > 1264 :browse w C:/bar 1265< Open the browser in the C:/bar directory, with the current 1266 buffer filename as default, and save the buffer under the 1267 filename chosen. 1268Also see the |'browsedir'| option. 1269For versions of Vim where browsing is not supported, the command is executed 1270unmodified. 1271 1272 *browsefilter* 1273For MS Windows and GTK, you can modify the filters that are used in the browse 1274dialog. By setting the g:browsefilter or b:browsefilter variables, you can 1275change the filters globally or locally to the buffer. The variable is set to 1276a string in the format "{filter label}\t{pattern};{pattern}\n" where {filter 1277label} is the text that appears in the "Files of Type" comboBox, and {pattern} 1278is the pattern which filters the filenames. Several patterns can be given, 1279separated by ';'. 1280 1281For Motif the same format is used, but only the very first pattern is actually 1282used (Motif only offers one pattern, but you can edit it). 1283 1284For example, to have only Vim files in the dialog, you could use the following 1285command: > 1286 1287 let g:browsefilter = "Vim Scripts\t*.vim\nVim Startup Files\t*vimrc\n" 1288 1289You can override the filter setting on a per-buffer basis by setting the 1290b:browsefilter variable. You would most likely set b:browsefilter in a 1291filetype plugin, so that the browse dialog would contain entries related to 1292the type of file you are currently editing. Disadvantage: This makes it 1293difficult to start editing a file of a different type. To overcome this, you 1294may want to add "All Files\t*.*\n" as the final filter, so that the user can 1295still access any desired file. 1296 1297To avoid setting browsefilter when Vim does not actually support it, you can 1298use has("browsefilter"): > 1299 1300 if has("browsefilter") 1301 let g:browsefilter = "whatever" 1302 endif 1303 1304============================================================================== 13057. The current directory *current-directory* 1306 1307You may use the |:cd| and |:lcd| commands to change to another directory, so 1308you will not have to type that directory name in front of the file names. It 1309also makes a difference for executing external commands, e.g. ":!ls". 1310 1311Changing directory fails when the current buffer is modified, the '.' flag is 1312present in 'cpoptions' and "!" is not used in the command. 1313 1314 *:cd* *E747* *E472* 1315:cd[!] On non-Unix systems: Print the current directory 1316 name. On Unix systems: Change the current directory 1317 to the home directory. Use |:pwd| to print the 1318 current directory on all systems. 1319 1320:cd[!] {path} Change the current directory to {path}. 1321 If {path} is relative, it is searched for in the 1322 directories listed in |'cdpath'|. 1323 Does not change the meaning of an already opened file, 1324 because its full path name is remembered. Files from 1325 the |arglist| may change though! 1326 On MS-DOS this also changes the active drive. 1327 To change to the directory of the current file: > 1328 :cd %:h 1329< 1330 *:cd-* *E186* 1331:cd[!] - Change to the previous current directory (before the 1332 previous ":cd {path}" command). {not in Vi} 1333 1334 *:chd* *:chdir* 1335:chd[ir][!] [path] Same as |:cd|. 1336 1337 *:lc* *:lcd* 1338:lc[d][!] {path} Like |:cd|, but only set the current directory when 1339 the cursor is in the current window. The current 1340 directory for other windows is not changed, switching 1341 to another window will stop using {path}. 1342 {not in Vi} 1343 1344 *:lch* *:lchdir* 1345:lch[dir][!] Same as |:lcd|. {not in Vi} 1346 1347 *:pw* *:pwd* *E187* 1348:pw[d] Print the current directory name. {Vi: no pwd} 1349 Also see |getcwd()|. 1350 1351So long as no |:lcd| command has been used, all windows share the same current 1352directory. Using a command to jump to another window doesn't change anything 1353for the current directory. 1354When a |:lcd| command has been used for a window, the specified directory 1355becomes the current directory for that window. Windows where the |:lcd| 1356command has not been used stick to the global current directory. When jumping 1357to another window the current directory will become the last specified local 1358current directory. If none was specified, the global current directory is 1359used. 1360When a |:cd| command is used, the current window will lose his local current 1361directory and will use the global current directory from now on. 1362 1363After using |:cd| the full path name will be used for reading and writing 1364files. On some networked file systems this may cause problems. The result of 1365using the full path name is that the file names currently in use will remain 1366referring to the same file. Example: If you have a file a:test and a 1367directory a:vim the commands ":e test" ":cd vim" ":w" will overwrite the file 1368a:test and not write a:vim/test. But if you do ":w test" the file a:vim/test 1369will be written, because you gave a new file name and did not refer to a 1370filename before the ":cd". 1371 1372============================================================================== 13738. Editing binary files *edit-binary* 1374 1375Although Vim was made to edit text files, it is possible to edit binary 1376files. The |-b| Vim argument (b for binary) makes Vim do file I/O in binary 1377mode, and sets some options for editing binary files ('binary' on, 'textwidth' 1378to 0, 'modeline' off, 'expandtab' off). Setting the 'binary' option has the 1379same effect. Don't forget to do this before reading the file. 1380 1381There are a few things to remember when editing binary files: 1382- When editing executable files the number of characters must not change. 1383 Use only the "R" or "r" command to change text. Do not delete characters 1384 with "x" or by backspacing. 1385- Set the 'textwidth' option to 0. Otherwise lines will unexpectedly be 1386 split in two. 1387- When there are not many <EOL>s, the lines will become very long. If you 1388 want to edit a line that does not fit on the screen reset the 'wrap' option. 1389 Horizontal scrolling is used then. If a line becomes too long (more than 1390 about 32767 characters on the Amiga, much more on 32-bit systems, see 1391 |limits|) you cannot edit that line. The line will be split when reading 1392 the file. It is also possible that you get an "out of memory" error when 1393 reading the file. 1394- Make sure the 'binary' option is set BEFORE loading the 1395 file. Otherwise both <CR> <NL> and <NL> are considered to end a line 1396 and when the file is written the <NL> will be replaced with <CR> <NL>. 1397- <Nul> characters are shown on the screen as ^@. You can enter them with 1398 "CTRL-V CTRL-@" or "CTRL-V 000" {Vi cannot handle <Nul> characters in the 1399 file} 1400- To insert a <NL> character in the file split a line. When writing the 1401 buffer to a file a <NL> will be written for the <EOL>. 1402- Vim normally appends an <EOL> at the end of the file if there is none. 1403 Setting the 'binary' option prevents this. If you want to add the final 1404 <EOL>, set the 'endofline' option. You can also read the value of this 1405 option to see if there was an <EOL> for the last line (you cannot see this 1406 in the text). 1407 1408============================================================================== 14099. Encryption *encryption* 1410 1411Vim is able to write files encrypted, and read them back. The encrypted text 1412cannot be read without the right key. 1413{only available when compiled with the |+cryptv| feature} *E833* 1414 1415The text in the swap file and the undo file is also encrypted. *E843* 1416However, this is done block-by-block and may reduce the time needed to crack a 1417password. You can disable the swap file, but then a crash will cause you to 1418lose your work. The undo file can be disabled without too much disadvantage. > 1419 :set noundofile 1420 :noswapfile edit secrets 1421 1422Note: The text in memory is not encrypted. A system administrator may be able 1423to see your text while you are editing it. When filtering text with 1424":!filter" or using ":w !command" the text is also not encrypted, this may 1425reveal it to others. The 'viminfo' file is not encrypted. 1426 1427You could do this to edit very secret text: > 1428 :set noundofile viminfo= 1429 :noswapfile edit secrets.txt 1430Keep in mind that without a swap file you risk losing your work in the event 1431of a crash or a power failure. 1432 1433WARNING: If you make a typo when entering the key and then write the file and 1434exit, the text will be lost! 1435 1436The normal way to work with encryption, is to use the ":X" command, which will 1437ask you to enter a key. A following write command will use that key to 1438encrypt the file. If you later edit the same file, Vim will ask you to enter 1439a key. If you type the same key as that was used for writing, the text will 1440be readable again. If you use a wrong key, it will be a mess. 1441 1442 *:X* 1443:X Prompt for an encryption key. The typing is done without showing the 1444 actual text, so that someone looking at the display won't see it. 1445 The typed key is stored in the 'key' option, which is used to encrypt 1446 the file when it is written. The file will remain unchanged until you 1447 write it. See also |-x|. 1448 1449The value of the 'key' options is used when text is written. When the option 1450is not empty, the written file will be encrypted, using the value as the 1451encryption key. A magic number is prepended, so that Vim can recognize that 1452the file is encrypted. 1453 1454To disable the encryption, reset the 'key' option to an empty value: > 1455 :set key= 1456 1457You can use the 'cryptmethod' option to select the type of encryption, use one 1458of these: > 1459 :setlocal cm=zip " weak method, backwards compatible 1460 :setlocal cm=blowfish " method with flaws 1461 :setlocal cm=blowfish2 " medium strong method 1462 1463Do this before writing the file. When reading an encrypted file it will be 1464set automatically to the method used when that file was written. You can 1465change 'cryptmethod' before writing that file to change the method. 1466 1467To set the default method, used for new files, use this in your |vimrc| 1468file: > 1469 set cm=blowfish2 1470Using "blowfish2" is highly recommended. Only use another method if you 1471must use an older Vim version that does not support it. 1472 1473The message given for reading and writing a file will show "[crypted]" when 1474using zip, "[blowfish]" when using blowfish, etc. 1475 1476When writing an undo file, the same key and method will be used for the text 1477in the undo file. |persistent-undo|. 1478 1479To test for blowfish support you can use these conditions: > 1480 has('crypt-blowfish') 1481 has('crypt-blowfish2') 1482This works since Vim 7.4.1099 while blowfish support was added earlier. 1483Thus the condition failing doesn't mean blowfish is not supported. You can 1484test for blowfish with: > 1485 v:version >= 703 1486And for blowfish2 with: > 1487 v:version > 704 || (v:version == 704 && has('patch401')) 1488If you are sure Vim includes patch 7.4.237 a simpler check is: > 1489 has('patch-7.4.401') 1490< 1491 *E817* *E818* *E819* *E820* 1492When encryption does not work properly, you would be able to write your text 1493to a file and never be able to read it back. Therefore a test is performed to 1494check if the encryption works as expected. If you get one of these errors 1495don't write the file encrypted! You need to rebuild the Vim binary to fix 1496this. 1497 1498*E831* This is an internal error, "cannot happen". If you can reproduce it, 1499please report to the developers. 1500 1501When reading a file that has been encrypted and the 'key' option is not empty, 1502it will be used for decryption. If the value is empty, you will be prompted 1503to enter the key. If you don't enter a key, or you enter the wrong key, the 1504file is edited without being decrypted. There is no warning about using the 1505wrong key (this makes brute force methods to find the key more difficult). 1506 1507If want to start reading a file that uses a different key, set the 'key' 1508option to an empty string, so that Vim will prompt for a new one. Don't use 1509the ":set" command to enter the value, other people can read the command over 1510your shoulder. 1511 1512Since the value of the 'key' option is supposed to be a secret, its value can 1513never be viewed. You should not set this option in a vimrc file. 1514 1515An encrypted file can be recognized by the "file" command, if you add these 1516lines to "/etc/magic", "/usr/share/misc/magic" or wherever your system has the 1517"magic" file: > 1518 0 string VimCrypt~ Vim encrypted file 1519 >9 string 01 - "zip" cryptmethod 1520 >9 string 02 - "blowfish" cryptmethod 1521 >9 string 03 - "blowfish2" cryptmethod 1522 1523Notes: 1524- Encryption is not possible when doing conversion with 'charconvert'. 1525- Text you copy or delete goes to the numbered registers. The registers can 1526 be saved in the .viminfo file, where they could be read. Change your 1527 'viminfo' option to be safe. 1528- Someone can type commands in Vim when you walk away for a moment, he should 1529 not be able to get the key. 1530- If you make a typing mistake when entering the key, you might not be able to 1531 get your text back! 1532- If you type the key with a ":set key=value" command, it can be kept in the 1533 history, showing the 'key' value in a viminfo file. 1534- There is never 100% safety. The encryption in Vim has not been tested for 1535 robustness. 1536- The algorithm used for 'cryptmethod' "zip" is breakable. A 4 character key 1537 in about one hour, a 6 character key in one day (on a Pentium 133 PC). This 1538 requires that you know some text that must appear in the file. An expert 1539 can break it for any key. When the text has been decrypted, this also means 1540 that the key can be revealed, and other files encrypted with the same key 1541 can be decrypted. 1542- Pkzip uses the same encryption as 'cryptmethod' "zip", and US Govt has no 1543 objection to its export. Pkzip's public file APPNOTE.TXT describes this 1544 algorithm in detail. 1545- The implementation of 'cryptmethod' "blowfish" has a flaw. It is possible 1546 to crack the first 64 bytes of a file and in some circumstances more of the 1547 file. Use of it is not recommended, but it's still the strongest method 1548 supported by Vim 7.3 and 7.4. The "zip" method is even weaker. 1549- Vim originates from the Netherlands. That is where the sources come from. 1550 Thus the encryption code is not exported from the USA. 1551 1552============================================================================== 155310. Timestamps *timestamp* *timestamps* 1554 1555Vim remembers the modification timestamp, mode and size of a file when you 1556begin editing it. This is used to avoid that you have two different versions 1557of the same file (without you knowing this). 1558 1559After a shell command is run (|:!cmd| |suspend| |:read!| |K|) timestamps, 1560file modes and file sizes are compared for all buffers in a window. Vim will 1561run any associated |FileChangedShell| autocommands or display a warning for 1562any files that have changed. In the GUI this happens when Vim regains input 1563focus. 1564 1565 *E321* *E462* 1566If you want to automatically reload a file when it has been changed outside of 1567Vim, set the 'autoread' option. This doesn't work at the moment you write the 1568file though, only when the file wasn't changed inside of Vim. 1569 1570If you do not want to be asked or automatically reload the file, you can use 1571this: > 1572 set buftype=nofile 1573 1574Or, when starting gvim from a shell: > 1575 gvim file.log -c "set buftype=nofile" 1576 1577Note that if a FileChangedShell autocommand is defined you will not get a 1578warning message or prompt. The autocommand is expected to handle this. 1579 1580There is no warning for a directory (e.g., with |netrw-browse|). But you do 1581get warned if you started editing a new file and it was created as a directory 1582later. 1583 1584When Vim notices the timestamp of a file has changed, and the file is being 1585edited in a buffer but has not changed, Vim checks if the contents of the file 1586is equal. This is done by reading the file again (into a hidden buffer, which 1587is immediately deleted again) and comparing the text. If the text is equal, 1588you will get no warning. 1589 1590If you don't get warned often enough you can use the following command. 1591 1592 *:checkt* *:checktime* 1593:checkt[ime] Check if any buffers were changed outside of Vim. 1594 This checks and warns you if you would end up with two 1595 versions of a file. 1596 If this is called from an autocommand, a ":global" 1597 command or is not typed the actual check is postponed 1598 until a moment the side effects (reloading the file) 1599 would be harmless. 1600 Each loaded buffer is checked for its associated file 1601 being changed. If the file was changed Vim will take 1602 action. If there are no changes in the buffer and 1603 'autoread' is set, the buffer is reloaded. Otherwise, 1604 you are offered the choice of reloading the file. If 1605 the file was deleted you get an error message. 1606 If the file previously didn't exist you get a warning 1607 if it exists now. 1608 Once a file has been checked the timestamp is reset, 1609 you will not be warned again. 1610 1611:[N]checkt[ime] {filename} 1612:[N]checkt[ime] [N] 1613 Check the timestamp of a specific buffer. The buffer 1614 may be specified by name, number or with a pattern. 1615 1616 1617 *E813* *E814* 1618Vim will reload the buffer if you chose to. If a window is visible that 1619contains this buffer, the reloading will happen in the context of this window. 1620Otherwise a special window is used, so that most autocommands will work. You 1621can't close this window. A few other restrictions apply. Best is to make 1622sure nothing happens outside of the current buffer. E.g., setting 1623window-local options may end up in the wrong window. Splitting the window, 1624doing something there and closing it should be OK (if there are no side 1625effects from other autocommands). Closing unrelated windows and buffers will 1626get you into trouble. 1627 1628Before writing a file the timestamp is checked. If it has changed, Vim will 1629ask if you really want to overwrite the file: 1630 1631 WARNING: The file has been changed since reading it!!! 1632 Do you really want to write to it (y/n)? 1633 1634If you hit 'y' Vim will continue writing the file. If you hit 'n' the write is 1635aborted. If you used ":wq" or "ZZ" Vim will not exit, you will get another 1636chance to write the file. 1637 1638The message would normally mean that somebody has written to the file after 1639the edit session started. This could be another person, in which case you 1640probably want to check if your changes to the file and the changes from the 1641other person should be merged. Write the file under another name and check for 1642differences (the "diff" program can be used for this). 1643 1644It is also possible that you modified the file yourself, from another edit 1645session or with another command (e.g., a filter command). Then you will know 1646which version of the file you want to keep. 1647 1648There is one situation where you get the message while there is nothing wrong: 1649On a Win32 system on the day daylight saving time starts. There is something 1650in the Win32 libraries that confuses Vim about the hour time difference. The 1651problem goes away the next day. 1652 1653============================================================================== 165411. File Searching *file-searching* 1655 1656{not available when compiled without the |+path_extra| feature} 1657 1658The file searching is currently used for the 'path', 'cdpath' and 'tags' 1659options, for |finddir()| and |findfile()|. Other commands use |wildcards| 1660which is slightly different. 1661 1662There are three different types of searching: 1663 16641) Downward search: *starstar* 1665 Downward search uses the wildcards '*', '**' and possibly others 1666 supported by your operating system. '*' and '**' are handled inside Vim, 1667 so they work on all operating systems. Note that "**" only acts as a 1668 special wildcard when it is at the start of a name. 1669 1670 The usage of '*' is quite simple: It matches 0 or more characters. In a 1671 search pattern this would be ".*". Note that the "." is not used for file 1672 searching. 1673 1674 '**' is more sophisticated: 1675 - It ONLY matches directories. 1676 - It matches up to 30 directories deep by default, so you can use it to 1677 search an entire directory tree 1678 - The maximum number of levels matched can be given by appending a number 1679 to '**'. 1680 Thus '/usr/**2' can match: > 1681 /usr 1682 /usr/include 1683 /usr/include/sys 1684 /usr/include/g++ 1685 /usr/lib 1686 /usr/lib/X11 1687 .... 1688< It does NOT match '/usr/include/g++/std' as this would be three 1689 levels. 1690 The allowed number range is 0 ('**0' is removed) to 100 1691 If the given number is smaller than 0 it defaults to 30, if it's 1692 bigger than 100 then 100 is used. The system also has a limit on the 1693 path length, usually 256 or 1024 bytes. 1694 - '**' can only be at the end of the path or be followed by a path 1695 separator or by a number and a path separator. 1696 1697 You can combine '*' and '**' in any order: > 1698 /usr/**/sys/* 1699 /usr/*tory/sys/** 1700 /usr/**2/sys/* 1701 17022) Upward search: 1703 Here you can give a directory and then search the directory tree upward for 1704 a file. You could give stop-directories to limit the upward search. The 1705 stop-directories are appended to the path (for the 'path' option) or to 1706 the filename (for the 'tags' option) with a ';'. If you want several 1707 stop-directories separate them with ';'. If you want no stop-directory 1708 ("search upward till the root directory) just use ';'. > 1709 /usr/include/sys;/usr 1710< will search in: > 1711 /usr/include/sys 1712 /usr/include 1713 /usr 1714< 1715 If you use a relative path the upward search is started in Vim's current 1716 directory or in the directory of the current file (if the relative path 1717 starts with './' and 'd' is not included in 'cpoptions'). 1718 1719 If Vim's current path is /u/user_x/work/release and you do > 1720 :set path=include;/u/user_x 1721< and then search for a file with |gf| the file is searched in: > 1722 /u/user_x/work/release/include 1723 /u/user_x/work/include 1724 /u/user_x/include 1725 17263) Combined up/downward search: 1727 If Vim's current path is /u/user_x/work/release and you do > 1728 set path=**;/u/user_x 1729< and then search for a file with |gf| the file is searched in: > 1730 /u/user_x/work/release/** 1731 /u/user_x/work/** 1732 /u/user_x/** 1733< 1734 BE CAREFUL! This might consume a lot of time, as the search of 1735 '/u/user_x/**' includes '/u/user_x/work/**' and 1736 '/u/user_x/work/release/**'. So '/u/user_x/work/release/**' is searched 1737 three times and '/u/user_x/work/**' is searched twice. 1738 1739 In the above example you might want to set path to: > 1740 :set path=**,/u/user_x/** 1741< This searches: 1742 /u/user_x/work/release/** ~ 1743 /u/user_x/** ~ 1744 This searches the same directories, but in a different order. 1745 1746 Note that completion for ":find", ":sfind", and ":tabfind" commands do not 1747 currently work with 'path' items that contain a URL or use the double star 1748 with depth limiter (/usr/**2) or upward search (;) notations. 1749 1750 vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: 1751