*vimtips.txt*
This file comes from the Vim Online tip database.  
These tips were downloaded on Wed, 13 Nov 2002 09:45:54 -0800
More tips can be found at http://vim.sf.net/tip_index.php
A new tip file can be downloaded from http://vim.sf.net/tip_download.php

Thanks for using vim online.



VimTip 1: the super star
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=1

When a discussion started about learning vim on the vim list Juergen Salk mentioned the "*" key as something that he wished he had know earlier. When I read the mail I had to go help on what the heck the "*" did. I also wish I had known earlier...

Using the "*" key while in normal mode searches for the word under the cursor.

If that doesn't save you a lot of typing, I don't know what will.






VimTip 2: easy edit of files in the same directory
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=2

It was often frustrating when I would open a file deep in the code tree and then realize I wanted to open another file in that same directory. Douglas Potts taught me a nice way to do this. Add the following snipit to your vimrc:

"   Edit another file in the same directory as the current file
"   uses expression to extract path from current file's path
"  (thanks Douglas Potts)
if has("unix")
    map ,e :e <C-R>=expand("%:p:h") . "/" <CR>
else
    map ,e :e <C-R>=expand("%:p:h") . "\" <CR>
endif

Then when you type ,e in normal mode you can use tab to complete to the file. You can also expand this to allow for spitting, etc. Very very nice.






VimTip 3: use vim to quickly compile java files
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=3

For a number of years I used vim on an SGI box. When I left my job at SGI I went to a company that developed on PCs. For 2 years I used IDEs. I was unhappy. I was frustrated. I couldn't figure out why. (Beyond my machine crashing twice a day.) Finally I upgraded to windows 2000 (kind of stable!) and started using vim as an IDE. All was good. Here is how you use vim to compile your java:

1. While I'm sure this works with javac, javac is slow slow slow. So download the Jikes complier first. (Jikes is from ibm, search on google for jikes and you will find it..available on most platforms.)

2. Add the following to your vimrc:

set makeprg=jikes -nowarn -Xstdout +E %
set errorformat=%f:%l:%c:%*\d:%*\d:%*\s%m 

3. When you are editing a java file type :make and it will compile the current file and jump you to the first error in the file (if any). Read ":help quickfix" for how to move between errors.

To setup your classpath environment either launch gvim from a shell that has your classpath/path setup or use the "let" command to configure it in your vimrc.






VimTip 4: Any word completion
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=4

Either when programming or writing, I tend to have some identifiers or words that I use all the time. By sheer accident, I noticed the 'ctrl-n' command, that will attempt to complete the word under the cursor. Hit it once, and it will try to complete it with the first match in the current file. If there is no match, it will (at least in the case of C code) search through all files included from the current one. Repeated invocations will cycle through all found matches.






VimTip 5: Quickly searching for a word
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=5


To search for a word under the cursor in the current file you
can use either the "*" or "#" keys.

The "*" key will search for the word from the current cursor 
position to the end of the file. The "#" key will search for the 
word from the current cursor position to the top of the file.

Note that the above two keys will search for the whole word and not
the partial word.  This is equivalent to using the <word> pattern
in the search commands (/ and ?).

To search for partial matches, you can use the "g*" and "g#" key
sequence.

You can also use the mouse to search for a word.  This will only
work in the GUI version of VIM (gvim) or a console version
of VIM in an xterm which accepts a mouse. Also, the 'mousemodel'
should be set to 'extend'.  Add the following line to your .vimrc:

set mousemodel=extend

To search for a word under the cursor from the current cursor
position to the end of the file, press the shift key and click
on the word using the left mouse button.  To search in the opposite
direction, press the shift key and click on the word using the
the right mouse button.

To get more help on these, use

:help *
:help #
:help g*
:help g#
:help <S-LeftMouse>
:help <S-RightMouse>







VimTip 6: Using the % key
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=6


The % key can be used

1. To jump to a matching opening or closing parenthesis, square 
   bracket or a curly brace i.e. ([{}])
2. To jump to start or end of a C-style comment /* */.  
3. To jump to a matching #if, #ifdef, #else, #elif, #endif C 
   preprocessor conditionals.

To get more information about this, do

             :help %

The % key can be extended to support other matching pairs by
modifying the "matchpairs" option.  Read the help on

             :help matchpairs







VimTip 7: Jumping to the start and end of a code block
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=7


To jump to the beginning of a C code block (while, switch, if etc),
use the [{ command.

To jump to the end of a C code block (while, switch, if etc),
use the ]} command.

The above two commands will work from anywhere inside the code
block.

To jump to the beginning of a parenthesis use the [( command.

To jump to the end of a parenthesis use the ]) command.

To get more help on these commands, do

:help [{
:help ]}
:help [(
:help ])







VimTip 8: Jumping to the declaration of a local/global variable
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=8


'gd' command: 
To jump to the declaration of a local variable in a C program, 
position the cursor on the name of the variable and use the
gd command.

'gD' command:
To jump to the declaration of a global variable in a C program, 
position the cursor on the name of the variable and use the
gD command.






VimTip 9: Displaying a variable/macro definition
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=9


To display the definition of a variable, place the cursor on the
variable and use the [i command.  To display a macro definition,
place the cursor on the macro name and use the [d command.
Note that these commands will work most of the time (not all the
time).  To get more help on these commands, use

:help [i
:help [d






VimTip 10: Jumping to previosuly visited locations in a file
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=10


Vim remembers all the locations visited by you in a file in a session.
You can jump to the older locations by pressing the Ctrl-O key.  You
can jump to the newer locations by pressing the Ctrl-I or the <Tab>
key.

To get more help on these keys, use

:help CTRL-O
:help CTRL-I
:help jump-motions







VimTip 11: Completing words quicky in insert mode
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=11


In Insert mode, press the Ctrl-p or Ctrl-n key to complete part of 
a word that has been typed.

This is useful while typing C programs to complete long variable and
function names.  This also helps in avoiding typing mistakes.

Note that using the 'complete' option, you can complete keywords
defined in one of the include files, tag file, etc.

To get more help on this, use

:help i_Ctrl-N
:help i_Ctrl-P
:help ins-completion
:help complete







VimTip 12: Converting tabs to spaces
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=12


To insert space characters whenever the tab key is pressed, set the
'expandtab' option:

        set expandtab

With this option set, if you want to enter a real tab character use
Ctrl-V<Tab> key sequence.

To control the number of space characters that will be inserted when
the tab key is pressed, set the 'tabstop' option.  For example, to
insert 4 spaces for a tab, use:

        set tabstop=4

After the 'expandtab' option is set, all the new tab characters entered
will be changed to spaces.  This will not affect the existing tab
characters.  To change all the existing tab characters to match the
current tab settings, use

        :retab

To change the number of space characters inserted for indentation, use
the 'shiftwidth' option:

        set shiftwidth=4

For example, to get the following coding style,
        - No tabs in the source file
        - All tab characters are 4 space characters

use the following set of options:

        set tabstop=4
        set shiftwidth=4
        set expandtab

Add the above settings to your .vimrc file.

To get more help on these options, use
:help tabstop
:help shiftwidth
:help expandtab







VimTip 13: Incremental search
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=13


To move the cursor to the matched string, while typing the search
string, set the following option in the .vimrc file:

        set incsearch

You can complete the search by pressing the Enter key.  To cancel
the search, press the escape key.







VimTip 14: Highlighting all the search pattern matches
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=14


To highlight all the search pattern matches in a file set the
following option:

        :set hlsearch

After this option is set, if you search for a pattern, all the
matches in the file will be highlighted in yellow.

To disable the highlighting temporarily, use the command

        :nohlsearch

This command will remove the highlighting for the current search.
The highlighting will come back for the next search.

To disable the highlighting completely, set the following option:

        :set nohlsearch

By default, the hlsearch option is turned off.

To get more help on this option, use

:help 'hlsearch'
:help :nohlsearch







VimTip 15: Displaying status line always
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=15


To display the status line always, set the following option in
your .vimrc file:

        set laststatus=2

The advantage of having the status line displayed always is, you
can see the current mode, file name, file status, ruler, etc.

To get more help on this, use

:help laststatus







VimTip 16: Avoiding the "Hit ENTER to continue" prompts
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=16


To avoid the "Hit ENTER to continue" prompt, use the 'shortmess'
option.  Add the following line to your .vimrc file:

    set shortmess=a

Also, you can increase the height of the command line to 2

    set cmdheight=2

The default command height is 1.

To get more help on these options, use

:help hit-enter
:help shortmess
:help cmdheight







VimTip 17: Erasing previosuly entered characters in insert mode
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=17


In insert mode, to erase previously entered characters, set the
following option:

        set backspace=2

By default, this option is empty.  If this option is empty, in
insert mode, you can not erase characters entered before this
insert mode started.  This is the standard Vi behavior.

To get more help on this, use

:help 'backspace'







VimTip 18: Cleanup your HTML
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=18

From Johannes Zellner on the vim list:

You can use vim's makeprg and equalprg to clean up HTML. First download html tidy from http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/tidy/. Then use the following commands.

vim6?
exe 'setlocal equalprg=tidy -quiet -f '.&errorfile
setlocal makeprg=tidy -quiet -e %

vim5?
exe 'set equalprg=tidy -quiet -f '.&errorfile
set makeprg=tidy -quiet -e %

At this point you can use make to clean up the full file or you can use = to clean up sections.

:help =
:help equalprg
:help makeprg








VimTip 19: line numbers...
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=19

I have started doing all my code reviews on a laptop because of the number command.

:set number will put line numbers along the left side of a window

:help number






VimTip 20: Are *.swp and *~ files littering your working directory?
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=20

Have you ever been frustrated at swap files and backups cluttering
up your working directory? 

Untidy:
  ons.txt
  ons.txt~
  README
  README~
  tester.py
  tester.py~

Here are a couple of options that can help:

  set   backupdir=./.backup,.,/tmp
  set   directory=.,./.backup,/tmp

This way, if you want your backups to be neatly grouped, just 
create a directory called '.backup' in your working directory. 
Vim will stash backups there. The 'directory' option controls
where swap files go. If your working directory is not writable,
Vim will put the swap file in one of the specified places.






VimTip 21: easy pasting to windows apps
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=21

In Vim, the unnamed register is the " register, and the Windows
Clipboard is the * register. This means that if you yank something,
you have to yank it to the * register if you want to paste it into
a Windows app. If this is too much trouble, set the 'clipboard' 
option to 'unnamed'. Then you always yank to *.

So pasting to windows apps doesn't require prefixing "* :

  set   clipboard=unnamed







VimTip 22: handle common typos for :commands
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=22

I frequently hold the shift key for too long when typing, for instance :wq, and end up with :Wq.  Vim then whines "Not an editor command: Wq"

In my .vimrc, I have taught vim my common typos:
command! Q  quit
command! W  write
command! Wq wq
" this one won't work, because :X is already a built-in command
command! X  xit






VimTip 23: Vim xterm title
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=23

Check out your .vimrc. If 'set notitle' is an entry, comment it out with a quotation mark ("). Now your xterm should inherit the title from Vim.            e.g. 'Vim - ~/.vimrc'. This can be quite nice when programming and editing lots of files at the same time.
by [jonasbn@wanadoo.dk]






VimTip 24: changing the default syntax highlighting
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=24

     Here are some pointers to the vim documentation.  Notice that the mechanism is different in vim 6.0 and vim 5.x.

1. I want *.foo files to be highlighted like HTML files.

:help new-filetype  http://www.vim.org/html/autocmd.html#new-filetype

2. I want to define a syntax file for *.bar files.  Read the above and also

:help mysyntaxfile  http://www.vim.org/html/syntax.html#mysyntaxfile

3. I want to make a few changes to the existing syntax highlighting.  Depending on the x in 5.x, either read the above and page down a few screens, or you may be able to skip right to

:help mysyntaxfile-add  http://www.vim.org/html/syntax.html#mysyntaxfile-add

4. I want to change some of the colors from their defaults.  Again, read

:help mysyntaxfile  http://www.vim.org/html/syntax.html#mysyntaxfile






VimTip 25: color highlighting on telnet (esp w/ SecureCRT)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=25

The following settings in .vimrc will enable color highlighting when using SecureCRT and may work on other telnet packages. The terminal type should be selected as ANSI and color enabled.


if !has("gui_running")
set t_Co=8
set t_Sf=^[[3%p1%dm
set t_Sb=^[[4%p1%dm
endif


The ^[ is entered as "<ctrl-v><esc>" 








VimTip 26: Getting rid of ^M - mixing dos and unix
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=26

If you work in a mixed environment you will often open files that have ^M's in them. An example would be this:

------------------------------------------------------------------
import java.util.Hashtable; ^M
import java.util.Properties; ^Mimport java.io.IOException;
import org.xml.sax.AttributeList; ^M
import org.xml.sax.HandlerBase; ^Mimport org.xml.sax.SAXException;

/**^M
  * XMLHandler: This class parses the elements contained^M
  * within a XML message and builds a Hashtable^M

[snip]
------------------------------------------------------------------

Notice that some programs are not consistent in the way they insert the line breaks so you end up with some lines that have both a carrage return and a ^M and some lines that have a ^M and no carrage return (and so blend into one). There are two steps to clean this up.

1. replace all extraneous ^M:

:%s/^M$//g

BE SURE YOU MAKE the ^M USING "CTRL-V CTRL-M" NOT BY TYPING "CARROT M"! This expression will replace all the ^M's that have carriage returns after them with nothing. (The dollar ties the search to the end of a line)

2. replace all ^M's that need to have carriage returns:

:%s/^M//g

Once again: BE SURE YOU MAKE the ^M USING "CTRL-V CTRL-M" NOT BY TYPING "CARROT M"! This expression will replace all the ^M's that didn't have carriage returns after them with a carriage return.

Voila! Clean file. Map this to something if you do it frequently.

:help ffs - for more info on file formats

thanks to jonathan merz, douglas potts, and benji fisher







VimTip 27: Convert hex to dec
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=27

when you check the output of objdump, you'll confused by the $0xFFFFFFc operand, this function translate the hexcamal to decimal.
function! Hex2Dec()
    let lstr = getline(".")
    let hexstr = matchstr(lstr, '0x[a-f0-9]+')
    while hexstr != ""
        let hexstr = hexstr + 0
        exe 's#0x[a-f0-9]+#'.hexstr."#"
        let lstr = substitute(lstr, '0x[a-f0-9]+', hexstr, "")
        let hexstr = matchstr(lstr, '0x[a-f0-9]+')
    endwhile
endfunction
usage:
5,8call Hex2Dec()







VimTip 28: add a line-number to every line without cat or awk alike utilities.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=28

With Unix-like environment, you can use cat or awk to generate a line number easily, because vim has a friendly interface with shell, so everything work in vim as well as it does in shell.
:%!call -n
or
:%!awk '{print NR,$0}'

But, if you use vim in MS-DOS, of win9x, win2000, you loss these tookit.
here is a very simple way to archive this only by vim:
fu! LineIt()
  exe ":s/^/".line(".")."/"
endf

Well, a sequence composed with alphabet is as easy as above:
  exe "s/^/".nr2char(line("."))."/"







VimTip 29: reverse all the line with only 7 keystroke in vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=29

:g/^/m0
well, 
1. : bring you to command-line mode(also known as ex-mode) from normal-mode(also known as command mode).
2. g means you'll take an action through the whole file, generally perform a search, `v' also perform a search but it match the line not match the canonical expression.
3. / begins the regular express
4. ^ is a special character respect the start of a line.
5. the second / ends the regular express and indicate that the remains is action to do.
6. m means move, `t` and `co' for copy, `d' for delete
7. 0 is the destination line.

you can use 
:g/regexp/t$
to filter all lines and pick the match line together and copy them to the end of the buffer or
:g/regexp/y A
to put them into a register(not eax, ebx...)






VimTip 30: Increasing or decreasing numbers
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=30

To increase a number under or nearest to the right of the cursor, go to Normal mode and type:
    Ctrl-A

To decrease, type:
    Ctrl-X

Using this in a macro simplifies generating number sequences a lot.







VimTip 31: Find and Replace
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=31

To find and replace one or more occurences of a given text pattern with a
new text string, use the s[ubstitute] command.

There are a variety of options, but these are what you most probably want:

:%s/foo/bar/g           find each occurance of 'foo' and replace it with 'bar' without asking for confirmation

:%s/foo/bar/gc          find each occurance of 'foo' and replace it with 'bar' asking for confirmation first

:%s/<foo>/bar/gc      find (match exact word only) and replace each occurance of 'foo' with 'bar'

:%s/foo/bar/gci         find (case insensitive) and replace each occurance of 'foo' with 'bar'

:%s/foo/bar/gcI         find (case sensitive) and replace each occurance of 'foo' with 'bar'


NB: Without the 'g' flag, replacement occurs only for the first occurrence in each line.

For a full description and some more interesting examples of the substitute command refer to

:help substitute

See also:

:help cmdline-ranges
:help pattern
:help gdefault







VimTip 32: Write your own vim function(scripts)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=32

compare to C and shell(bash), herein is some vim specifics about vim-script:
1. A function name must be capitalized.
   hex2dec is invalid
   Hex2dec is valid
   while in c and shell(bash), both lowercase and uppercase is allowed.
2. how to reference the parameters
   fu! Hex2dec(var1, var2)
    let str=a:var1
    let str2=a:var2
   you must prefix the parameter name with "a:", and a:var1 itself is read-only
   in c, you reference the parameter directly and the parameter is writable.
3. how to implement variable parameter
   fu! Hex2dec(fixpara, ...)
     a:0 is the real number of the variable parameter when you invoke the function, with :Hex2dec("asdf", 4,5,6), a:0=3, and a:1=4 a:2=5 a:3=6
   you can combine "a:" and the number to get the value
   while i<a:0
     exe "let num=a:".i
     let i=i+1
   endwhile
   in c, the function get the real number by checking the additional parameter such as printf family, or by checking the special value such as NULL
4. where is the vim-library
  yes, vim has its own function-library, just like *.a in c
  :help functions
5. can I use += or ++ operator?
  Nop, += and ++ (and -=, -- and so on)operator gone away in vim.
6. How can I assign a value to a variables and fetch its value?
   let var_Name=value
   let var1=var2
   like it does in c, except you must use let keyword
7. Can I use any ex-mode command in a function?
  As I know, yes, just use it directly, as if every line you type appears in the familar : 
8. Can I call a function recurse?
  Yes, but use it carefully to avoid infinte call.
9. Can I call another function in a function?
  Course, like C does.
10. Must I compile the function?
   No, you needn't and you can't, just :so script_name, after this you can call the function freely.
11. Is it has integer and char or float data type?
   No, like perl, vim script justify the variable type depend upon the context
   :let a=1
   :let a=a."asdf"
   :echo a
   you'll get `1asdf'
   :let a=1
   :let a=a+2
   :echo a
   you'll get 3
   But it differs from perl.
12. Must I append a `;' in every statement?
   No, never do that.
   ; is required in C, and optional in shell for each statement in a alone line.
   But is forbidden in vim.
   if you want combine servals statement in one single line, use `|'.
   Take your mind that every statement appears in function should be valid in ex-mode(except for some special statement).






VimTip 33: toggle off the line-number when enter on-line help
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=33

I like the line-number for myself editing. But I hate it in on-line help page because it force the screen wrapped.
:au filetype help :se nonu







VimTip 34: control the position of the new window
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=34

:se splitbelow 
make the new window appears below the current window.
:se splitright
make the new window appears in right.(only 6.0 version can do a vsplit)






VimTip 35: For programmer: translate // style comment to /*  */and vice vesa
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=35

the `|' concatenate servals ex-command in one line.
It's the key to translate // style comments to /* */ style
:g#^s{-}//#s##/*# | s#$#*/#

the `|' keep the current line matchs ^s{-}// to perform s#$#*/

/* ... */ ---> //style
:g#/*(.{-})*/#//1#

/* ....
   ....
   .....
*/ 
=====> 
//......
//......
//......
style:
? Anyone implement it?






VimTip 36: Using Gnu-info help in vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=36

K in normal bring you the man page about the keyword under current cursor.
:nnoremap <F1> :exe ":!info ".expand("<cword>")
Now press F1 while the cursor is hold by a keyword such as printf will bring you to Gnu-info help page
:h <F1>
:h nnoremap






VimTip 37: The basic operation about vim-boolean optionals
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=37

:set number
switch the number on
:set nonumber
switch it off
:set invnumber 
or 
:set number!
switch it inverse against the current setting
:set number&
get the default value vim assums.

replace number with any legal vim-boolean optionals, they all works well.
for vim-non-boolean optionals
:set optional& 
also works properly.







VimTip 38: Cursor one line at a time when :set wrap
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=38

If your tierd of the cursor jumping past 5 lines when :set wrap then add these mappings to you vimrc file.

nnoremap j gj
nnoremap k gk
vnoremap j gj
vnoremap k gk
nnoremap <Down> gj
nnoremap <Up> gk
vnoremap <Down> gj
vnoremap <Up> gk
inoremap <Down> <C-o>gj
inoremap <Up> <C-o>gk

What they do is remap the cursor keys to use there `g' equvilant. See :help gj






VimTip 39: Undo and Redo
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=39

To undo recent changes, use the u[ndo] command:

u              undo last change (can be repeated to undo preceding commands)
U              return the line to its original state (undo all changes in current line)
CTRL-R         Redo changes which were undone (undo the undo's).

For a full description of the undo/redo commands refer to

:help undo







VimTip 40: Insert a file
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=40

To insert the contents of a file (or the output of a system command) 
into the current buffer, use the r[ead] command:

Examples:

:r foo.txt        inserts the file foo.txt below the cursor

:0r foo.txt       inserts the file foo.txt above the first line

:r !ls            inserts a listing of your directory below the cursor

:$r !pwd          inserts the current working directory below the last line 


For more information about the r[ead] command refer to:

:help read

See also:

:help cmdline-ranges
:help !cmd








VimTip 41: Command-history facilities for Oracle/sqlplus user
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=41

	First of all, thanks Benji fisher,  Stefan Roemer...
and others in vim@vim.org which spend much time to 
answer questions, sometimes foolish question asked by
someone like me. Without their I can't get the final 
solution for my sqlplus work descripted follows.
	As Oracle user known, sqlplus has a very bad 
command-line edition environment. It has no 
command-history, don't support most of getline 
facilities. which MySQL and shell does it well. 
Even Microsoft recogonize this point. In Windows2000, 
doskey is installed by default.
	Below is my vim-solution to sqlplus, which 
record the command-history when you use 
edit(sqlplus builtin command) to open the editor
specified by EDITOR environment variable. It saves
the SQL statement into a standalone file such as
.sqlplus.history
	Every time you open the file 
afiedt.buf(sqlplus's default command-buffer file), 
you get two splited windows, the buffer above is 
afiedt.buf, the buffer below is .sqlplus.history, 
you can see every SQL statement in the windows. 
If you want to use SQL statement in line 5 to replace
 the current command-buffer, just press 5K, then 
	:xa
	to back to you sqlplus. and use / to repeat the command
 saved in command-buffer file called afiedt.buf by default.
	It can't process multi-line SQL statement convinencely.
 Todo this, just use you favorite vim trick to do that:
	fu! VimSQL()
    nnoremap <C-K> :<C-U>
	exe "let linenum=".v:count<CR>:1,$-1d<CR><C-W>j:exe lin
	enum."y"<CR><C-W>kP
    let linenum=line("$")
    1,$-1w! >> ~/.sqlplus.history
    e ~/.sqlplus.history
    execute ":$-".(linenum-1).",$m0"
    %!uniq
    if line("$")>100
      101,$d
    endif
    b#
    set splitbelow
    sp ~/.sqlplus.history
    au! BufEnter afiedt.buf
endf
au BufEnter afiedt.buf call VimSQL()







VimTip 42: Using marks
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=42

To mark one or more positions in a file, use the m[ark] command.

Examples:

ma       -    set current cursor location as mark a

'a       -    jump to beginning of line of mark a

`a       -    jump to postition of mark a

d'a      -    delete from current line to line of mark a

d`a      -    delete from current cursor position to mark a

c'a      -    change text from current line to line of mark a

y`a      -    yank text to unnamed buffer from cursor to mark a

:marks   -    list all the current marks

NB: Lowercase marks (a-z) are valid within one file. Uppercase marks
(A-Z), also called file marks, are valid between files.

For a detailed description of the m[ark] command refer to

:help mark

See also:

:help various-motions 






VimTip 43: Using abbreviations
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=43

To define abbreviations, use the ab[breviate] command.

Examples:

:ab rtfm read the fine manual  -  Whenever you type 'rtfm' followed by a <space> (or <esc> or <cr>) vim
                                  will expand this to 'read the fine manual'.

:ab                            -  list all defined abbreviations

:una[bbreviate] rtfm           -  remove 'rtfm' from the list of abbreviations

:abc[lear]                     -  remove all abbreviations


NB: To avoid expansion in insert mode, type CTRL-V after the last character of the abbreviation. 

For a detailed description of the ab[breviate] command and some more examples refer to

:help abbreviations







VimTip 44: Repeat last changes
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=44

Simple text changes in normal mode (e.g. "dw" or "J") can be repeated with the "." command.
The last command-line change (those invoked with ":", e.g. ":s/foo/bar") can be 
repeated with the "@:" command.

For more informations about repeating single changes refer to:

:help single-repeat






VimTip 45: Using command-line history
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=45

You can recall previous command lines from a history table by hitting 
the <Up> and <Down> cursor keys in command-line mode. 
For example, this can be used to find the previous substitute command: 
Type ":s" and then <Up>.

There are separate history tables for the ':' commands and for 
previous '/' or '?' search strings.

To display the history of last entered commands or search strings, 
use the :his[tory] command:

:his       -      Display command-line history. 

:his s     -      Display search string history.

  
For a detailed description of the command-line history refer to:

:help cmdline-history

See also:

:help Cmdline-mode







VimTip 46: Win32 binaries with perl, python, and tcl
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=46

> Does anyone know if windows binaries of vim 5.7 are available with perl and
> python support turned on?

ftp://vim.sourceforge.net/pub/vim/upload_binaries/

http://vim.sourceforge.net/bin_download/






VimTip 47: Swapping characters, words and lines
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=47

To swap two characters or lines, use the following commands:

xp       -     delete the character under the cursor and put it afterwards.
               (In other words, it swaps the characters.)

ddp      -     delete the current line and put it afterwards.
               (In other words, it swaps the lines.)

Unfortunately there is no universal solution to swap two words.
You may try the following ones, but don't expect too much of them:

dawwP    -     delete the word under the cursor, move forward one word
               and put it back after the cursor.  (In other words, it 
               swaps the current and following word.)
               
dawbP    -     delete the word under the cursor, move backward on word
               and put it back after the cursor.  (In other words, it
               swaps the current and preceeding word.)








VimTip 48: Moving around
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=48

You can save a lot of time when navigating through the text by using 
appropriate movements commands. In most cases the cursor keys,
<PageUp> or <PageDown> are NOT the best choice.

Here is a selection of some basic movement commands that 
hopefully helps you to acquire a taste for more:

e   - move to the end of a word                   
w   - move forward to the beginning of a word     
3w  - move forward three words
b   - move backward to the beginning of a word
3b  - move backward three words

$       - move to the end of the line          
<End>   - same as $
0       - move to the beginning of the line
<Home>  - same as 0

)   - jump forward one sentence
(   - jump backward one sentence

}   - jump forward one paragraph
{   - jump backward one paragraph

H   - jump to the top of the display       
M   - jump to the middle of the display   
L   - jump to the bottom of the display

'm  - jump to the beginning of the line of mark m
`m  - jump to the location of mark m

G   - jump to end of file
1G  - jump to beginning of file
50G - jump to line 50

'' - return to the line where the cursor was before the latest jump
`` - return to the cursor position before the latest jump (undo the jump).

%  - jump to corresponding item, e.g. from an open brace to its 
     matching closing brace
   
For some more interesting movement commands (especially those 
for programmers) refer to:

:help motion.txt

:help search-commands






VimTip 49: Switching case of characters
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=49

To switch the case of one or more characters use the "~", "gU" or
"gu" commands.

Examples:

~     -     switch case of character under cursor 
            (in visual-mode: switch case of highlighted text)

3~    -     switch case of next three characters

g~~   -     switch case of current line

U     -     in visual-mode: make highlighted text uppercase

gUU   -     make current line uppercase

u     -     in visual-mode: make highlighted text lowercase

guu   -     make current line lowercase

gUaw  -     make current word uppercase

guaw  -     make current word lowercase

For some more examples refer to

:help ~

See also:

:help simple-change






VimTip 50: Recovering files
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=50

If your computer has crashed while editing a file, you should be able 
to recover the file by typing 

      vi -r <filename>

where <filename> is the name of the file you were editing at the time 
of the crash.
If you were editing without a file name, give an empty string as argument:

      vim -r ""

To get a list of recoverable files start vim without arguments:

      vim -r


For more information about file recovery refer to:

:help recovery







VimTip 51: Entering german umlauts
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=51

To enter german umlauts (or any other of those weired 
characters) not available on your keyboard use 'digraphs':

In insert-mode type for example:
    
     CTRL-K "a

     CTRL-K ^e
 
which gives an 'ä' and 'e' with a hat. 

You can also set the digraph option:

    :set digraph (or :set dg)

With digraph option set you can enter 

    " <BS> a

    ^ <BS> e

which gives the same result.

To get a list of currently defined digraphs type

   :dig[graphs]

For more information about defining and using digraphs refer to:

:help digraph.txt






VimTip 52: Scrolling synchronously
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=52

If you want to bind two or more windows such that when one
window is scrolled, the other windows are scrolled simultaneously,
set the 'scrollbind' option for these windows:

:set scrollbind

When a window that has 'scrollbind' set is scrolled, all other
'scrollbind' windows are scrolled the same amount, if possible.

For more information about the 'scrollbind' option refer to

:help scoll-binding







VimTip 53: Better colors for syntax highlighting
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=53

For syntax highlighting there are two sets of default color 
maps: One for a light and another one for a dark background.
If you have a black background, use the following command to
get a better color map for syntax highlighting:

:set background=dark

You have to switch off and on again syntax highlighting to
activate the new color map:

:syntax off
:syntax on

For a detailled description of syntax highlighting refer to

:help syntax.txt

See also the Vim syntax support file: $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/synload.vim






VimTip 54: View a Java Class File Decompiled thru Vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=54

Hi All,
Wish u could view a Java Class File using Vim,
Well ur query ends here.
First of all u will need a Java Decompiler to decompile
the Class File.
I would suggest the JAD decompiler by Pavel Kouznetsov 
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bridge/8617/jad.html

Its a command line decompiler and absolutely free.
U can use any command line decompiler of ur choice.

Next create a vimscript file called jad.vim as
######################### FILE START ################
augr class
au!
au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class %!d:jad.exe -noctor -ff -i -p %
au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class set readonly
au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class set ft=java
au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class normal gg=G
au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class set nomodified
augr END
######################## FILE END #####################

Note:- Keep the Jad.exe in a directory with out white spaces.
The -p options directs JAD to send the output to standard output
instead of a .jad file. Other options are described on the JAD site.

Next add the following line in the .vimrc file.
so jad.vim

Next time u do vim abc.class. Viola u have the source code
for abc.class.

NOTE:- I have written the script so as to open the class file
read only, So that u dont accidently modify it.
U can also exted this script to unjar a jar file and then view each
file in the JAR file.
thanks
bhaskar
Any suggestions are welcome







VimTip 55: previous buffer
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=55

One of the keys to vim is buffer management. If I have to use another IDE that makes me click on a tab every time I want to look at another file I'm going to go postal.

So of course you know about :ls which lists all the current open buffers. This gets a little unweildly once you have a full project open so you can also use :b <any snipit of text> <tab> to complete to an open buffer. This is really nice because you can type any fragment of a file name and it will complete to the matching file. (i.e. RequestManager.java can be completed using "tma"<tab> or "req"<tab> or "r.java"<tab>).

Now for awhile I was also using :bn and :bp which jumps you to the next and previous buffer respectively. I found I was often frustrated because I wanted :bp to be the previous buffer I was in, not the previous buffer in the list. So (drum roll) the reason I wrote this tip was because of:

:b#

jump to the previous buffer you were in. Very very handy. The only thing nicer are tag, but that's a tip for another time.

:help buffers
:help bn
:help bp

If anybody knows where to get help on # in this context please add notes.






VimTip 58: how to avoid obliterating window layout
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=58

If you take the time to lay out several windows
with vim (especially vertically in version 6), you may be bummed when
you hit an errant key and find that all but what one window
disappears.

What happens: while navigating between windows, you
hit <C-W>j, <C-W>k, etc.  At some point you accidently
hit <C-W> but then don't follow with a window command.
Now hitting 'o' to start insert mode issues a command
equivalent to :only, and closes all windows execept
for the one you are in (unless some windows have unsaved
changes in them).

How to avoid this: petition the vim-dev mailing list about
how :only is sufficient for the infrequenty use this might
get (j/k).

Really: use mapping to disable the <C-W>o functionality; put
this in your .vimrc:

nnoremap <C-W>O :echo "sucker"<CR>
nnoremap <C-W>o :echo "sucker"<CR>
nnoremap <C-W><C-O> :echo "sucker"<CR>

references:

:help :only
:help CTRL-W_o

That is all.
Scott







VimTip 62: Applying substitutes to a visual block
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=62

If you'd like to apply a substitute, or even any ex command, to a visual-block
selected text region (ctrl-v and move), then you'll want Stefan Roemer's
http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/vimscript/vis.vim .  Just source it in,
and then press ":B".  On the command line you'll see

:'<,'>BCtrl-V 

Just continue with the substitute or whatever...

:'<,'>B s/abc/ABC/g

and the substitute will be applied to just that block of text!

Example: Ctrl-V Select..........|......Type
..................just the central....|......:B s/abc/ABC/g
..................four "abc"s..............|
..................----------------....|...-------------
..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcabcabcabc
..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcABCABCabc
..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcABCABCabc
..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcabcabcabc
 (dots inserted to retain tabular format)








VimTip 63: Applying substitutes to a visual block
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=63

If you'd like to apply a substitute, or even any ex command, to a visual-block
selected text region (ctrl-v and move), then you'll want Stefan Roemer's
http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/vimscript/vis.vim .  Just source it in,
and then press ":B".  On the command line you'll see

:'<,'>BCtrl-V 

Just continue with the substitute or whatever...

:'<,'>B s/abc/ABC/g

and the substitute will be applied to just that block of text!

Example: Ctrl-V Select..........|......Type
..................just the central.......|......:B s/abc/ABC/g
..................four "abc"s.................|
..................---------............|...-------------
..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcabcabcabc
..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcABCABCabc
..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcABCABCabc
..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcabcabcabc
 (dots inserted to retain tabular format)








VimTip 64: Always set your working directory to the file you're editing
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=64

Sometimes I think it's helpful if your working directory is always the same as the buffer you are editing.  You need to put this in your .vimrc:

function! CHANGE_CURR_DIR()
	let _dir = expand("%:p:h")
	exec "cd " . _dir
	unlet _dir
endfunction

autocmd BufEnter * call CHANGE_CURR_DIR()

Doing this will make a "cd" command to your the current buffer each time you switch to it.  This is actually similar to vimtip#2 but more automatic.

You should see for more details:
:help autocmd
:help expand
:help function

Note: This tip was contributed by somebody on the list a while ago (sorry for no reference) and it has been extremely helpful to me. Thanks!






VimTip 65: Insert line number into the actuall text of the file.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=65

Although :set number will add nice line number for you At time you may wish to actually place the line numbers into the file. For example on GNU Unix you can acomplish a simular task using cat -n file > new_file

In VIM you can use the global command to do this

:g/^/exec "s/^/".strpart(line(".")."    ", 0, 4)

What this does is run the exec comand on every line that matches /^/ (All)
The exec command taks a string and executes it as if it were typed in.

line(".")."    " -> returns the number of the current line plus four spaces.
strpart("123    ", 0, 4) -> returns only the first four characters ("123 ").
"s/^/123 " -> substituts the begining of the line with "123 ".






VimTip 66: Transfer text between two Vim 'sessions',
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=66

This one is a one of my favorites from Dr. Chip, and I haven't seen it come
across vim tips yet...

Can use either visual, or marking to denote the text.

" transfer/read and write one block of text between vim sessions
" Usage:
" `from' session:
"     ma
"     move to end-of-block
"     xw
"
" `to' session:
"     move to where I want block inserted
"     xr
"
if has("unix")
  nmap xr   :r $HOME/.vimxfer<CR>
  nmap xw   :'a,.w! $HOME/.vimxfer<CR>
  vmap xr   c<esc>:r $HOME/.vimxfer<CR>
  vmap xw   :w! $HOME/.vimxfer<CR>
else
  nmap xr   :r c:/.vimxfer<CR>
  nmap xw   :'a,.w! c:/.vimxfer<CR>
  vmap xr   c<esc>:r c:/.vimxfer<cr>
  vmap xw   :w! c:/.vimxfer<CR>
endif







VimTip 67: Ascii Value
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=67

Sometimes we, the programmers, need the value of a character, don't we?
You can learn the ascii value of a character by pressing g and a keys.(ga)!
It displays the value in dec, hex and octal...






VimTip 68: Delete key
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=68

Don't worry if your delete key does not work properly.
Just press <CTRL>-Backspace.
It works under both mode(insert or normal).






VimTip 69: dot makes life easier
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=69

You can copy and paste the last changes you made in the last insert mode
without using y and p by pressing . (just dot). 
Vim memorizes the keys you pressed and echos them if you hit the dot key. 
You must be in command mode as usual.
It can be helpful...






VimTip 70: running a command on all buffers
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=70

From Peter Bismuti on the vim list:

How to global search and replace in all buffers with one command? 
You need the AllBuffers command:

:call AllBuffers("%s/string1/string2/g")

"put this in a file and source it
function AllBuffers(cmnd)
  let cmnd = a:cmnd
  let i = 1
  while (i <= bufnr("$"))
    if bufexists(i)
      execute "buffer" i
      execute cmnd
    endif
    let i = i+1
  endwhile
endfun

":call AllBuffers("%s/foo/bar/ge|update")

Thanks Peter!






VimTip 71: Transfer text between two gvim sessions using clipboard
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=71

If you use gvim, you can transfer text from one instance of gvim into another one using clipboard.  It is convenient to use * (star) register, like this:

In one instance yank two lines into clipboard:
    "*2yy
Paste it in another instance in normal mode:
    "*p
or in insert mode:
    <Ctrl-R>*






VimTip 72: Remove unwanted empty lines
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=72

Sometimes to improve the readability of the document I insert empty lines, which will be later removed.
To get rid off them try: 
:%g/^$/d
This will remove a l l  empty line in the document.
Some other tipps you can find under www.linuxclass.de/vim.phtml







VimTip 73: Using vim as calculator
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=73

Basic calculations can done within vim easily by typing (insert-mode):
STRG (=CTRL) + R followed by =
then for example 2+2 and hit RETURN
the result 4 will be printed in the document.

Some other tipps you can find under www.linuxclass.de/vim.phtml







VimTip 74: Using Vim as an outline processor
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=74

With the addition of folding, Vim6 can function as a high performance outline processor. Simply :set ai and in insert mode use backspace to promote and tab to demote headlines.

In command mode, << promotes (n<< to promote multiple lines), and >> demotes. Also, highlight several headlines and < or > to promote or demote.

:set foldmethod=indent, and then your z commands can expand or collapse headline trees, filewide or by the tree.

The VimOutliner GPL distro contains the scripts and configs to easily configure Vim6 as an outliner, including scripts to create tag files enabling interoutline hyperlinking.

The VimOutliner project is at http://www.troubleshooters.com/projects/vimoutliner/index.htm.

Steve (Litt)
slitt@troubleshooters.com







VimTip 75: Remap CAPSLOCK key in Windows 2000 Professional and NT4.0
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=75

If you're Windows 2000 Professional user and got tired to move your hands off basic row when hitting <ESC> key
here the solution (not for Windows 9x.):
remap CapsLock key as <ESC> key. It's located in useful position.
Put this lines into <EscLock.reg> file and start it in explorer.Reboot.Enjoy.

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,01,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00

To restore you capslock back just delete this entry from Registry and reboot.
And below is remapping <capslock> as <Left Control>:

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00








VimTip 76: Folding for Quickfix
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=76

The Quickfix mode aims to "speed up the edit-compile-edit cycle" according to ':help quickfix'. After executing ':make' or ':grep' it is possible to skim through the list of errors/matches and the appropriate source code locations with, for instance, the ':cnext' command.
Another way to get a quick overview is to use VIMs folding mode, to fold away all the error-free/match-free regions.
The script at the end of this message can be used for this purpose. It is at the moment not elaborate enough to put it up as a 'script'; but it might give someone inspiration to do so.
Big restrictions / bugs are as follows:
1. Vim Perl interface is required, i.e. the output of ':version' must contain '+perl' (People with Vim scripting knowledge might fix this)
2. Works only for one file, i.e. the current buffer.
3. It's a quick hack.
Sample usage: (a) edit a file, (b) do ':grep regexp %' to get a quickfix error list and (c) ':source foldqf.vim' will fold as described
Increasing the value of $CONTEXT gives you more context around the error regions.

Here comes it, it should be 7 lines:
---foldqf.vim
cwindow
perl $CONTEXT = 0;
perl @A = map { m/\|(\d+)\|/; $1 +0 } $curbuf->Get(1..$curbuf->Count());
close
normal zD
perl sub fold { VIM::DoCommand( $_[0] . ',' . ($_[1]) . "fold" ) if( $_[0] < $_[1] ); }
perl $last = 0; for (@A) { fold( $last+1+$CONTEXT, $_-1-$CONTEXT ); $last = $_; }; VIM::DoCommand(($A[-1]+1+$CONTEXT ) . ',$fold' );







VimTip 77: Displaying search results using folds
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=77


A guy I work with told me about a function that an old IBM text editor had that he said was useful, and that is to create folds in the file after a search such that every line that is visible contains the search pattern(except possibly the first). All lines that do not contain the search pattern are folded up to the last occurence of the pattern or the top of the file.  

One use for such a function is to be able to make a quick and dirty api of a source file.  For example, if working in Java, you could run the function using the pattern "public|protected|private" and ithe results would be that only the method headers would be visible (well, close enough).  


function! Foldsearch(search)
        normal zE          "erase all folds to begin with
        normal G$          "move to the end of the file
	let folded = 0     "flag to set when a fold is found
        let flags = "w"    "allow wrapping in the search
        let line1 =  0     "set marker for beginning of fold
        while search(a:search, flags) > 0
                let  line2 = line(".")
		"echo "pattern found at line # " line2
                if (line2 -1 > line1)
                        "echo line1 . ":" . (line2-1)
                        "echo "A fold goes here."
                        execute ":" . line1 . "," . (line2-1) . "fold"
						let folded = 1       "at least one fold has been found
                endif
                let line1 = line2     "update marker
                let flags = "W"       "turn off wrapping
        endwhile
		" Now create the last fold which goes to the end of the file.
        normal $G
        let  line2 = line(".")
		"echo "end of file found at line # " line2
        if (line2  > line1 && folded == 1)
                "echo line1 . ":" . line2
                "echo "A fold goes here."
                execute ":". line1 . "," . line2 . "fold"
        endif
endfunction


" Command is executed as ':Fs pattern'"
command! -nargs=+ -complete=command Fs call Foldsearch(<q-args>)
" View the methods and variables in a java source file."
command! Japi Fs public\|protected\|private









VimTip 78: rotating mail signatures
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=78

For people using mutt and vim for mail, the following script will allow you to insert a new signature (and again and again if you don\'t like the current one) at the bottom of your mail. This is usefull eg when you don\'t want to send a potentially offensive quote to someone you don\'t know very well (or a mailing list), but are too lazy to delete the quote, open your quotes file, and cut and paste another one in. (I put it here in \'tips\' and not in \'scripts\' because it is imo too short to be a \'real\' script)

" rotate_sig.vim
" Maintainer:  Roel Vanhout <roel@2e-systems.com>
" Version:     0.1
" Last Change: Tuesday, June 12, 2001
" Mapping I use:
" nmap ,r :call RotateSig()<CR>
" Usage:
" -Make sure you delimit your sig with '-- ', or adjust the script
" -Adjust the last execute to a command that prints a sig to stdout
" Known problems:
"   - You'll get an error message when you're below the last
"     '^-- $' in your mail (nothing bad though - just an not-
"     found marker)

function! RotateSig()
    normal mQG
    execute '?^-- $'
    execute ':nohl'
    normal o<ESC>
    normal dG
    normal <CR>
    execute 'r !~/bin/autosig ~/.quotes \%'
    normal `Q
endfunction








VimTip 79: How to use :grep to get a clickable list of function names
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=79


The following function will make a :cwindow window with a line per function
in the current C source file. NOTE: It writes the file as a side effect.

Invoke with ':call ShowFunc()'
You may want to do :nmap <somekey> :call ShowFunc()<CR>

function! ShowFunc()
    
    let gf_s = &grepformat
    let gp_s = &grepprg

    let &grepformat = '%*\k%*\sfunction%*\s%l%*\s%f %*\s%m'
    let &grepprg = 'ctags -x --c-types=f --sort=no -o -'

    write
    silent! grep %
    cwindow

    let &grepformat = gf_s
    let &grepprg = gp_s

endfunc







VimTip 80: Restore cursor to file position in previous editing session
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=80

Here's something for your <.vimrc> which will allow you to restore your cursor position in a file over several editing sessions.  This technique uses the viminfo option:

Ex. set viminfo='10,\"100,:20,%,n~/.viminfo
    au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0|if line("'\"") <= line("$")|exe("norm '\"")|else|exe "norm $"|endif|endif

If you're on Unix, the viminfo is probably fine as is (but check up on Vim's help for viminfo to see if you like the settings above).  For Windows you'll need to change the "n" suboption to something like

Ex. set viminfo='10,\"100,:20,%,nc:\\some\\place\\under\\Windoz\\_viminfo

This tip is a somewhat improved version of the example given for :he line()
in the Vim on-line documentation.






VimTip 81: Substitution of characters and lines in VIM is made far easier with the s and S commands
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=81

Substitute  Characters
-----------------------------------
I was just editing a file that contained the same leading string on many lines. 

example:

foo_bar_baz1=a
foo_bar_baz1=abc674
foo_bar_baz1=qrs
foo_bar_baz1=m1
foo_bar_baz1=bz90
foo_bar_baz1=bc
...

Needing to only substitute a portion of the string, I referred to a VIM reference card and discovered a command answering my need exactly. The s command is used to subsitute a certain number of characters. In my example file above, if I only needed to subsititute the characters foo_bar, I set the cursor on the first character where I'd like the subsitution to begin and type 7s. VIM drops the characters foo_bar and goes to insert mode, waiting for the substitution text.

Substitute Lines
-----------------------
After years of using vi and VIM and always deleting multiple lines in order to replace them, I just discovered the S command. If you need to subsitute three lines of text, simply type 3S. VIM drops the three lines and goes into insert mode, waiting for the subsitution text. 






VimTip 82: letting variable values be overwritten in a script
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=82

this is a simple function i wrote to get the value of a variable from three different places (in that order):  the current buffer, the global setting or from the script itself.

this allows me to set a default value for a configuration variable inside my script and the user to change it on a global level by setting the same variable with a g: prepended.  then, they can further set it on a per-buffer level by the the b: mechanism.  one of the examples for this might be my comments script (not uploaded).  i have a variable in there that determines whether comment characters (// for java, for example) are placed the beginning of the line or just before the first-non-blanks in the text.  i set up a default in my script:

let s:comments_hug_start_of_line=0   " comments should hug the text

that's fine as a default, but if i want to overwrite it for vim scripts, i just put the following in my ftplugin/vim.vim:

let b:comments_hug_start_of_line=1   " vim comments should hug the first column, always

" tries  to return  the buffer-specific  value of  a variable;  if not
" found,  tries to  return the  global value  -- if  that's not  found
" either, returns the value set in the script itself
function! GetVar(varName)
  if (exists ("b:" . a:varName))
    exe "let retVal=b:" . a:varName
  elseif (exists ("g:" . a:varName))
    exe "let retVal=g:" . a:varName
  elseif (exists ("s:" . a:varName))
    exe "let retVal=s:" . a:varName
  else
    retVal=-1
  endif
  return retVal
endfunction

personally, i never let it get to the -1 state by always having an s: set with SOME default value.






VimTip 83: how to indent (useful for source code)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=83

Here is the most useful vim command that I know of and I'm surprised that it's not yet in the tips list.

I use the indent features of vim all the time. Basically, it lets you indent your source code.

SETUP: To make indentation work nicely I have the following in my .vimrc file:
set et
set sw=4
set smarttab

these make vim behave nicely when indenting, giving 4 spaces (not tabs) for each "tabstop".

HOW TO USE:
in command mode, == will indent the current line
selecting a range of lines (with shift-v) then == will indent your selection
typing a number then == will indent that many lines, starting from your cursor
(you get the idea, there are many other things you can do to select a range of lines)

Tell me that isn't great?







VimTip 84: Changing the behaviour of . to include visual mode
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=84

one of the things i do a lot in vim is to make a change to the beginning
or end of  the line (such as adding  the text '// remove' at  the end of
java debug code).  a quick way of doing  this is to use a  to append the
text to the end of the first line  and then move down one, hit . (repeat
last edit), move down, hit .  etc. etc. the following mapping allows one
to  simply  highlight the  region  in  question and  hit  .  -- it  will
automatically execute the . once on each line:

  " allow the . to execute once for each line of a visual selection
  vnoremap . :normal .<CR>

another thing i do a lot is to  record a quick macro in the "a" register
and then play it back a number of  times. while @@ can be used to repeat
the last register used, my recorded macros sometimes use other registers
so @@ doesn't necessarily  give me the same results as  @a. also, i have
mapped ' to `  because i like to go to the precise  location of my marks
-- always --  and never to the  beginning of the line. this  leaves my `
key unused. so:

  " make ` execute the contents of the a register
  nnoremap ` @a

then, in keeping with the visual . above, i did the same for the ` -- is
thexecutes @a once on each highlighed line.

  vnoremap ` :normal @a<CR>

as an example, say i have the following lines of java code:

      public String m_asdf;
      public String m_lkhj;
      public int m_hjkhjkh;

and, for some reason, i need to get the following:

      "asdf"
      "lkhj"
      "hjkhjkh"

i record the following into a:

  ^cf_"<ESC>$r"

the ^  is because my  java code is  indented and i  don't want to  go to
column 0 and the <esc> is an actual escape i hit to exit insert mode.

then, i  simply select (visually) the  other lines (only two  in case --
admittedly not an overly useful example) and just hit `.







VimTip 85: How to mimic the vim 6.0 plugin feature with older versions
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=85

If you do not have vim 6.0, but would like to mimic the plugins directory feature then copy and paste this into your vimrc:

exec "source " . substitute(glob($VIM."/plugins/*.vim"), "\n", "\nsource ", "g")

It will automatically source every vim script file located in the vim/plugins directory.
Now, to add a new plugin, just drop the script in this directory and vim will automatically find it.







VimTip 86: Helps undo 1 line when entered many
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=86

When U entered text, U cannot undo only 1 line, for example, when U press "u", all entered in last "insert" text removed.

If U add this line to .vimrc:
inoremap <Return> <Return>^O^[
where "^O" or "^[" is 1 char
"u" will undo (remove) only 1 line.







VimTip 87: Get vim 5.x window in vim 6.x
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=87

The format of the window title in vim 5.x (well, at least for 5.7,.8, for Win32) used to be VIM - <full filename with path>.  It's not in the win32 binary of 6.0an that I found.  I want my old way back.

Turns out, all that it takes to get it back is 
:set title titlestring=VIM\ -\ %F "make sure that the window caption setting is turned on and set caption to vim 5.x style

Oh, however, one thing I did like about the 6.0 style is that it puts the word "help" in the title when the current buffer is a help file; so, I just tacked %h to my titlestring giving:

:set title titlestring=VIM\ -\ %F\ %h "make sure that the window caption setting is turned on and set caption to vim 5.x style

see also:
:he 'titlestring'
:he 'statusline'    "for the format for titlestring






VimTip 88: How to maximize vim on entry (win32)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=88

Maybe it's just because I have far too small of a monitor, because I can get distracted while coding if I have other stuff on the screen, or because I starting using vim on a console, but I definitely like my vim window maximized.  Anyway, sticking the following in your vimrc will always maximize your vim window on startup.

au GUIEnter * simalt ~x


:he win16-maximized








VimTip 89: Get more screen real estate by hidding toolbar and/or menus
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=89

I use gvim over console vim because gvim is much more readable (under Windows).  However, that doesn't mean I want to dedicate screen space to things I'll never use (i.e. the toolbar and the menus).

Anyway, you can give the following a try if you'd like.

set guioptions-=T "get rid of toolbar
set guioptions-=m "get rid of menu

Oh, yeah.  If you decide that you don't really like being without your the toolbar or menus, issue the following:

set guioptions+=T "bring back toolbar
set guioptions+=m "bring back menu

see also: 
:he 'guioptions







VimTip 90: Encryption
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=90

You can encrypt your texts by using vim. 
:X  prompts for an encryption key. 
After writing your key, if you save your document 
it will be encrypted and no one else (but you and vim) 
can read your documents.
If you reopen the file, VIM will ask for the key. 
If you want to disable encryption, just type
:set key=
if you forget your key you will lose your document. 
So please DO NOT forget your key,
 






VimTip 91: Dictionary completions
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=91

This tip will will explain how to use the dictionary completion facilities provided by vim.  This can be useful if you use vim to type your email, edit code, etc.  

Dictionary completion is one of many search facilites provided by Insert mode completion.  It allows the user to get a list of keywords, based off of the current word at the cursor.  This is useful if you are typing a long word (e.g. acknowledgeable) and don't want to finish typing or don't remember the spelling.

To start, we must first tell vim where our dictionary is located.  This is done via the 'dictionary'  option.  Below is an example.  Your location may vary.  See :help 'dictionary'  for hints as to where you should look.

	:set dictionary-=/usr/share/dict/words dictionary+=/usr/share/dict/words

Now, to use this list we have to enter insert mode completion.  This is done by hitting CTRL-X while in insert mode.  Next, you have to specify what you want to complete.  For dictionaries use CTRL-K.  Once in this mode the keys CTRL-N and CTRL-P will cycle through the matches.  So, to complete the word "acknowledgeable" I would do the following in insert mode:

	acknow<CTRL-X><CTRL-K><CTRL-N>

It can be cumbersome to type CTRL-X CTRL-K for many different completions.  So, vim gives us a shortcut.  While in insert mode CTRL-N and CTRL-P will cycle through a predetermined set of completion sources.  By default, dictionary completion is not a part of this set.  This set is defined by the 'complete' option.  Therefore, we must add dictionary to this as shown below:

	:set complete-=k complete+=k

Now, while in insert mode we can type the following to complete our example:

	acknow<CTRL-N><CTRL-N>

This shortcut may not save a whole lot of typing.  However, I find that it requires less hand movement to only worry myself with two key combinations, rather than 4.

I find that the completion facilites provided by vim save me a *HUGE* amount of typing.  These savings can be realized in only a short amount of time if you are editing some code with functions and variables that have long names with underscores in them.

For more help:
	help ins-completion
	help compl-dictionary
	help 'complete'
	help 'dictionary'
	help :set+=






VimTip 92: Reducing 'doc' directory size
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=92

As everyone knows, the $VIMRUNTIME/doc is increasing rapidly in size. The directory contained so many plain-text documents that I often compress them to save my diskspace. With the support of VIM's GZIP plugin, VIM will automatically uncompress the files when we need to read them.
Here is my procedure:
1.  If you have the source, go to 'runtime/doc' and edit 'doctags.c', change       printf("%s\t%s\t/*", p1, argv[0]);  to  printf("%s\t%s.gz\t/*", p1, argv[0]);
     then make. This is to modify the tag, or you'll have to change the 'tags' file by hand if you don't have doctags.c.
2. Edit the new generated 'tags' file to rename 'help.txt.gz' back to 'help.txt' because it's hard-written in VIM executable binary.
     :% s/help\.txt\.gz/help\.txt/g
3. Copy the new 'tags' to $VIMRNUTIME/doc and run 'gzip *.txt; gunzip help.txt'

On VIM 6.0an, we can reduce the original size (3302k) to 1326k.
I don't know if this helps, but if someone likes to compress documents... this can be reffered :)
    







VimTip 93: if you use 'highlight search' feature, map a key to :noh
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=93

It is very convenient to use 'hlsearch' option.  However it can be annoying to have the highlight stick longer than you want it.  In order to run it off you have to type at least 4 keystrokes, ":noh".  So, it's a good idea to map this to a key.  I like to map it to control-n.  This is the line I use in my .vimrc file to do it:

nmap <silent> <C-N> :silent noh<CR>






VimTip 94: Questions & Answers about using tags with Vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=94

Using tags file with Vim
------------------------
This document gives you a idea about the various facilities available
in Vim for using a tags file to browse through program source files.
You can read the Vim online help, which explains in detail the tags
support, using :help tagsearch.txt.  You can also use the help
keywords mentioned in this document to read more about a particular
command or option.  To read more about a particular command or option
use, :help <helpkeyword> in Vim.

1. How do I create a tags file?

   You can create a tags file either using the ctags utility or using
   a custom script or utility.

   Help keyword(s): tag

2. Where can I download the tools to generate the tags file?

   There are several utilities available to generate the tags file.
   Depending on the programming language, you can use any one of them.

   1. Exuberant ctags generates tags for the following programming
      language files: 
      
      Assembler, AWK, ASP, BETA, Bourne/Korn/Zsh Shell, C, C++, COBOL,
      Eiffel, Fortran, Java, Lisp, Make, Pascal, Perl, PHP, Python,
      REXX, Ruby, S-Lang, Scheme, Tcl, and Vim.

      You can download exuberant ctags from
      http://ctags.sourceforge.net/

   2. On Unix, you can use the /usr/bin/ctags utility.  This utility
      is present in most of the Unix installations.
   
   3. You can use jtags for generating tags file for java programs.
      You can download jtags from: http://www.fleiner.com/jtags/

   4. You can use ptags for generating tags file for perl programs.
      You can download ptags from:
      http://www.eleves.ens.fr:8080/home/nthiery/Tags/

   5. You can download scripts from the following links for
      generating tags file for verilog files:
   
            http://www.probo.com/vtags.htm
            http://www.cs.albany.edu/~mosh/Perl/veri-tags
            http://www.verilog.net/vrtags.txt

   6. You can download Hdrtag from the following linke:

            http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#Tags

      This utility generates tags file for the following programming
      languages: assembly, c/c++, header files, lex, yacc,LaTeX, vim,
      and Maple V.

   7. You can also use the following scripts which are part of the Vim
      runtime files:

          pltags.pl - Create tags file for perl code
          tcltags - Create tags file for TCL code
          shtags.pl - Create tags file for shell script

   Help keyword(s): ctags

3. How do I generate a tags file using ctags?

   You can generate a tags file for all the C files in the current
   directory using the following command:

        $ ctags *.c

   You can generate tags file for all the files in the current
   directory and all the sub-directories using (this applies only to
   exuberant ctags):

        $ ctags -R .

   You can generate tags file for all the files listed in a text file
   named flist using (this applies only to exuberant ctags)

       $ ctags -L flist

4. How do I configure Vim to locate a tags file?

   You can set the 'tags' option in Vim to specify a particular tags
   file.

        set tags=/my/dir/tags

   Help keyword(s): 'tags', tags-option

5. How do I configure Vim to use multiple tags files?

   The 'tags' option can specify more than one tags file.  The tag
   filenames are separated using either comma or spaces.

        set tags=/my/dir1/tags, /my/dir2/tags

6. How do I configure Vim to locate a tags file in a directory tree?

   Note that the following will work only in Vim 6.0 and above.  You
   can set the 'tags' option to make Vim search for the tags file in a
   directory tree.  For example, if the 'tags' option is set like
   this:

        set tags=tags;/

   Vim will search for the file named 'tags', starting with the
   current directory and then going to the parent directory and then
   recursively to the directory one level above, till it either
   locates the 'tags' file or reaches the root '/' directory.

   Help keyword(s): file-searching

7. How do I jump to a tag?

   There are several ways to jump to a tag location.
        1. You can use the 'tag' ex command.  For example,

               :tag <tagname>
   
           will jump to the tag named <tagname>.
        2. You can position the cursor over a tag name and then press
           Ctrl-].
        3. You can visually select a text and then press Ctrl-] to
           jump to the tag matching the selected text.
        4. You can click on the tag name using the left mouse button,
           while pressing the <Ctrl> key.
        5. You can press the g key and then click on the tag name
           using the left mouse button.
        6. You can use the 'stag' ex command, to open the tag in a new
           window.  For example,

                :stag func1

           will open the func1 definition in a new window.
        7. You can position the cursor over a tag name and then press
           Ctrl-W ].  This will open the tag location in a new window.

   Help keyword(s): :tag, Ctrl-], v_CTRL_], <C-LeftMouse>,
                    g<LeftMouse>, :stag, Ctrl-W_]

8. How do I come back from a tag jump?

   There are several ways to come back to the old location from a tag
   jump.
        1. You can use the 'pop' ex command.
        2. You can press Ctrl-t.
        3. You can click the right mouse button, while pressing the
           <Ctrl> key.
        4. You can press the g key and then click the right mouse
           button.

   Help keyword(s): :pop, Ctrl-T, <C-RightMouse>, g<RightMouse>

9. How do I jump again to a previously jumped tag location?

   You can use the 'tag' ex command to jump to a previously jumped tag
   location, which is stored in the tag stack.

   Help keyword(s): tag

10. How do I list the contents of the tag stack?

   Vim remembers the location from which you jumped to a tag in the
   tag stack.  You can list the current tag stack using the 'tags' ex
   command.

   Help keyword(s): :tags, tagstack

11. How do I jump to a particular tag match, if there are multiple
    matching tags?

    In some situations, there can be more than one match for a tag.
    For example, a C function or definition may be present in more
    than one file in a source tree.  There are several ways to jump to
    a specific tag from a list of matching tags.
    
        1. You can use the 'tselect' ex command to list all the tag
           matches.  For example,

                :tselect func1

          will list all the locations where func1 is defined.  You can
          then enter the number of a tag match to jump to that
          location.
        2. You can position the cursor over the tag name and press g]
           to get a list of matching tags.
        3. You can visually select a text and press g] to get a list
           of matching tags.
        4. You can use the 'stselect' ex command.  This will open the
           selected tag from the tag list in a new window.
        5. You can position the cursor over the tag name and press
           Ctrl-W g] to do a :stselect.

    Help keyword(s): tag-matchlist, :tselect, g], v_g], :stselect,
                     Ctrl-W_g]

12. I want to jump to a tag, if there is only one matching tag,
    otherwise a list of matching tags should be displayed.  How do I
    do this? 

    There are several ways to make Vim to jump to a tag directly, if
    there is only one tag match, otherwise present a list of tag
    matches.

        1. You can use the 'tjump' ex command.  For example,

                :tjump func1

           will jump to the definition func1, if it is defined only
           once.  If func1 is defined multiple times, a list of
           matching tags will be presented.
        2. You can position the cursor over the tag and press g
           Ctrl-].
        3. You can visually select a text and press g Ctrl-] to jump
           or list the matching tags.
        4. You can use the 'stjump' ex command.  This will open the
           matching or selected tag from the tag list in a new window.
        5. You can press Ctrl-W g Ctrl-] to do a :stjump.

    Help keyword(s): :tjump, g_Ctrl-], v_g_CTRL-], :stjump,
                     Ctrl-W_g_Ctrl-]

13. How do browse through a list of multiple tag matches?

    If there are multiple tag matches, you can browse through all of
    them using several of the Vim ex commands.

    1. To go to the first tag in the list, use the 'tfirst' or
       'trewind' ex command.
    2. To go to the last tag in the list, use the 'tlast' ex command.
    3. To go to the next matching tag in the list, use the 'tnext' ex
       command.
    4. To go to the previous matching tag in the list, use the
       'tprevious' or 'tNext' ex command.

    Help keyword(s): :tfirst, :trewind, :tlast, :tnext, :tprevious,
                     :tNext

14. How do I preview a tag?

    You can use the preview window to preview a tag, without leaving
    the original window.  There are several ways to preview a tag:

        1. You can use the 'ptag' ex command to open a tag in the
           preview window.
        2. You can position the cursor on a tag name and press Ctrl-W
           } to open the tag in the preview window.
        3. You can use the 'ptselect' ex command to do the equivalent
           of the 'tselect' ex command in the preview window.
        4. You can use the 'ptjump' ex command to do the equivalent of
           the 'tjump' ex command in the preview window.
        5. You can position the cursor on the tag and press Ctrl-W g}
           to do a :ptjump on the tag.

    Help keyword(s): :preview-window, :ptag, Ctrl-W_}, :ptselect,
                     :ptjump, Ctrl-W_g}

15. How do I browse through the tag list in a preview window?

    If there are multiple tag matches, you can browse through all of
    them in the preview window using several of the Vim ex commands.

    1. To go to the first tag in the list, use the 'ptfirst' or
       'ptrewind' ex command.
    2. To go to the last tag in the list, use the 'ptlast' ex command.
    3. To go to the next matching tag in the list, use the 'ptnext' ex
       command.
    4. To go to the previous matching tag in the list, use the
       'ptprevious' or 'ptNext' ex command.

    Help keyword(s): :ptfirst, :ptrewind, :ptlast, :ptnext,
                     :ptprevious, :ptNext

16. How do I start Vim to start editing a file at a given tag match?

    While starting Vim, you can use the command line option '-t' to
    supply a tag name.  Vim will directly jump to the supplied tag
    location.

    Help keyword(s): -t

17. How do I list all the tags matching a search pattern?

    There are several ways to go through a list of all tags matching a
    pattern.

        1. You can list all the tags matching a particular regular
           expression pattern by prepending the tag name with the '/'
           search character.  For example,

                :tag /<pattern>
                :stag /<pattern>
                :ptag /<pattern>
                :tselect /<pattern>
                :tjump /<pattern>
                :ptselect /<pattern>
                :ptjump /<pattern>

         2. If you have the 'wildmenu' option set, then you can press
            the <Tab> key to display a list of all the matching tags
            in the status bar.  You can use the arrow keys to move
            between the tags and then use the <Enter> key to select a
            tag.

         3. If you don't have the 'wildmenu' option set, you can still
            use the <Tab> key to browse through the list of matching
            tags.

    Help keyword(s): tag-regexp, wildmenu

18. What options are available to control how Vim handles the tags
    file?

    You can use the following options to control the handling of tags
    file by Vim:

    1. 'tagrelative' - Controls how the file names in the tags file
                       are treated.  When on, the filenames are
                       relative to the directory where the tags file
                       is present.

    2. 'taglength' -  Controls the number of significant characters
                      used for recognizing a tag.

    3. 'tagbsearch' - Controls the method used to search the tags file
                      for a tag.  If this option is on, binary search
                      is used to search the tags file.  Otherwise,
                      linear search is used.

    4. 'tagstack' - Controls how the tag stack is used.

    Help keyword(s): 'tagrelative', 'taglength', 'tagbsearch',
                     'tagstack'

19. Is it possible to highlight all the tags in the current file?

    Yes.  Read the Vim online help on "tag-highlight".

20. Is it possible to create a menu with all the tags in the current
    file?

    Yes.  It is possible to create a menu with all the tags in the
    current file using a Vim script.  Download the TagsMenu.vim script
    from the following link: 

    http://members.home.net/jayglanville/tagsmenu/TagsMenu.html

21. Is there a workaround to make the Ctrl-] key not to be treated as
    the telnet escape character?

    The default escape characters for telnet in Unix systems is
    Ctrl-].  While using Vim in a telnet session, if you use Ctrl-] to
    jump to a tag, you will get the telnet prompt.  There are two ways
    to avoid this problem:
    
    1. Map the telnet escape character to some other character using
       the "-e <escape character>" telnet command line option

    2. Disable the telnet escape character using the "-E" telnet
       command line option.

    Help keyword(s): telnet-CTRL-]








VimTip 95: How do I pipe the output from ex commands into the text buffer?
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=95

This is a *request* for a tip.  I need to be able to pipe the output of a :blah ex command into the vim text buffer for editing.  I wanted to do this many times for different reasons and could never find a way!

I would just love to be able to do :hi --> textBuffer and examine the output at my own leasure scrolling up and down and using vim search commands on it.  Same thing for :set all, and other things.  Considering that cut and paste is horrible in windows, I can't for example do :set guioptions? then cut and paste!  So I have to retype it, or cut and paste from the help manual.  I really want to be able to pipe the output of ex commands into the text buffer.  Can someone help me?






VimTip 96: Cooperation of Gvim and AutoCad [MTEXT]
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=96

You can - like me :o)  - use gvim, like replacement of internal AutoCad MTEXT editor. You need switch variable MTEXTED to "gvim" (or maybe fullpath, something like "c:\vim\vim60aq\gvim" ), and to your _vimrc you can put line:

autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.tmp source c:\vim\aacad.vim

And when you edit MTEXT in acad, menu AutoCad will be for your use in gvim (only in INSERT and VISUAL mode)

[NOTE: Only I can't start gvim like gvim -y (for any other person, not so accustomed vith gvim) or start gvim from gvim.lnk or gvim.bat (I'am using windows95) and automatic skip to INSERT mode -latest word star, on end of script- is without functionality(?) Maybe someone advise me?? ] 

Well, script aacad.vim is listed here:

"VIM menu for AutoCad's MTEXT editation
"brz; mailto:brz@centrum.cz;  8. 8. 2001
" Version Mk.I
"--------------------------------------------------------------------------

imenu &AutoCad.Insert.Space \~
vmenu &AutoCad.Insert.Space <Esc>`<i\~<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Insert.Backslash \\
vmenu &AutoCad.Insert.Backslash <Esc>`<i\\<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Insert.Brackets \{\}<Esc>F\i
vmenu &AutoCad.Insert.Brackets <Esc>`>a\}<Esc>`<i\{<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Insert.Paragraph \P
vmenu &AutoCad.Insert.Paragraph <Esc>`>a\P<Esc>%

imenu &AutoCad.-SEP1- :

imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Red \C1;
vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Red <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C1;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Yellow \C2;
vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Yellow <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C2;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Green \C3;
vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Green <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C3;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Cyan \C4;
vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Cyan <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C4;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Blue \C5;
vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Blue <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C5;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Violet \C6;
vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Violet <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C6;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Black \C7;
vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Black <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C7;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Colour.D_Grey \C8;
vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.D_Grey <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C8;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Colour.L_Grey \C9;
vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.L_Grey <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C9;<Esc>%

imenu &AutoCad.Font.Arial \fArial;
vmenu &AutoCad.Font.Arial <Esc>`<i\fArial;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Font.Symbol \Fsymbol;
vmenu &AutoCad.Font.Symbol <Esc>`<i\Fsymbol;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanC \Fromanc;
imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanC <Esc>`<i\Fromanc;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanS \Fromans;
vmenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanS <Esc>`<i\Fromans;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanD \Fromand;
vmenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanD <Esc>`<i\Fromand;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanT \Fromant;
vmenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanT <Esc>`<i\Fromant;<Esc>%

imenu &AutoCad.Size.0_5x \H0.5x;
vmenu &AutoCad.Size.0_5x <Esc>`<i\H0.5x;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Size.1_5x \H1.5x;
vmenu &AutoCad.Size.1_5x <Esc>`<i\H1.5x;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Size.2x \H2x;
vmenu &AutoCad.Size.2x <Esc>`<i\H2x;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Size.3x \H3x;
vmenu &AutoCad.Size.3x <Esc>`<i\H3x;<Esc>%

imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Set_Out_1_5 \T1.5;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Set_Out_1_5 <Esc>`>a\T1;<Esc>`<i\T1.5;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Set_Out_2 \T2;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Set_Out_2 <Esc>`>a\T1;<Esc>`<i\T2;<Esc>%

imenu &AutoCad.Effects.-SEP3- :
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_15deg \Q15;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_15deg <Esc>`>a\Q0;<Esc>`<i\Q10;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_20deg \Q20;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_20deg <Esc>`>a\Q0;<Esc>`<i\Q20;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_30deg \Q30;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_30deg <Esc>`>a\Q0;<Esc>`<i\Q30;<Esc>%

imenu &AutoCad.Effects.-SEP4- :
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Change_Width_0_5x \W0.5;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Change_Width_0_5x <Esc>`>a\W1;<Esc>`<i\W0.5;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Change_Width_2x \W2;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Change_Width_2x <Esc>`>a\W1;<Esc>`<i\W2;<Esc>%

imenu &AutoCad.Effects.-SEP5- :
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Down \A0;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Down <Esc>`<i\A0;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Middle \A1;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Middle <Esc>`<i\A1;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Up \A2;
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Up <Esc>`<i\A2;<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Overlined_Characters \O\o<Esc>F\i
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Overlined_Characters <Esc>`>a\O<Esc>`<i\o<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Underlined_Characters \L\l<Esc>F\i
vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Underlined_Characters <Esc>`>a\l<Esc>`<i\L<Esc>%
imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Index_Top \S^;

imenu &AutoCad.-SEP6- :
imenu &AutoCad.Help <CR><CR>***Quit Editor: press Alt-F4 and 'No' ***<CR><CR>

star







VimTip 97: How do I add a current time string inside Vim?
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=97

This is a *request* for a tip.
Sometimes (eg. editing HTML pages) I need to add a timestamp string to my editing buffer.
On UNIX systems, I can use  
  :r!date  
to get a localized date time string; but on Windows ('date' on Windows will query the user to input new date)
or other platforms which does not have 'date' command, how do I get a timestamp easily?







VimTip 98: Getting vim help from mailing lists and newsgroups.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=98

There have been a few "requests for tips" entered into the tips database lately.  If you have specific questions that aren't answered by the existing tips, there are a couple of resources that may be more appropriate:

The mailing list vim@vim.org is for vim users.  If you send an email to vim-help@vim.org, you'll get a message back telling you how to subscribe, as well as how to request old messages and contact the list maintainer.  This mailing list is also archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vim.

The newsgroup comp.editors discusses many different editors, but most of the traffic is about vim.  When posting, it is appreciated if you include "vim" in the subject line.  The comp.editors newsgroup is archived at http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&safe=off&group=comp.editors.

Using the tips database for asking questions is not likely to work well.  For example, if you ask a question titled "Searching for strings in a file" and I read this site and see that tip, I'm not going to read it if I already know how to search for strings in a file.  In comp.editors and vim@vim.org, people expect to find questions from others and are therefore more likely to see your questions.

After finding the answer to your question, please consider whether it would make an appropriate tip, and if so, add it to the tips database.






VimTip 99: How to tell what syntax highlighting group *that* is!
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=99

Here's a (what should be a one-line) map to help you tell just what
syntax highlighting groups the item under the cursor actually is:

map  <F10>  :echo "hi<" . synIDattr(synID(line("."),col("."),1),"name") . '> trans<' . synIDattr(synID(line("."),col("."),0),"name") . "> lo<" . synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."),col("."),1)),"name") . ">"<CR>

Once known you can override the current highlighting with whatever you want.
If you're debugging a syntax highlighting file (a rare occupation), sometimes
you'll wish to know the entire chain of syntax highlighting.  For that,
check out

http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/vimscript/hilinks.vim








VimTip 100: Jump to tag (e.g. help topic) with German keyboard (PC)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=100

You're a newbie in vim and need some ":help"? Well, help.txt reads:

"Jump to a subject:  Position the cursor on a tag between |bars| and hit CTRL-]."

Unfortunately there is no "]" key on German keyboards. On Win32 try CTRL-+ (Strg-+), on Linux console I use CTRL-AltGr-9 (Strg-AltGr-9).

Kind regards






VimTip 101: Change automatically to the directory the file in the current buffer is in
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=101

To change automatically to the directory the file in the current buffer is in
add a line (below)  to the file .vimrc .
The file .vimrc should have the following if-statement to control the autocmd feature:


  if has("autocmd")
	
    < ... lot of autocmd stuff ... >
	
    " Change to the directory the file in your current buffer is in
    autocmd BufEnter * :cd %:p:h
	
  endif " has("autocmd")


Add the line above the endif and restart vim/gvim.







VimTip 102: smart mapping for tab completion
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=102

I'm used to complete words with <tab>, however when editing source I can't just map that to vim keyword completion because I sometime need to insert real tabs,
since it mostly happen when at the beginning of the line or after a ; and before a one line comma (java, c++ or perl anyone...) I've come to find the following really usefull
This is how you can map the <tab> key in insert mode while still being able to use it when at the start of a line or when the preceding char is not a keyword character.
in a script file in a plugin directory or in your .vimrc file:
first define a function which returns a <tab> or a <C-N> depending on the context:

function InsertTabWrapper()
      let col = col('.') - 1
      if !col || getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '\k'
          return "\<tab>"
      else
          return "\<c-p>"
      endif
endfunction

then define the appropriate mapping:
inoremap <tab> <c-r>=InsertTabWrapper()<cr>

the trick here is the use of the <c-r>= in insert mode to be able to call your function without leaving insert mode.
:help i_CTRL-R
Benoit






VimTip 103: Move to next/previous line with same indentation
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=103

When working with Python and other languages which don't use braces, it's useful to be able to jump to and from lines which have the same indentation as the line you are currently on.

nn <M-,> k:call search ("^". matchstr (getline (line (".")+ 1), '\(\s*\)') ."\\S", 'b')<CR>^
nn <M-.> :call search ("^". matchstr (getline (line (".")), '\(\s*\)') ."\\S")<CR>^

will map Alt-< and Alt-> in Normal mode to upward and downward searching for lines with the same indent as the current line.






VimTip 104: using vim to complement Perl's DBI::Shell
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=104

DBI::Shell is a Perl module that is used as a shell interface to Perl's popular DBI (database interface) package. Forget your favorite SQL navigation gui and give this method a shot. This has only been tested in UNIX.

1. run dbish (runs DBI::Shell; installed with DBI::Shell) and connect to any database
2. in dbish, set /format box
3. enter your query
4. to execute query, type "/ | vim -"

This runs the query and pipes the output to the standard input of vim. Here are some follow-up tips:
-use gvim instead of vim so a new window will pop up
-set nowrap once in vim
-make a syntax highlighting file for me!

-Adam Monsen






VimTip 105: combining move and scroll
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=105

I sometimes found myself moving down a few lines with j, then scrolling down
about the same number of lines with <C-E> to put the cursor in roughly the
same place as it started.  I decided I wanted to map <C-J> (and <C-K>,
respectively) to the move-and-scroll operation.  First, I did

    :map <C-J> <C-E>j

This was pretty good, but behaved funny at the beginning and end of files.
Then, I realized that <C-D> already combined move and scroll, so I figured
that giving <C-D> a count of 1 would do it:

    :map <C-J> 1<C-D>

Unfortunately, this permanently attaches a count to <C-D> (ugh!), so I have
to undo that:

    :map <C-J> 1<C-D>:set scroll=0<CR>

This has the drawback of not necessarily resetting scroll to its original
value, but since I never change scroll, it's good enough for me.  It would
be nice if there were a version of <C-D> that did not have the side-affect
of changing scroll.

Happy vimming,
Andrew







VimTip 106: Mail signature rotation: Supersimple one-line solution
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=106

Hallo,
next solution for _most_simple_ signature rotater: 
You can only put one line to your .vimrc || _vimrc:
map <Leader>ms :e c:\sign.txt<CR>ggV/--<CR>k"*xG$a<C-R><C-O>*<Esc>:w<CR>:bd<CR>G$a<C-M><Esc>"*P

Must exist file (from eg above) c:\sign.txt, with content:
--
first signature
--
second signature
--
third signature
--

When You finished mail, only call shortcut \ms and 'first signature' will be insert in your mail. In c:\sign.txt will be first signature pushed to the end of this file. When You want use other signature, only press 'u' and \ms again
(Or You can change \ms to e.g. <F12>, indeed. ) You can change this and append one part like 'basic' from command and append 'changing' part from .signature file, as you like...
Ok, one unpleasant thing is here: your signature must not contain '--' (signature separator)...
Anyhow, I find it useful
brz* <brz@centrum.cz>
http://brz.d2.cz/







VimTip 107: C/C++: convert enum to string table
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=107

When testing your own C/C++ programs you sometimes wish to have a trace output,
which shows you, which enum value is used.
You can do this by creating a string table for that enum type,
which contains the enum identifyer as a string.
e.g.
printf ("%s", MyEnumStringTable [ MyEnumVal] );

You can create the complete string table by 
- marking the lines containing the complete typedef enum
- select menu C/C++.transform enum2Stringtab

You can create string table entries by 
- marking the lines within the typedef enum
- select menu C/C++.transform enum2String

This makes it easy to keep the enum (on changes) consistent to the string table.

Add the following lines to your _GVIMRC file:
31amenu C/C++.transform\ enum2Stringtab 	:s#[ 	]*\\(\\w\\+\\)#/* \\1	*/	"\\1"#<CR>o};<ESC>uOstatic const char* const Names[] = {<ESC><CR>/sdfsdf<CR>
31vmenu C/C++.transform\ enum2Stringtab 	:s#[ 	]*\\(\\w\\+\\)#/* \\1	*/	"\\1"#<CR>o};<ESC>uOstatic const char* const Names[] = {<ESC><CR>/sdfsdf<CR>

31amenu C/C++.transform\ enum2String 	:s#[ 	]*\\(\\w\\+\\)#/* \\1	*/	"\\1"#<CR>o}<ESC>/sdfsdf<CR>
31vmenu C/C++.transform\ enum2String 	:s#[ 	]*\\(\\w\\+\\)#/* \\1	*/	"\\1"#<CR>o}<ESC>/sdfsdf<CR>

hint: '/sdfsdf' is added for deactivating search highlighting,
ok, you'll sure find a better way to do this.






VimTip 108: Toggle a fold with a single keystroke
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=108

When viewing/editing a folded file, it is often needed to inspect/close some fold.
To speed up these operation use the following (put in your $HOME/.vimrc):

" Toggle fold state between closed and opened. 
"
" If there is no fold at current line, just moves forward.
" If it is present, reverse it's state.
fun! ToggleFold()
	if foldlevel('.') == 0
		normal! l
	else
		if foldclosed('.') < 0
			. foldclose
		else
			. foldopen
		endif
	endif
	" Clear status line
	echo
endfun

" Map this function to Space key.
noremap <space> :call ToggleFold()<CR>


See :help folding for more information about folding.







VimTip 109: jump between files
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=109

Often I know I'm likely to edit many files. I run 'vim *.pl' and get a whole bunch of open files.

To make jumping between files to a pleasure, I defined to mapss:

map <f1> :previous<cr>
map <f2> :next<cr>

Press F1 to go back and F2 to go forward.

-- 
Kirill






VimTip 110: text->html table converter.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=110

Below are two functions and a mapping which will convert lines of plain text into
HTML table code.
For example, you have several lines like:
-----------------------------------------------
1
2
3

4
5
6
---------------------------------------------------
by visualizing all the 7 lines and press <F5>, you can change the text into
<table><tr>
   <td>1</td>
   <td>2</td>
   <td>3</td>
</tr><tr>
   <td>4</td>
   <td>5</td>
   <td>6</td>
</tr></table>
which will eventually render into a table. 
So the rule is:
Every line is a table item, every empty line means starting of a new table row.



"A text->html table code converter
"By: Wenzhi Liang wzhliang@yahoo.com
"You can distribute/change this file freely as long as you keep the title area. Thanks

func Table()
	let end=line("'>")
	let start=line("'<")
	let i=start

	wh i <= end
		exe ":" . i
		let e=Empty()
		if e == 1
			exe "normal I</tr><tr>"
		else
			exe "normal I<td>A</td>>>"
		endif
		let i=i+1
	endwh

	exe "normal o</tr></table><<"
	exe ":" . start
	exe "normal O<table><tr><<"
endfunc

vmap <F5> <ESC>:call Table()<CR>

func Empty()
	let line_nr= line (".")
	let a=getline ( line_nr )
	let m=match(a, "\\S")
	if m == -1 
		return 1
	else
		return 0
	endif
endfunc






VimTip 111: Printing with syntax highlighting independent of your normal highlighting
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=111

I have found it undesirable to use :hardcopy directly because it uses the current syntax highlighting to determine how to print the text.  For example, I like to print comments in italics, but I don't like italic fonts on the screen. This tip will show you how to set up a colorscheme for printing and use it only when you print.

I copied an existing colorscheme to ~/.vim/colors/print.vim, and changed all the lines like this:

  highlight Normal ctermbg=DarkGrey ctermfg=White guifg=White guibg=grey20
to this:
  highlight clear Normal

Then I set the syntax groups how I wanted them to be printed on the printer:

  highlight Comment        term=italic    cterm=italic    gui=italic
  highlight Constant       term=bold      cterm=bold      gui=bold
  etc....

I then defined the following command in my .vimrc file:

command! -nargs=* Hardcopy call DoMyPrint("<args>")

And, finally, I defined this function in my .vimrc:

function DoMyPrint(args)
    let colorsave=g:colors_name
    color print
    exec "hardcopy ".a:args
    exec 'color '.colorsave
endfunction


After this is complete, you can do:
   :Hardcopy > /tmp/out.ps
or just
   :Hardcopy
(Note the capital H)






VimTip 112: Back and forth between indented lines again
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=112


Paul Wright posted a tip which explained how to jump back and forth between lines with the same indentation level. I do this a lot, so I came up with this slightly more comprehensive solution.

The example mappings below work as follows:

[l and ]l jump to the previous or the next line with the same indentation level as the one you're currently on.

[L and ]L jump to the previous or the next line with an indentation level lower than the line you're currently on.

These movements also work in visual mode and (only as of one of the 6.0 alpha versions) in operator pending mode, meaning that you can do a d]l. The motion is specified as being exclusive when in operator pending mode.

When might you use this? If you're writing programs in Python, Haskell, or editing XML files, they will be very useful. E.g. in XML you can jump to the outer enclosing tag, or the next matching tag. I use it for practically anything I edit, so it's not limited to this.



"
" NextIndent()
"
" Jump to the next or previous line that has the same level or a lower
" level of indentation than the current line.
"
" exclusive (bool):   true:  Motion is exclusive
"                     false: Motion is inclusive
" fwd (bool):         true:  Go to next line
"                     false: Go to previous line
" lowerlevel (bool):  true:  Go to line with lower indentation level
"                     false: Go to line with the same indentation level
" skipblanks (bool):  true:  Skip blank lines
"                     false: Don't skip blank lines

function! NextIndent(exclusive, fwd, lowerlevel, skipblanks)
	let line = line('.')
	let column = col('.')
	let lastline = line('$')
	let indent = indent(line)
	let stepvalue = a:fwd ? 1 : -1

	while (line > 0 && line <= lastline)
		let line = line + stepvalue
		if (	! a:lowerlevel && indent(line) == indent ||
				\ a:lowerlevel && indent(line) < indent)
			if (! a:skipblanks || strlen(getline(line)) > 0)
				if (a:exclusive)
					let line = line - stepvalue
				endif
				exe line
				exe "normal " column . "|"
				return
			endif
		endif
	endwhile
endfunc


" Moving back and forth between lines of same or lower indentation.
nnoremap <silent> [l :call NextIndent(0, 0, 0, 1)<cr>
nnoremap <silent> ]l :call NextIndent(0, 1, 0, 1)<cr>
nnoremap <silent> [L :call NextIndent(0, 0, 1, 1)<cr>
nnoremap <silent> ]L :call NextIndent(0, 1, 1, 1)<cr>
vnoremap <silent> [l <esc>:call NextIndent(0, 0, 0, 1)<cr>m'gv''
vnoremap <silent> ]l <esc>:call NextIndent(0, 1, 0, 1)<cr>m'gv''
vnoremap <silent> [L <esc>:call NextIndent(0, 0, 1, 1)<cr>m'gv''
vnoremap <silent> ]L <esc>:call NextIndent(0, 1, 1, 1)<cr>m'gv''
onoremap <silent> [l :call NextIndent(0, 0, 0, 1)<cr>
onoremap <silent> ]l :call NextIndent(0, 1, 0, 1)<cr>
onoremap <silent> [L :call NextIndent(1, 0, 1, 1)<cr>
onoremap <silent> ]L :call NextIndent(1, 1, 1, 1)<cr>







VimTip 113: Translator in vim (Windows solution)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=113

Hallo, today I found script "translate.vim", but on Windows this will be probably difficult to run it (maybe with Cygwin is it possible). I've simpler solution of keymap for vim interlacing to dictionary: 
Must exist file with vocabulary (e.g. "an-cs.txt"), which is called for word under cursor. In 'normal' is only displayed window with translations, in 'insert' is word under cursor deleted and is insert selected form of word from translantion window (select it by mouse and than press right button: It works fine on W2k). Key _F12_ is looking for "word", shifted _S-F12_ is looking for "pattern". 
For windows is needed agrep, which is localy placed on http://www.tgries.de/agrep/index.html

map <F12> b"*yw<Esc>:! c:/bin/agrep -wih <C-R>* "c:/dict/an-cs.txt"<CR>
imap <F12> <Esc>b"*yw<Esc>:! c:/bin/agrep -wih <C-R>* "c:/dict/an-cs.txt"<CR>dwi <C-R>* 
map <S-F12> b"*yw<Esc>:! c:/bin/agrep -ih <C-R>* "c:/dict/an-cs.txt"<CR>
imap <S-F12> <Esc>b"*yw<Esc>:! c:/bin/agrep -ih <C-R>* "c:/dict/an-cs.txt"<CR>dwi <C-R>*
	
brz* <brz@centrum.cz>






VimTip 114: Browsing by  paragraph
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=114

It can be done by reaching the blank lines in up and down directions just by pressing

{    ----  For going to the blank line above the paragraph
}    ----  For going to the blank line below the paragraph






VimTip 115: Browsing by  paragraph
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=115

It can be done by reaching the blank lines in up and down directions just by pressing

{    ----  For going to the blank line above the paragraph
}    ----  For going to the blank line below the paragraph






VimTip 116: Search all occurances of the word under cursor in all the open files
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=116

Sometimes it is useful to know all the occurances of the word under cursor in all the open files. This can be done by pressing [I ( bracket and capital I ) . it shows the results found in the command window.







VimTip 117: FAST SEARCH ACROSS THE PROJECT
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=117

Searching for a word across the project wastes most of the developres time, which can be avoided by the use of GNU Id_utils with VIM. 
The procedure needs to be followed is as follows:
download GNU idutils 3.2d (mkid,lid,fid,fnid,xtokid) 
from http://www.mossbayeng.com/~ron/vim/builds.html

uncompress and store these files in the directory from where vim is running.

goto the top level directory of the project, and run mkid, it will create ID file in that directory (As it is time consuming process, so be patient). copy this file ID to the directory from where vim is running.

USAGE:

Put these lines in your .vimrc:

	map _u :call ID_search()<Bar>execute "/\\<" . g:word . "\\>"<CR>
	map _n :n<Bar>execute "/\\<" . g:word . "\\>"<CR>

	function ID_search()
	  let g:word = expand("<cword>")
	  let x = system("lid --key=none ". g:word)
	  let x = substitute(x, "\n", " ", "g")
	  execute "next " . x
	endfun

To use it, place the cursor on a word, type "_u" and vim will load the file
that contains the word.  Search for the next ocurance of the word in the same
file with "n".  Go to the next file with "_n".

The mapping of "_u" and "_n" can be done to some other key as per your preference but I use ^K and ^L for this purpose.






VimTip 118: Configuring gVim as Internet Explorer 'View Source' editor
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=118

Within the registry, you can specify the source editor to be used by Internet Explorer when {View|Source} is selected. Unfortunately, you can't specify a quoted filename argument here, i.e. "%1". The editor specified is supposed to handle filenames which contain spaces. This will cause problems for Vim because Vim treats each space as an argument separator. If an unquoted filename contains spaces, Vim treats the filename as multiple arguments and will open multiple files instead of one. To workaround this problem a quoted filename has to be passed to Vim. This can be done by creating the following Visual Basic Script file gVim.vbs:

'--- gVim.vbs -----------------------------------------------------------------
'function: Start gvim, combining multiple arguments to single file argument.
'changes:  20010905: Quoted 'oWShell.Run' filename argument, allowing spaces.
'          20010518: Created.
'author:   Freddy Vulto <fvu@fvu.myweb.nl>

  ' Making variable declaration mandatory
option explicit

dim oWShell, sArg, sFile

  ' Create script object
set oWShell = CreateObject("wscript.shell")
  ' Loop through arguments
for each sArg in wscript.arguments
    ' Add argument to filename
  sFile = sFile & sArg & " "
next
  ' Remove excess space
sFile = Trim(sFile)
  ' Run Vim with file argument.  Additional arguments:
  ' -R: View file readonly
  ' -c "set syntax=html": Use HTML syntax-highlighting
  '    NOTE: Use "-c ""set ft=html""" to make it work for Vim v6.
oWShell.Run _
  """D:\Programs\Vim\Vim58\gvim.exe """ & _
  "-R """ & sFile & """ " & _
  "-c ""set syntax=html"""

  ' Destroy script object
set oWShell = NOTHING


The source editor now can be specified by adding the following key to the registry:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
|- Software
   |- Microsoft
      |- Internet Explorer
         |- View Source Editor
            |- Editor Name       (Default) = D:\Programs\Vim\gvim.vbs


Freddy Vulto <fvu@fvu.myweb.nl>
http://fvu.myweb.nl/Projects/Vim/Web/vim.htm






VimTip 119: Explorer startup and shutdown
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=119


I really like the new explorer window, but I wanted it to function a little more seemlessly in the editor.  The following code does two things.  First, the explorer is started when vim is started.   I also noticed and fixed that the explorers size is not equal to the window size, hence the strange behavior when popping between two windows.  The other major function of the code is to close the explorer when it's the only window that's left.  I'd actually like to take this a step further and close the window if the last _document_ window is closed.  I'd prefer that multiple explorers or help windows don't keep the application running - only having a file open keeps the application running.  But I didn't see an easy way to do this... anyone else?

BTW, thank you Bram for the help figuring this out.

Code (which currently lives in my _vimrc):

" FILE BROWSER STARTUP
func OpenFileWindow()
	" :runtime plugin/*.vim		" this would be useful if you were calling this
				"   function from the .vimrc directly
	let g:explDetailedList=1	" show size and date by default
	let g:explVertical=1		" Split vertically
	let g:explStartRight=0    	" Put new explorer window to the left of the current window
	:Sexplore
	set nonu
	set winwidth=15		" Make the width of the window match the explorer setting
	"let g:explVertical=0		" Split vertically
	doautocmd fileExplorer BufEnter " Forces the directory refresh to occur
	:winc l			" change to the document window
endfunc
	
func CloseIfLast()
	if exists("b:completePath")	" this is how I determine that I'm in an explorer window
		let n = winnr()
		wincmd p
		if n == winnr()
			quit	" quit the window
		endif
		wincmd p
	endif
endfunc

if has("autocmd")
	if !exists("rudyautocommands")
		let rudyautocommands = 1
		autocmd VimEnter * call OpenFileWindow()
		autocmd WinEnter * call CloseIfLast()

	endif
endif









VimTip 120: Compiling Java with Sun JDK (javac) within VIM
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=120

The $VIMRUNTIME/compiler has 'jikes.vim', but there's nothing for traditional Sun JDK(javac),
so I tried (Only tested on Win 2000):

" Vim Compiler File    javac.vim
" Compiler:	Sun/IBM JDK: Javac

if exists("current_compiler")
  finish
endif
let current_compiler = "javac"

" Javac defaults to printing output on stderr and no options can convert, so we have to set 'shellpipe'
setlocal shellpipe=2> 
" 2> works on Win NT and UNIX
setlocal makeprg=javac\ #<.java
setlocal errorformat=%f:%l:%m
" Sorry I'm not familiar with 'errorformat', so I set it very simple.







VimTip 121: Using vim as a syntax-highlighting pager
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=121

If you want to use Vim's syntax highlighting in a "more"-style pager, here's
one way to set it up:

First, create a vimrc like the following -- I called mine ~/.vimrc.more

---8<---cut here---8<---
" No compatibility -- necessary for mappings to work.
set nocompatible

" Status line
set laststatus=0
set cmdheight=1
set nomodifiable	" Only in version 6.0
set readonly

" Syntax colouring -- lines taken from syntax.txt discussion on colour xterms.
" See ':help color-xterm'. Use appropriate lines for your own set-up.
if has("terminfo")
    set t_Co=16
    set t_Sf=[3%p1%dm
    set t_Sb=[4%p1%dm
else
    set t_Co=16
    set t_Sf=[3%dm
    set t_Sb=[4%dm
endif
" My xterms have a navy-blue background, so I need this line too.
set background=dark
" Turn syntax on
syntax on

" Key bindings.
nmap b <C-B><C-G>
nmap q :q<CR>
" To type the following line, type *two* C-V's followed by two spaces. This
" is how you map the spacebar.
nmap ^V  <C-F><C-G>
---8<---cut here---8<---

Then, to use this .vimrc, add an alias. If you're using tcsh, the syntax will
be something like:

alias vmore "vim -u ~/.vimrc.more"

Then you can type "vmore [filename]" to view a file in this "pager". Spacebar
will move down, 'b' will move back up, and 'q' quits. You can add mappings for
other keys if you want to, also.






VimTip 122: Skip blank lines when folding text.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=122

I love the text folding capabilities of vim.  I didn't like that it would display the first line of the range as the "title" for the fold.  I like to write my comments with the "/*" on a line by itself.  So I wrote this little function that will skip over anything that isn't a character, and then display whatever it finds after that character.

Just include this in your ~/.vimrc (or ~/.gvimrc):

function GetFirstLineWithChars()
	let line_num = 0
	let charline = matchstr(getline(v:foldstart), '[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z ]*')
	while strlen(charline) == 0
		let line_num = line_num + 1
		let charline = matchstr(getline(v:foldstart + line_num), '[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z ]*')
	endw
	return charline
endfunction
set foldtext='+'.v:folddashes.substitute(GetFirstLineWithChars(),'\\\/\\\/\\\|\\*\\\|\\*\\\|{{{\\d\\=','','g')
set fillchars=fold: 
hi folded guibg=black guifg=yellow gui=bold

And as an added bonus, for those new to text folding, add this to your .vimrc file too:

autocmd BufWinLeave *.* mkview
autocmd BufWinEnter *.* silent loadview

That way whatever folds you set won't get lost when you quit.  I had that happen after spending 15 minutes folding up a 3000+ line file.  Happy vimming!






VimTip 123: use functionality similar to the * search on multiple files
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=123

The use of star as in vimtip#1 and vimtip#5 is great, here is how to use this type of search accross a 
whole directory:
Just add the mappings (or choose different letter combinations):
map gr :grep <cword> *<cr>   
map gr :grep <cword> %:p:h/*<cr>   
map gR :grep \b<cword>\b *<cr>
map GR :grep \b<cword>\b %:p:h/*<cr>


mapping one will search for the word under the cursor (like g*) in any of the files in the current directory 
mapping two will search for the word under the cursor (like g*) in any of the files in the same directory as the current file
mapping three will search for the word under the cursor by itself (i.e. surrounded by word boundary like *) in any of the files in the current directory
mapping four will search for the word under the cursor by itself (i.e. surrounded by word boundary like *) in any of the files in the same directory as the current file

Benoit







VimTip 124: Number a group of lines
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=124

Below is a way to number a set of lines.  Here is an exaple before and after snapshot:

apple
bob
pear
tree

1 apple
2 bob
3 pear
4 tree

" Description:
" This provides a command and a function.  They both can be called with or
" without a range.  In addition, they can be called with or without
" arguments.  Without a range they operate on the current line.
"
" There are two supported arguments.  They are described below:
"     arg1 -> the number to start at.  The default is one.  This will
"             number your selected lines sequentially.  The start can be a
"             number, ., $, or, 'x (like getline).
"     arg2 -> Text to append after numbers.  The default is a space.
"
" Examples:
"     To provide your functionality:
"         :%Nlist 20
"         :%call Nlist(20)
"     To make a list start at 1:
"         :'<,'>Nlist
"         :'<,'>call Nlist()
"     To number the whole buffer (with it's actual line number):
"         :%Nlist
"         :%call Nlist()
"     To number a subset of lines with their line number (and put a '] ' in
"     front of every number):
"         :'<,'>Nlist . ]\
"         :'<,'>call Nlist(".", "] ")

command! -nargs=* -range Nlist <line1>,<line2>call Nlist(<f-args>)
function! Nlist(...) range
    if 2 == a:0
        let start = a:1
        let append = a:2
    elseif 1 == a:0
        let start = a:1 
        let append = " "
    else
        let start = 1
        let append = " "
    endif

    " try to work like getline (i.e. allow the user to pass in . $ or 'x)
    if 0 == (start + 0)
        let start = line(start)
    endif

    exe a:firstline . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\=line(".")-a:firstline+start.append/'
endfunction







VimTip 125: Auto commenting for "}"
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=125

I always wanted a script that would auto-comment the end of a conditional block.  So, I wrote one.  This function searches for the previous matching "{", grabs the line, and inserts it as a comment after the "}".  If there is no previous matching "{", it inserts nothing.

So...

    if (test){


will generate:
    } // if (test)

This is obviously not work if you use a different style.  If you use 

   if (test)
   {

then substituting 'getline(".")', use  'getline(line(".") - 1)' should work.

Put the following in your .vimrc:
au BufNewFile,BufRead *.c,*.cc,*.C,*.h imap } <ESC>:call CurlyBracket()<CR>a
 
function CurlyBracket()
  let l:my_linenum = line(".")
  iunmap }
  sil exe "normal i}"
  imap } <ESC>:call CurlyBracket()<CR>
  let l:result1 =  searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
  if (result1 > 0)
    let l:my_string = substitute(getline("."), '^\s*\(.*\){', '\1', "")
    sil exe ":" . l:my_linenum
    sil exe "normal a //" . l:my_string
  endif
endfunction






VimTip 126: how do I get rid of that bold stuff with my xterm?
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=126

Having problems setting up your syntax highlighting because
everything is coming up in bold?

You're probably using an 8 color xterm and setting up highlighting
lines such as  hi Normal ... ctermfg=green .  The solution: use
numbers! 0=black, 1=red, 2=green, 3=yellow, 4=blue, 5=magenta,
6=cyan, and 7=white.  Vim tries to use "bright" colors when its
given names (because Windoz machines prefer to use dim text unless
its been made bold).

Read more about it under :help highlight-ctermfg .








VimTip 127: Preview HTML files quickly
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=127

I've found while writing HTML files that it can become cumbersome when I have to switch to a web browser, load my page, and move back to VIM regularly to preview what I've written.  I've come up with the following tricks.

The first one requires that you have lynx (the text-based browser) installed on your computer (available from http://lynx.isc.org/release/).  If your HTML page is primarily text, with few (if any) images, you can set up the following function and mapping:

   function PreviewHTML_TextOnly()
      let l:fname = expand("%:p" )
      new
      set buftype=nofile nonumber
      exe "%!lynx " . l:fname . " -dump -nolist -underscore -width " . winwidth( 0 )
   endfunction

   map <Leader>pt  :call PreviewHTML_TextOnly()<CR>

This will open a new window and display your formatted HTML document in that window.  Note that bold-face, italics, links, etc. will be lost -- all you will see is the text -- but the "-underscore" parameter to Lynx causes any text that would have been bold, italicized, or underlined to be displayed like _this_.

The other trick requires that vim be running on your current machine, and that you be running a GUI of some sort (X-Windows, Windows, etc.).  You can cause vim to invoke your favorite browser and have it display the file, like this:
   function PreviewHTML_External()
      exe "silent !mozilla -remote \"openurl(file://" . expand( "%:p" ) . ")\""
   endfunction

   map <Leader>pp :call PreviewHTML_External()<CR>
If you don't use mozilla, you will need to modify the function to use your preferred browser.

Happy vimming!







VimTip 128: grep, diff, patch, idutils, etc. for Windows systems
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=128

     If you use Vim on Windows, and you wish you had some of those nifty UNIX command-line tools,
but do not feel like installing all of Cygwin, you can get many of the most-used tools from Ron Aaron's
web site:
http://www.mossbayeng.com/~ron/vim/builds.html
Since Ron is a big Vim fan (see http://www.mossbayeng.com/~ron/vim/vimrant.html ) you can count on
these tools' working well with Vim.  For some hints on how to use them, read
:help :grep
:help lid
inside Vim.
     Happy Vimming!






VimTip 129: Removing automatic comment leaders
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=129

     If you include the "r" flag in the 'formatoptions' option (:help 'fo' , :help fo-table ) then the comment leader is inserted
automatically when you start a new line in a comment.  For example, in TeX the "%" character is the comment leader,
and you might type

% This is a tex file.
% The comment leaders on all lines but the first were generated automatically.
% This is the last line of the comment, but Vim will insert the comment leader on the next line.
%

You can get rid of the comment leader (along with anything you may already have typed on the line) without affecting
the indent, if any, by typing "<C-U>" while in Insert mode.

     Related point:  if you want to adjust the indent while in Insert mode, you can use "<C-D>" (to Decrease the indent)
or "<C-T>" (to increase it).  In the docs for Vim 6.0, this is described in the users' manual, :help 30.4 .






VimTip 130: disabling default ftplugins
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=130

     For an overview of ftplugins (filetype plugins) see

:help ftplugins

If you want to disable all ftplugins, or disable a particular default ftplugin, see

:help :filetype
:help ftplugin-overrule

If you have your own ftplugins, and you want to disable all the default ones, then
do NOT include a check for b:did_ftplugin in your ftplugin files, and add the line

:autocmd BufEnter * let b:did_ftplugin = 1

to your VIMRC file, BEFORE the ":filetype ftplugin on" line.






VimTip 131: Scroll alternate window
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=131


This mapping allow you to quickly scroll inactive window when displaying several windows concurrently.

nmap <silent> <M-Down> :call ScrollOtherWindow("down")<CR>
nmap <silent> <M-Up> :call ScrollOtherWindow("up")<CR>

fun! ScrollOtherWindow(dir)
	if a:dir == "down"
		let move = "\<C-E>"
	elseif a:dir == "up"
		let move = "\<C-Y>"
	endif
	exec "normal \<C-W>p" . move . "\<C-W>p"
endfun

PS: Original idea and discussion of this tip appeared on vim@vim.org mailing list, I'm just prettified it a little.







VimTip 132: window zooming convenience
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=132

i frequently have multiple windows open in vim -- this reduces the number of lines each window displays -- i almost always have my windows either all the same size or the current one as big as possible.

the following function can be toggled on or off by typing <Leader>max (i can do this quite quickly); just change the mapping at the bottom to something else if you prefer.

this causes the current window to be as big as possible (moving into another window causes that one to become big) and all the others get very small.  i actually use this ALL the time.  turning it off (by typing the hotkey sequence again) will cause all windows to have the same height.

"toggles whether or not the current window is automatically zoomed
function! ToggleMaxWins ()
  if exists ('g:windowMax')
    au! maxCurrWin
    exe "normal \<c-w>="
    unlet g:windowMax
  else
    augroup maxCurrWin
    " au BufEnter * exe "normal \<c-w>_\<c-w>\<bar>"
    "
    " only max it vertically
    au! BufEnter * exe "normal \<c-w>_"
    augroup END
    do maxCurrWin BufEnter
    let g:windowMax=1
  endif
endfunction
map <Leader>max :call ToggleMaxWins ()<CR>







VimTip 133: Windo and Bufdo
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=133

i like bufdo and windo but i don't like the fact that the commands end in a different window/buffer than from where i executed them.  these versions (starts with a capital letter) will restore the current window or buffer when the command's done.

for example, to turn on line numbers everywhere, i use :Windo set nu -- :windo set nu does the trick also but leaves me in a different window than where i started.

" just like windo but restores the current window when it's done
function! WinDo(command)
  let currwin=winnr()
  execute 'windo ' . a:command
  execute currwin . 'wincmd w'
endfunction
com! -nargs=+ -complete=command Windo call WinDo(<q-args>)

" just like bufdo but restores the current buffer when it's done
function! BufDo(command)
 let currBuff=bufnr("%")
 execute 'bufdo ' . a:command
 execute 'buffer ' . currBuff
endfunction
com! -nargs=+ -complete=command Bufdo call BufDo(<q-args>)







VimTip 134: View Source in IE6 using VIM
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=134

You can change the "View Source" editor of IE6 by adding the following to the Windows Registry. Change the path in case you installed VIM in another location.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor\Editor Name]
@="C:\\vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe"







VimTip 135: Vim buffer FAQ
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=135


Vim provides various commands and options to support editing multiple
buffers.  This document covers some of the questions asked about using
multiple buffers with Vim.  You can get more detailed information about Vim
buffer support using ":help windows.txt" in Vim.  You can also use the help
keywords mentioned in this document to read more about a particular command
or option.  To read more about a particular command or option use, ":help
<helpkeyword>" in Vim.

1. What is a Vim buffer?
   A buffer is a file loaded into memory for editing.  All opened files are
   associated with a buffer. There are also buffers not associated with any
   file.

   Help keyword(s): windows-intro

2. How do I identify a buffer?
   Vim buffers are identified using a name and a number.  The name of the
   buffer is the name of the file associated with that buffer.  The buffer
   number is a unique sequential number assigned by Vim.  This buffer
   number will not change in a single Vim session.

   Help keyword(s): :buffers

3. How do I create a buffer?
   When you open a file using any of the Vim commands, a buffer is
   automatically created.  For example, if you use the ":edit file" command
   to edit a file, a new buffer is automatically created.

4. How do I add a new buffer for a file to the buffer list without opening
   the file?
   You can add a new buffer for a file without opening it, using the
   ":badd" ex command.  For example,

       :badd f1.txt
       :badd f2.txt

   The above commands will add two new buffers for the files f1.txt and
   f2.txt to the buffer list.

   Help keyword(s): :badd

5. How do I get a list of all the existing buffers?
   You can get a list of all the existing buffers using the ":buffers" or
   ":ls" or ":files" ex command.  This list is called the 'buffer list'.

   In Vim 6.0, to display all the buffers including unlisted buffers, use
   the ":buffers!" or ":ls!" or ":files!" ex command.

   Help keyword(s): :buffers, :ls, :files

6. How do I delete a buffer?
   You can delete a buffer using the ":bdelete" ex command.  You can use
   either the buffer name or the buffer number to specify a buffer.  For
   example,

       :bdelete f1.txt
       :bdelete 4

   The above commands will delete the buffer named "f1.txt" and the fourth
   buffer in the buffer list.  The ":bdelete" command will remove the buffer
   from the buffer list.

   In Vim 6.0, when a buffer is deleted, the buffer becomes an
   unlisted-buffer and is no longer included in the buffer list.  But the
   buffer name and other information associated with the buffer is still
   remembered.  To completely delete the buffer, use the ":bwipeout" ex
   command.  This command will remove the buffer completely (i.e. the
   buffer will not become a unlisted buffer).

   Help keyword(s): :bdelete, :bwipeout

7. How do I delete multiple buffers?
   You can delete multiple buffers in several ways:

   1. Pass a range argument to the ":bdelete" command. For example,

           :3,5bdelete

      This command will delete the buffers 3, 4 and 5.
   2. Pass multiple buffer names to the ":bdelete" command.  For example,

           :bdelete buf1.txt buf2.c buf3.h

      This command will delete buf1.txt, buf2.c and buf3.h buffers.  In
      this example, after typing ":bdelete buf", you can press <Ctrl-A> to
      expand all the buffer names starting with 'buf'.

   Help keyword(s): :bdelete, :bwipeout

8. How do I remove a buffer from a window?
   You can remove a buffer displayed in a window in several ways:

   1. Close the window or edit another buffer/file in that window.
   2. Use the ":bunload" ex command. This command will remove the buffer
      from the window and unload the buffer contents from memory.  The
      buffer will not be removed from the buffer list.

   Help keyword(s): :bunload

9. How do I edit an existing buffer from the buffer list?
   You can edit or jump to a buffer in the buffer list in several ways:

   1. Use the ":buffer" ex command passing the name of an existing buffer
      or the buffer number.  Note that buffer name completion can be used
      here by pressing the <Tab> key.
   2. You can enter the buffer number you want to jump/edit and press the
      Ctrl-^ key.
   3. Use the ":sbuffer" ex command passing the name of the buffer or the
      buffer number.  Vim will split open a new window and open the
      specified buffer in that window.
   4. You can enter the buffer number you want to jump/edit and press the
      Ctrl-W ^ or Ctrl-W Ctrl-^ keys.  This will open the specified buffer
      in a new window.

   Help keyword(s): :buffer, :sbuffer, CTRL-W_^, CTRL-^

10. How do I browse through all the available buffers?
    You can browse through the buffers in the buffer list in several ways:

    1. To jump to the first buffer in the buffer list, use the ":bfirst" or
       ":brewind" ex command.
    2. To jump to the first buffer in the buffer list in a new window, use
       the ":sbfirst" or ":sbrewind" ex command.
    3. To edit the next buffer in the buffer list, use the ":bnext" ex
       command.
    4. To open the next buffer in the buffer list in a new window, use the
       ":sbnext" ex command.
    5. To edit the previous buffer in the buffer list, use the ":bprevious"
       or ":bNext" ex command.
    6. To open the previous buffer in the buffer list in a new window, use
       the ":sbprevious" or ":sbNext" ex command.
    7. To open the last buffer in the buffer list, use the ":blast" ex
       command.
    8. To open the last buffer in the buffer list in a new window, use the
       ":sblast" ex command.

    Help keyword(s): :bfirst, :brewind, :sbfirst, :sbrewind, :bnext,
                     :sbnext, :bprevious, :bNext, :sbprevious, :sbNext,
                     :blast, :sblast

11. How do I open all the buffers in the buffer list?
    You can open all the buffers present in the buffer list using the
    ":ball" or ":sball" ex commands.

    Help keyword(s): :ball, :sball

12. How do I open all the loaded buffers?
    You can open all the loaded buffers in the buffer list using the
    ":unhide" or ":sunhide" ex commands.  Each buffer will be loaded in a
    separate new window.

    Help keyword(s): :unhide, :sunhide

13. How do I open the next modified buffer?
    You can open the next or a specific modified buffer using the
    ":bmodified" ex command.  You can open the next or a specific modified
    buffer in a new window using the ":sbmodified" ex command.

    Help keyword(s): :bmodified, :sbmodified

14. I am using the GUI version of Vim (gvim), is there a simpler way for
    using the buffers instead of the ex commands?
    Yes.  In the GUI version of Vim, you can use the 'Buffers' menu, which
    simplifies the use of buffers.  All the buffers in the buffer list are
    listed in this menu.  You can select a buffer name from this menu to
    edit the buffer.  You can also delete a buffer or browse the buffer
    list.

    Help keyword(s): buffers-menu

15. Is there a Vim script that simplifies using buffers with Vim?
    Yes.  You can use the bufexplorer.vim script to simplify the process of
    using buffers.  You can download the bufexplorer script from:

        http://lanzarotta.tripod.com/vim.html

16. Is it possible to save and restore the buffer list across Vim sessions?
    Yes.  To save and restore the buffer list across Vim session, include
    the '%' flag in the 'viminfo' option.  Note that if Vim is invoked with
    a filename argument, then the buffer list will not be restored from the
    last session.  To use buffer lists across sessions, invoke Vim without
    passing filename arguments.

    Help keyword(s): 'viminfo', viminfo

17. How do I remove all the entries from the buffer list?
    You can remove all the entries in the buffer list by starting Vim with
    a file argument.  You can also manually remove all the buffers using
    the ":bdelete" ex command.

18. What is a hidden buffer?
    A hidden buffer is a buffer with some unsaved modifications and is not
    displayed in a window.  Hidden buffers are useful, if you want to edit
    multiple buffers without saving the modifications made to a buffer
    while loading other buffers.

    Help keyword(s): :buffer-!, 'hidden', hidden-buffer, buffer-hidden

19. How do I load buffers in a window, which currently has a buffer with
    unsaved modifications?
    By setting the option 'hidden', you can load buffers in a window that
    currently has a modified buffer.  Vim will remember your modifications
    to the buffer.  When you quit Vim, you will be asked to save the
    modified buffers.  It is important to note that, if you have the
    'hidden' option set, and you quit Vim forcibly, for example using
    ":quit!", then you will lose all your modifications to the hidden
    buffers.

    Help keyword(s): 'hidden'

20. Is it possible to unload or delete a buffer when it becomes hidden?
    The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. By setting the
    'bufhidden' option to either 'hide' or 'unload' or 'delete', you can
    control what happens to a buffer when it becomes hidden.  When
    'bufhidden' is set to 'delete', the buffer is deleted when it becomes
    hidden. When 'bufhidden' is set to 'unload', the buffer is unloaded
    when it becomes hidden.  When 'bufhidden' is set to 'hide', the buffer
    is hidden.

    Help keyword(s): 'bufhidden'

21. How do I execute a command on all the buffers in the buffer list?
    In Vim 6.0, you can use the ":bufdo" ex command to execute an ex
    command on all the buffers in the buffer list.

    Help keyword(s): :bufdo

22. When I open an existing buffer from the buffer list, if the buffer is
    already displayed in one of the existing windows, I want Vim to jump to
    that window instead of creating a new window for this buffer.  How do I
    do this?
    When opening a buffer using one of the split open buffer commands
    (:sbuffer, :sbnext), Vim will open the specified buffer in a new
    window.  If the buffer is already opened in one of the existing
    windows, then you will have two windows containing the same buffer.
    You can change this behavior by setting the 'switchbuf' option to
    'useopen'.  With this setting, if a buffer is already opened in one of
    the windows, Vim will jump to that window, instead of creating a new
    window.

    Help keyword(s): 'switchbuf'

23. What information is stored as part of a buffer?
    Every buffer in the buffer list contains information about the last
    cursor position, marks, jump list, etc.

24. What is the difference between deleting a buffer and unloading a
    buffer?
    When a buffer is unloaded, it is not removed from the buffer list.
    Only the file contents associated with the buffer are removed from
    memory.  When a buffer is deleted, it is unloaded and removed from the
    buffer list.  In Vim 6, a deleted buffer becomes an 'unlisted' buffer.

    Help keyword(s): :bunload, :bdelete, :bwipeout, unlisted-buffer

25. Is it possible to configure Vim, by setting some option, to re-use the
    number of a deleted buffer for a new buffer?
    No.  Vim will not re-use the buffer number of a deleted buffer for a
    new buffer.  Vim will always assign the next sequential number for a
    new buffer.  The buffer number assignment is implemented this way, so
    that you can always jump to a buffer using the same buffer number.  One
    method to achieve buffer number reordering is to restart Vim.  If you
    restart Vim, it will re-assign numbers sequentially to all the buffers
    in the buffer list (assuming you have properly set 'viminfo' to save
    and restore the buffer list across vim sessions).

    Help keyword(s): :buffers

26. What options do I need to set for a scratch (temporary) buffer?
    The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above.  You can set the the
    following options to create a scratch (temporary) buffer:

        :set buftype=nofile
        :set bufhidden=hide
        :setlocal noswapfile

    This will create a buffer which is not associated with a file, which
    does not have a associated swap file and will be hidden when removed
    from a window.

    Help keyword(s): special-buffers, 'buftype'

27. How do I prevent a buffer from being added to the buffer list?
    The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. You can prevent a buffer
    from being added to the buffer list by resetting the 'buflisted'
    option.

        :set nobuflisted

    Help keyword(s): 'buflisted'

28. How do I determine whether a buffer is modified or not?
    There are several ways to find out whether a buffer is modified or not.
    The simplest way is to look at the status line or the title bar.  If
    the displayed string contains a '+' character, then the buffer is
    modified.  Another way is to check whether the 'modified' option is set
    or not.  If 'modified' is set, then the buffer is modified.  To check
    the value of modified, use

        :set modified?

    You can also explicitly set the 'modified' option to mark the buffer as
    modified like this:

        :set modified

    Help keyword(s): 'modified'

29. How can I prevent modifications to a buffer?
    The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. You can prevent any
    modification to a buffer by re-setting the 'modifiable' option.  To
    reset this option, use

        :set nomodifiable

    To again allow modifications to the buffer, use:

        :set modifiable

    Help keyword(s): 'modifiable'

30. How do I set options specific to the current buffer?
    The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above.  You can set Vim options
    which are specific to a buffer using the "setlocal" command.  For
    example,

        :setlocal textwidth=70

    This will set the 'textwidth' option to 70 only for the current buffer.
    All other buffers will have the default or the previous 'textwidth'
    value.

    Help keyword(s): 'setlocal', local-options

31. How do I define mappings specific to the current buffer?
    The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above.  You can define mappings
    specific to the current buffer by using the keyword "<buffer>" in the
    map command.  For example,

        :map <buffer>  ,w  /[.,;]<CR>

    Help keyword(s): :map-local

32. How do I define abbreviations specific to the current buffer?
    The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above.  You can define
    abbreviations specific to the current buffer by using the keyword
    "<buffer>" in the :abbreviate command.  For example,

        :abb <buffer> FF  for (i = 0; i < ; ++i)

    Help keyword(s): :abbreviate-local








VimTip 136: Remapping Alt, Ctrl and Caps in Win2k
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=136

Since I installed Win2K on my laptop, I had been unable to locate a utilitie that would simply enable me to remap my Crtl Alt and Caps the way I think they should be and the way they were until MS kill all competition in computing, that is Crtl on the left of the letter A, Alt to the left bottom of the letter Z and Caps approximately until the C.

After some research, I came across a tip posted here by juano@mindspring.com. I tried to make sense of it and then downloaded the MS scan keys map at the URL he mentionned.

Extrapolating his tip, I wrote this ASCI file that I named keys2000.reg :


Regedit4
[HKey_Local_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,04,00,00,00,3A,00,38,00,38,00,1D,00,1D,00,3A,00,00,00,00

Once you have saved this file, left click on it from Explorer and answer yes to the prompt "do you want to enter this into the registry".

Reboot and you are done.

A few explanations :04 stands for 3 remappings (Caps lock to Control, Control to Alt and Alt to Caps Lock) plus the closing one which is always required (1 remapping would require 02, 2 would require 03, and so on). 3A,00,38 remaps Caps to Left Alt, 38,00,1D remaps Left Alt to Left Ctrl and 1D,00,3A remaps Left Ctrl to Caps Lock since 3A=Caps, 1D=Left Ctrl and 38=Left Alt.

Based on Juano tip and on this one, I believe a lot of remapping can be done as long as you keep the separators 00 and remember to add one to the number of remappings. What I do not know is how far you can extend this instruction without getting into trouble with the registry. At worst, if you keyboard does not behave as expected, go into the registry and delete this instruction (be careful here since it is easy to confuse this instruction with the Keyboard LayoutS (S for emphasis) which must not be deleted.

Again, thanks to Juano@mindspring.com who got me going and suggested I post my tip. Took me some time to retrieve the VIM Url but fortunately, I had printed his tip.

Regards







VimTip 137: automatically wrap left and right
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=137

I hate it when I hit left (or h) and my screen flickers.  I want it to go up to the next line.  Ditto fir right (or l).  Below are two functions / mappings to help with that.  I'm pretty sure that if you remove the <silent>, then it will work in 5.x...

nnoremap <silent> <Left>  :call WrapLeft()<cr>
nnoremap <silent> <Right> :call WrapRight()<cr>

nnoremap <silent> h       :call WrapLeft()<cr>
nnoremap <silent> l       :call WrapRight()<cr>

function! WrapLeft()
    let col = col(".")
    
    if 1 == col
        " don't wrap if we're on the first line
        if 1 == line(".")
            return
        endif
        normal! k$
    else
        normal! h
    endif
endfunction

function! WrapRight()
    let col = col(".")
    if 1 != col("$")
        let col = col + 1
    endif
        
    if col("$") == col
        " don't wrap if we're on the last line
        if line("$") == line(".")
            return
        endif
        normal! j1|
    else
        normal! l
    endif
endfunction






VimTip 138: Getting name of the function
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=138

Hi All,
 
While browsing code one always needs to know which function you are currently looking. Getting the name is very painful when the functions are lengthy and you are currently browsing NOT near to the start of the function. You can get the function's name by using this simple mapping.
 
Just place this in your .vimrc.
 
map _F ma[[k"xyy`a:echo @x<CR>
 
now _F will display which function you are currently in.
 
Enjoy the power of Vim
-Nitin Raut

PS: The working is as follows, mark the current line with a, jump to the previous '{' in the first column, go one line up, yank the line in register x, return to the mark a, echo the value of register x, which is the wanted function name.                  






VimTip 139: Alignment: =, LaTeX tables, declarations, etc
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=139

Check out

http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/textab.html

and see some examples of text alignment (its hopeless to do it here with
proportional fonts).  You'll be able to download textab source, a Windows-based
textab executable, and a scriptfile containing a convenient interface (ttalign.vim).  The textab program coupled with <ttalign.vim> lets you:

1. align C language statements on their = += -= /= etc symbols
2. align C language declararations: separate columns for types, *[, variable
   names, initializations (=), and comments (// or /* .. */)
3. align C/C++ language comments (//, /* .. */)
4. align C/C++ language (ansi) function argument lists
5. align LaTeX tables on their && separators
6. align HTML tables with </TD><TD> separators
7. align on several characters: < ? : | @ ;  (or modify them to handle whatever
   alignment characters you want)






VimTip 140: tip using embedded perl interpreter
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=140

When writing scripts using the embedded interpreter available if vim has the +perl ore +perl/dyn on 
gives you access to this powerfull and FAST scripting language (especially fast compared to vim 
scripts)  there are some gotchas.

First:
never embed complex perl command in the body of a vim function this will be recompiled and evaled
each time for a tremendous loss of time.instead to it like this

perl << EOF
sub mySub
{
  #some usefull perl stuff
}
EOF

function! MyFunction
perl mySub "an argument", "another"
endfunction

to pass computed argument to your perl sub use the vim exec command
function! MyFunction
exec "perl mySub " . aLocalVar . ", " b:aBufferLocalVar
endfunction

It may be very hard to debug your perl sub since the output of the perl compiler is
somehow lost in the middle of nowhere and the debugger is not available.
When a compilation error occurs in your sub definition you'll get an error message
when you try to call it saying that the sub does not exists.
One thing which I have found very usefull is to write a fake VIM module with stub 
methods which will allow you to use the command line perl interpretor to at least
compile your program.  You could make your stub smart enough to fake a vim
and use the debugger.  Here is a sample for such a fake module defining just
those method which I was using.

package VIM;
use diagnostics;
use strict;
sub VIM::Eval
{
	$_ = shift;
	
	print "Eval $_\n";
	
	{
		  return '^(?!!)([^\t]*)\t[^\t]*\t(.*);"\t([^\t]*)\tline:(\d*).*$' if (/g:TagsBase_pattern/);
		  return $ARGV[0] if (/b:fileName/);
		  return '$3' if (/g:TagsBase_typePar/);
		  return '$1' if (/g:TagsBase_namePar/);
		  return '$4' if (/g:TagsBase_linePar/);
		  return 'Ta&gs' if (/s:menu_name/);
		  return $ARGV[1] if (/g:TagsBase_groupByType/);
		die "unknown eval $_"; 
	}  
}
sub VIM::Msg
{
	my $msg = shift;
	print "MSG $msg\n";
}
sub VIM::DoCommand
{
	my $package;
	my $filename;
	my $line;
    ($package, $filename, $line) = caller;
	
	my $command = shift;
	print "at $filename $line\n";
	print "DoCommand  $command\n";
}
1;


Then you can copy other your perl code in a separate file and add a use VIM; at the top
and your set to debug.

Good Vimming good perling.
Benoit
PS:
this tips are probably true for other scripting languages






VimTip 141: Add your function heading with a keystroke
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=141

Below is a tip that the C/C++ Newbies may find interesting and handy to use.  The following code will add a function heading and position your cursor just after Description so that one can document as one proceeds with code.

function FileHeading()
	let s:line=line(".")
	call setline(s:line,"/***************************************************")
	call append(s:line,"* Description - ")
	call append(s:line+1,"* Author -      Mohit Kalra")
	call append(s:line+2,"* Date -        ".strftime("%b %d %Y"))
	call append(s:line+3,"* *************************************************/")
	unlet s:line
endfunction

imap <F4>  <esc>mz:execute FileHeading()<RET>`zjA

Where <esc> stands for ^V+ESC and <RET> for ^V+ENTER






VimTip 142: Automatic function end commenting for C++ and Java
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=142

Some people have a habit of adding the function name as a comment to the end of that function, if it is long, so that he/she knows which function the '}' ends. Here's a way to automate the process.

Use the following abbreviation:
iab }// } // END: <esc>10h%$?\w\+\s*(<cr>"xy/\s*(<cr>/{<cr>:nohl<cr>%$"xpa

If you now end the function with '}//', the follwoing string will be automatically generated: '} //END: functionname'







VimTip 143: Use of Vim folds for javadocs
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=143


Hi,

The fold-method marker can be effectively use to set the folds in your Java source.  Define some marker and place it inside HTML comments <!-- xx -->.  This way, it does not affect the Javadocs generated without the necessity of a seprate comment line.
e.g.


/**
 * <!-- zz.FOLDSTART class AbcClass -->
 * The class description.
 * ...
 */
public class AbcClass {

    /**
     * <!-- method zz.FOLDSTART someMethod() -->
     * Method description.
     */
    public void someMethod();

    ...

} /* zz.END: AbcClass */

/* Put this at the end of your file */
/* vim:fdm=marker fmr=zz.FOLDSTART,zz.END fdl=2 fdc=2: */

Now, the files will be opened with the methods neatly folded.
You can use "zR" to open all folds (or click on the "+" at the left column).

Sameer.







VimTip 144: recording keystrokes by "q" for repested jobs
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=144


The most useful feature that I find in VIM is the "recording" feature (:help recording).  I have used this to automatically insert function headers, re-indent lines, and convert some 34 source files into HTML.

This feature is most useful when you want to do some repeated jobs, which you cant do easily using ".".  You can set about writing a function, define a mapping, etc, but then these things might take time.  By recording, you can try out and find the actual keystrokes that does the job.

To start recording, press "q" in normal mode followed by any of "0-9a-z".  This will start recording the keystrokes to the register you choose.  You can also see the word "recording" in the status(?) line.  You can start the key sequences that you want to record.  You can go to insert mode and type if you want.

To stop recording, press "q" in the normal mode.

To playback your keystrokes, press "@" followed by the character you choose.  Pressing "@@" will repeat the same again.

Sameer.







VimTip 145: Changing DOS style end of line to UNIX, or vise-versa
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=145

Those of us doomed to work in both the Unix and Windows world have many times encountered
files that were create/editted on systems other that the one we are on at the time of our edits.  We
can easily correct the dreaded '^M' at the end of our Unix lines, or make files have more than one
line in DOS by:

To change from <CR><LF> (DOS) to just <LF> (Unix):
:set fileformat=unix
:w

Or to change back the other way:
:set fileformat=dos
:w

It also works for Apple land:
:set fileformat=mac
:w


And to tell the difference:
set statusline=%<%f%h%m%r%=%{&ff}\ %l,%c%V\ %P
                                              ^^^^^  This shows what the current file's format is.

Happy Vimming!






VimTip 146: opening multiple files from a single command-line
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=146

i use the :split command a lot -- both to open a second window containing the currently edited file and to edit a new file altogether (with the :split <filename> option).  however, i also like to be able to edit more than one file and calling :sp multiple times is inconvenient.  so, i created the following command, function and abbreviation:

function! Sp(...)
  if(a:0 == 0)
    sp
  else
    let i = a:0
    while(i > 0)
      execute 'let file = a:' . i
      execute 'sp ' . file

      let i = i - 1
    endwhile
  endif
endfunction
com! -nargs=* -complete=file Sp call Sp(<f-args>)
cab sp Sp


this retains the behaviour of :sp in that i can still type :sp (the abbreviation takes care of that).  :Sp takes any number of files and opens them all up, one after the other.

the things i have noticed are that this causes 'sp' to be expanded to 'Sp' everywhere, even in search patterns.  also, prepending 'vert' doesn't work.  if there is interest, i'll do that.






VimTip 147: How to write a plugin
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=147

This tip gives a skeleton for writing a plugin; Vim's help files have plenty
of details (:he plugin, :he write-plugin, :he plugin-details).

# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Exit when your app has already been loaded (or "compatible" mode set)
if exists("loaded_YourAppName") || &cp
  finish
endif

# Public Interface:
#  AppFunction: is a function you expect your users to call
#  PickAMap: some sequence of characters that will run your AppFunction
# Repeat these three lines as needed for multiple functions which will
# be used to provide an interface for the user
if !hasmapto('<Plug>AppFunction')
  map <unique> <Leader>PickAMap <Plug>AppFunction
endif

# Global Maps:
#  
map <silent> <unique> <script> <Plug>AppFunction 
\ :set lz<CR>:call <SID>AppFunc<CR>:set nolz<CR>

# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# AppFunction: this function is available vi the <Plug>/<script> interface above
fu! <SID>AppFunction()
..whatever..

# your script function can set up maps to internal functions
nmap <silent> <left> :set lz<CR>:silent! call <SID>AppFunction2<CR>:set nolz<CR>

# your app can call functions in its own script and not worry about name
# clashes by preceding those function names with <SID>
call <SID>InternalAppFunction(...)

# or you could call it with
call s:InternalAppFunction(...)
endf
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# InternalAppFunction: this function cannot be called from outside the
#  script, and its name won't clash with whatever else the user has loaded
fu! <SID>InternalAppFunction(...)
..whatever..
endf

# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plugins are intended to be "drop into <.vim/plugin>" and work.  The problem
that the <Plug>, <SID>, etc stuff is intended to resolve: what to do about
functions that have the same names in different plugins, and what to do about
maps that use the same sequence of characters?  The first problem is solved
with <SID> (a script identifier number) that vim assigns: program with it and
your users will be happier when your stuff works with all their other stuff.
The second problem: what to about those maps is addressed with <Plug>, <unique>,
etc.  Basically the idea is: let the user know that there are clashes and don't
overwrite previously existing maps.  Use the user's preferred map-introducer
sequence (I like the backslash, but there are many keyboards which make
producing backslashes unpleasant, and those users usually prefer something
else).

What I like to do is to have a pair of start/stop maps to reduce my impact on
the namespace.  When the starting map is used, it kicks off a starting function
that introduces all the maps needed.  When the stopping map is used, it not
only removes the maps the starter made but restores any maps the user had had
that would have clashed.  I also use the start/stop pair of functions to set
and restore options that cause my scripts difficulties.

Check out DrawIt.vim's SaveMap() function for a way to save user maps.
Restoring maps with it is easy:

if b:restoremap != ""
 exe b:restoremap
 unlet b:restoremap
endif

So you can see it sets up a string variable with all the maps that the user
had that would have clashed with my application.

One final thing: if your application needs to share information between its
various functions, see if you can use s:varname (a variable that only your
script's functions can access) or b:varname (a variable that anything associated
with the buffer your application is running with can access) instead of using
global variables.

Good luck and happy Vimming!







VimTip 148: Make great use of those homemade menus
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=148

Accidently discovered that using <alt><Menu Hotletter><cr> (e.g <alt>b<cr> - for the buffer menu) causes the menu to break out in a seperate window.  
Selecting the menu with the mouse and then hitting enter does not seem to do it. 

I will have to learn to add hotletters to my menus now so that the mouse can take a break.

I am a total newbie with vim, but constantly amazed.... 






VimTip 149: Automatically update your diff upon writing.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=149

When trying to reconcile differences between files, and using the new
'diff' functionality in Vim 6.0 you may want to automatically update
the differences as you are working along.  A convienent time is when you
write out either of the files you are diff'ing.  This autocmd will take
care of doing that for you.


" If doing a diff.  Upon writing changes to file, automatically update the
  " differences
  au BufWritePost                  *              if &diff == 1
  au BufWritePost                  *              :diffupdate
  au BufWritePost                  *              endif







VimTip 150: Generating a column of increasing numbers
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=150

You can use the "Visual Incrementing" script from

  http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#VimFuncs

to convert a block of numbers selected via ctrl-v (visual block)
into a column of increasing integers.  Select the column, press :I<CR>,
and the first line's number will be used as a starting value.  Subsequent
lines's numbers will be incremented by one.

If the ctrl-v block is "ragged right", which can happen when "$" is used
to select the right hand side, the block will have spaces appended as
needed to straighten it out.  If the strlen of the count exceeds the
visual-block allotment of spaces, then additional spaces will be inserted.

Example:  Put cursor on topmost zero, select column with ctrl-v, then :I

   vector[0]= 1;       vector[0]= 1;
   vector[0]= 1;       vector[1]= 1;
   vector[0]= 1;  -->  vector[2]= 1;
   vector[0]= 1;       vector[3]= 1;
   vector[0]= 1;       vector[4]= 1;

This script works with both vim 5.7 (:so visincr.vim) or vim 6.0 (source it
as for vim 5.7 or drop it into the .vim/plugin directory).








VimTip 151: an ascii table
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=151

There is an ascii table in the vim-help files, but it's hard to find.  Thus, I shall give a pointer to it:

:help digraph-table






VimTip 152: Spelling checkers for: Dutch, English, German, Hungarian, and Yiddish
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=152

Under http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#vimlinks_scripts
are links to spelling checkers for Dutch, English, German, Hungarian,
and Yiddish, all based on the original engspchk.vim.  The spelling
checker provides as-you-type spell checking; with vim6.0 it will avoid
checking on partially typed words.

Provided are several maps:

  \et : add  word under cursor into database for just this file
  \es : save word under cursor into database (permanently)
  \en : move cursor to the next     spelling error
  \ep : move cursor to the previous spelling error
  \ea : look for alternative spellings of word under cursor

To use \ea you will need agrep:

  agrep source: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/text/agrep-2.04.tar.Z
  agrep Win exe: http://www.tgries.de/agrep

To use the spell checkers just source it in:

  ex.  so engspchk.vim

To read more about it see

  http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#Spelling







VimTip 153: Making Parenthesis And Brackets Handling Easier
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=153

1) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Automatic" bracket setting +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2) +++++++++++++ Further improvement of parenthesis/bracket expanding +++++++++++++++++
3) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Late" bracketing of text +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
4) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conclusion ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++

=======================================================================================

1) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Automatic" bracket setting +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

To automatically insert a closing parenthesis when typing an opening
parenthesis you can insert the following simple mapping to your vimrc:

	:inoremap ( ()<ESC>i

This ends up with the cursor between the opening and the closing parenthesis
in insert mode.

You can apply this and the following tips, of course, with the kind of parenthesis/bracket
character you want to, i.e. (, {, [, < ..... and, pretty useful as well,
quotation marks ",',.... (to be continued)

2) +++++++++++++++ Further improvement of parenthesis/bracket expanding ++++++++++++++++++

I you are ready with filling the parenthesis/brackets, you likely want to
"escape" from the brackets again to continue coding.
To make this pretty comfortable, I invented the following kind of mappings, which get out
of the last expanded parenthesis/bracket, regardless of the actual type of it, and
enter append mode again.
I mapped this kind of "getaway" with CTRL_j, you may use your favorite keystroke with it.

			...
	:inoremap ( ()<ESC>:let leavechar=")"<CR>i
	:inoremap [ []<ESC>:let leavechar="]"<CR>i
			...
	:imap <C-j> <ESC>:exec "normal f" . leavechar<CR>a

Explanation: The variable "leavechar" contents the actual char which is to "escape" from.


3) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Late" bracketing of text +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Occasionally I later want already written text parts to put in parenthesis.

I use the following macro, which brackets previously visually selected text.
I mapped it with _(.

	:vnoremap _( <ESC>`>a)<ESC>`<i(<ESC>

Furthermore, a sort of mapping for bracketing a *single word* is conceivable.
Because this is not as general like the kind of visual mode mapping, I use
this kind of "word bracketing" only for surrounding the word right behind the cursor in insert mode with **.  I use the following macro to "emphasize" the word i just typed,
for newsgroup articles.

	:imap _* <Esc>bi*<Esc>ea*<Space>


4) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conclusion ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Since I use these macros, I never caused a syntax error because of missing
brackets, and furthermore I can quickly insert parenthesis and qutotes into code-
and non-code files.

 JH 04.11.2001







VimTip 154: Mappings to facilitate the creation of text
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=154

" 
" Mappings to facilitate the creation of text
"
" Author:  Suresh Govindachar sgovindachar@yahoo.com
" Date:     November 5, 2001
"
" While typing text to create a document, I often end up hitting
" <Esc>, issuing some commands (with or without ":") and getting back 
" to typing by issuing a command such as "i", "O", "s" etc.
"
" I looked into using "set insertmode" to speed up such actions, but
" found that too confusing. 
"
" I have come up with a set of mappings that have speeded up my process
" of creating documents.  I have saved these mappings in a file, named
" FullScreenVI.vim, in vim's plugin directory.
"
" Perhaps you will find these mappings helpful too.
"
" Please send me feedback.  
" 

"To allow overriding the Alt key
set winaltkeys=no  
"To enable viewing messages from commands issued using the mappings presented here 
set cmdheight=2    

"The fundamental mapping that makes full-screen editing possible
imap <A-o>  <C-o>
imap <A-;>  <C-o>:

"Basic motions
imap <A-h>  <Left>
imap <A-j>  <Down>
imap <A-k>  <Up>
imap <A-l>  <Right>
imap <A-f>  <PageDown>
imap <A-b>  <PageUp>
imap <A-^>  <Home>
imap <A-$>  <End>

"Numbers for repeats
imap <A-1>  <C-o>1
imap <A-2>  <C-o>2
imap <A-3>  <C-o>3
imap <A-4>  <C-o>4
imap <A-5>  <C-o>5
imap <A-6>  <C-o>6
imap <A-7>  <C-o>7
imap <A-8>  <C-o>8
imap <A-9>  <C-o>9

"Basic searches
imap <A-/>  <C-o>/
imap <A-*>  <C-o>*
imap <A-#>  <C-o>#
imap <A-n>  <C-o>n
imap <A-N>  <C-o>N

"Deleting
imap <A-x>  <C-o>x
imap <A-d>  <C-o>d
imap <A-D>  <C-o>D

"Yanking and putting
imap <A-y>  <C-o>y
imap <A-Y>  <C-o>Y
imap <A-p>  <C-o>p
imap <A-P>  <C-o>P

"Common prefixes:  marking, matching etc.
imap <A-~>  <C-o>~
imap <A-m>  <C-o>m
imap <A-`>  <C-o>`
imap <A-">  <C-o>"
imap <A-%>  <C-o>%
imap <A-h>  <C-o>:h
imap <A-s>  <C-o>:s

"Interacting with the 'outside'
imap <A-!>  <C-o>:!
imap <A-w>  <C-o>:w<CR>
imap <A-e>  <C-o>:e

"Other commands
imap <A-u>  <C-o>u
imap <A-.>  <C-o>.







VimTip 155: Decompile Java .class files automatically
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=155


Here's a plugin to automatically decompile Java .class files as they're read in.  Tweak the javap flags for what you want to see.  I didn't post this as a script because it's too simple and it's really more useful for demonstrating how to read decompilable files (or other binary files that can be converted to text).

function s:ReadClass(dir, classname)
    execute "cd " . a:dir
    execute "0read !javap -c " . a:classname
    1
    setlocal readonly
    setlocal nomodified
endfunction


autocmd BufReadCmd *.class
    \ call <SID>ReadClass(expand("<afile>:p:h"), expand("<afile>:t:r"))








VimTip 156: describe <table name> from vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=156

i had some trouble with the sqlplus scripts (probably my fault).  but it seemed a little heavy for what i need, usually all i want is a listing of the columns for a given table while i'm whipping on some sql inside vim.

so i wrote a bash script (describe)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~begin describe script
#!/usr/bin/bash

f=aTempFile.sql
u=<uName>
p=<pWord>
d=<dBase>

echo "/* describe for $1"
echo "describe $1;" > $f;
echo "quit;" >> $f;

sqlplus -S $u/$p@$d @$f
rm -f $f;
echo " end describe for $1 */"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end describe script

your path needs to include the script (as well as sqlplus), then from vim you can just type....

:r !describe <tableName>

and you get a listing of the table columns slammed into wherever your cursor was, complete with java/c comments







VimTip 157: Incredible new functionality
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=157

if you get away from vim and get any other editor that was built *after* 1970....






VimTip 158: Using Computer Modern TT as gvim font (Win32)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=158

If you really like the Computer Modern typewriter font (as seen in most TeX distributions) you can use it as the font in gvim! (looks excellent with font smoothing turned on)

First, get hold of the free Blue Sky Type 1 PS versions of the CM fonts from your local CTAN mirror. Unpack to a suitable directory.

Next locate the cmtt8.pfb file and open it (in Vim, naturally ;) - find the line
saying
dup 32 /visiblespace put

and change it to
dup 32 /space        put

that is, inserting enough spaces to keep the file size exactly the same
(IMPORTANT!)

Save the file in Mac format (:set fileformat=mac).

Now install the cmtt.pfm file - in Win9x/NT4, you'll need Adobe Type Manager
(free download), but in Win2k, you can just drop the .pfm file into the Fonts folder.

Now in your _gvimrc:
set guifont=CMTT8:h11:cSYMBOL

(use whatever height you like instead of h11)

..and enjoy! It's the first scalable font I can bear to edit code in... %-)







VimTip 159: Keystroke Saving Substituting and Searching
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=159

1) ++++++++++++++ Saving Keystrokes for common Searching and Substituting +++++++++++
--- a) Searching  b) Substituting ---------------------------------------------------
2) ++++  Searching for resp. Substituting of the current word under the cursor ++++++
--- a) Searching  b) Substituting ---------------------------------------------------
3) ++ Searching and Substituting for an arbitrary visually selected part of text ++++
--- a) Searching  b) Substituting ---------------------------------------------------
4) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  Conclusion +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

=====================================================================================

1) ++++++++++++++ Saving Keystrokes for common Substituting and Searching +++++++++++

a) Searching ............
Sorry, there is not much that can be saved for common Searching. It's just hitting
/mypattern<RETURN> 

b) Substituting .........
I think, common substitution requires pretty many keystrokes. So I use the
following macro with my favorite substitution options:

:map <F4> :%s//gc<Left><Left><Left>

This ends up with the cursor after the first '/' in the commandline. To complete it,
you only have to enter
->	myoldpattern/mynewpattern<RETURN>

Remark: I mapped it to <F4> (cause of tribute to the <F4> of the good old Norton
Commander editor). You may map it where you want to.


2) ++++  Searching for resp. Substituting of the current word under the cursor ++++++

a) Searching ............
If you don't know how to look for the next occurence of the word under the cursor, you
should *now* type
:help * or
:help star
or refer to the tips vimtip #1 or vimtip #5
((Tip within tip: To make your pattern more visible, look for :help hls))

b) Substituting .........
The following macro extends the one above with automatically inserting the current word
under the cursor into the from - pattern of the :s command.

:map <S-F4> :%s/<C-r><C-w>//gc<Left><Left><Left>

To complete it, just enter
->	mynewpattern<RETURN>

I use this i.e. for reliable and quickly renaming a variable in the entire buffer.
I mapped it to Shift-<F4>. You may map it to the keystroke you want.

Explanation: CTRL-v+CTRL-w expands to the word under the cursor.


3) ++ Searching and Substituting for an arbitrary visually selected part of text ++++

If you want to look or substitute (for) an *arbritary* pattern (which already exists at
least once in your text), the following 2 mappings do it for you.
The advantage is that you dont have to type again or cut & paste the appropriate text
but only have to visually select it.

a) Searching ...........

:vmap / y:execute "/".escape(@",'[]/\.*')<CR>

This immediately finds to the next occurence of the previously visually selected text.


b) Substituting .........

:vmap <F4> y:execute "%s/".escape(@",'[]/\')."//gc"<Left><Left><Left><Left>

Again, as in the mapping in chapter 2), you just have to complete it by entering
-> mynewpattern<RETURN>

Explanation/Discussion:
What both Substituting and Searching in this way generally does is:
- *y*anking the selected text
- Inserting the visually selected via adressing the '"' register with '@"' as a
  parameter of the escape() function going finally into the 'myoldpattern' part.
  The trickery problem is, if you have characters in your myoldpattern, which are
  regular expression chars, they are recognized and threated accordingly.  That
  is most likely not what you wanted.  To escape them, these chars have to be
  declared by the second parameter of the excape() function, which then escapes them
  with a backslash.  The few characters above work for me. If you run into problems,
  you should check for additional regexp chars in your text, and try to escape them
  by adding them to the escape() function parameter.


4) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  Conclusion +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

With the appropriate mappings in your vimrc you can save keystrokes when Searching or
Substituting and avoid typing errors. That way, you can take lunch sooner







VimTip 161: Dutch spelling checker
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=161

Download at http://www.thomer.com/thomer/vi/nlspchk.vim.gz.

This sciript is based on Charles E. Campbell's English spelling checker script for ViM (http://users.erols.com/astronaut/vim/) and Piet Tutelaers' Dutch word list (http://www.ntg.nl/spell-nl-v5b/) using  Thomas Köhler's script (http://jeanluc-picard.de/vim/gerspchk/create). In other words, I didn't do much.






VimTip 162: write plugin with explorer like interfaces
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=162

Several plugins use a text base interface based on a special buffer, this is the case of the standard explorer plugin, several bufexplorer plugins, the option buffer and others...
Here is a quick guide in how to do this


Writing a special buf script
	| using a special buffer is a common technic when writing Vim scripts, it is used by
	| explorer, bufexplorer, DirDiff...
	| I'm currently writing one for TagsBase.vim 
	| http://vim.sourceforge.net/scripts/script.php?script_id=100 
	| and I'll use this document to take notes on how to do it.
	| 

Setting up the buffer
	Opening the window TODO

	Using a setup function
		Principle
			| we can use a specific function to open and setup the special buffer. s:SetupBuf()
		Setup Function advantage
			| since the command will be defined in the main script you
			| can use script local functions
	Using a special filetype
		Principle
			| we can also use a new filetype and distribute a syntax and an ftplugin for this 
			| filetype, the only thing needed in this case is to set the
			| filetype after creating the buffer
		Filetype advantage
			| better separations of different parts of your script. If
			| the main function of your plugin is not to have this
			| special buffer then it is nice to avoid clutering it.
	Things which needs to be done to setup the buffer
		The buffer should not be listed and does not correspond to a file
			* setlocal buftype=nofile
			-	options always local to buffer
			* set nobuflisted 		
			* set bufhidden=delete
			* set nomodifiable
		Setup the syntax for this buffer
			| see :help syntax
			| This is usually done in two steps, first describe the
			| syntax groups using :syn commands then setup the
			| hilighting using :hi def link commands.  Usually it is
			| best to link the newly defined groups to predefine ones in
			| order to make the coloring work fine with colorschemes.
			| You'll find the list of predefined group by doing:
			| :help group-name
		Setup the special mappings
			| since we have chosen to use the set nomodifiable option
			| our buffer will never be in insert mode. All our mapping
			| are in Normal, Visual or operator pending, they should
			| therefore use the map, nmap, vmap and omap mapping command
			| plus the associated 'nore' version.  I usually find it
			| better to use the 'nore' version to avoid surprises due to
			| mapping in the user configuration.
			|
			| We also want our mappings to be local to the special
			| buffer so all the commands will use the <buffer> modifier.
			|
			| Finally we want our mappings not to polute the status bar
			| so we use the <silent> modifier
			| 
			| Putting all this together we end up with mapping commands
			| which look like:
			| noremap <buffer> <silent> {lhs} {rhs}
		Setup the special command
			| we will then setup special commands for this buffer.  Like
			| for the mapping there are some precautions to take:
			| we don't want an error message if the command is defined
			| twice so we use the command! variant.
			| We want a command local to our buffer wo we use the
			| -buffer attribute.  The rests of the command attributes
			|  and options depend on the actual command.
			|  So our commands look like:
			|  command! -buffer {attr} {cmd} {rep}
			|  where attr is optional.







VimTip 163: Toggle Search Highlighting
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=163

" Map H to toggle search highlighting
map H :let &hlsearch = !&hlsearch<CR>






VimTip 164: Make non-ASCII characters displayed on console
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=164

I had a problem with VIM on the FreeBSD console: it didn't display characters like German umlauts correctly, but escaped them with a tilde. The solution is to teach VIM about printable characters. I use the following on my .vimrc:

set isprint=@,128-255






VimTip 165: Deleting a buffer without closing the window
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=165

I'm not sure if this functionality is already within Vim, but I sometimes I find it useful to keep a split window from closing when deleting a buffer.  This has already been discussed on the vim@vim.org mailing list.  However, I feel this solution is a little easier to use.


" Put this into .vimrc or make it a plugin.
" Mapping :Bclose to some keystroke would probably be more useful.
" I like the way buflisted() behaves, but some may like the behavior
" of other buffer testing functions.

command! Bclose call <SID>BufcloseCloseIt()

function! <SID>BufcloseCloseIt()
	let l:currentBufNum = bufnr("%")
	let l:alternateBufNum = bufnr("#")

	if buflisted(l:alternateBufNum)
		buffer #
	else
		bnext
	endif

	if bufnr("%") == l:currentBufNum
		new
	endif

	if buflisted(l:currentBufNum)
		execute("bdelete ".l:currentBufNum)
	endif
endfunction







VimTip 166: Mapping caps lock to esc in XWindows
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=166

(This originally appeared on the vim mailing list as post by Adam Monsen http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vim/message/19856)

If you want to completely swap caps lock and escape, you have to replace the 
"Lock" on caps lock. Drop this file in your home dir:<br>
-----------start------------<br>
! Swap caps lock and escape<br>
remove Lock = Caps_Lock<br>
keysym Escape = Caps_Lock<br>
keysym Caps_Lock = Escape<br>
add Lock = Caps_Lock<br>
------------end-------------<br>
and call it ".speedswapper". Then open a terminal and type<br>
$ xmodmap .speedswapper<br>
and you'll be twice as efficient in vim. Who needs caps lock anyway? The swapping lasts for the duration of the X session, so you can put it in a .xinitrc or similar startup file. As far as other people using my laptop, I'd rather they didn't! Using a Dvorak layout might protect me even more... :)







VimTip 167: Using vim as a man-page viewer under Unix
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=167

To use vim as a man-page viewer involves setting an environment variable:

    sh, ksh:  export MANPAGER="col -b | view -c 'set ft=man nomod nolist' -"
    csh    :  setenv MANPAGER "col -b | view -c 'set ft=man nomod nolist' -"

Put one of the above two lines into your <.profile> or <.login> file as
appropriate for your shell.

The man pages will then be displayed with vim called as "view" and will use
the <man.vim> syntax highlighting.  I myself use some additional highlighting
which is enabled by putting the following file into <.vim/after/syntax/man.vim>.
I usually use the <astronaut> colorscheme (also available from this archive);
those who use bright backgrounds may find the colors selected for
manSubSectionStart and manSubSection something they'll want to change:

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
" DrChip's additional <man.vim> stuff

syn match  manSectionHeading    "^\s\+[0-9]\+\.[0-9.]*\s\+[A-Z].*$" contains=manSectionNumber
syn match  manSectionNumber     "^\s\+[0-9]\+\.[0-9]*"              contained
syn region manDQString          start='[^a-zA-Z"]"[^", )]'lc=1      end='"'         contains=manSQString
syn region manSQString          start="[ \t]'[^', )]"lc=1           end="'"
syn region manSQString          start="^'[^', )]"lc=1               end="'"
syn region manBQString          start="[^a-zA-Z`]`[^`, )]"lc=1      end="[`']"
syn region manBQSQString        start="``[^),']"                    end="''"
syn match  manBulletZone        transparent "^\s\+o\s" contains=manBullet
syn case    match
syn keyword manBullet contained o
syn match   manBullet contained "\[+*]"
syn match   manSubSectionStart  "^\*"   skipwhite nextgroup=manSubSection
syn match   manSubSection       ".*$"   contained

hi link manSectionNumber    Number
hi link manDQString         String
hi link manSQString         String
hi link manBQString         String
hi link manBQSQString       String
hi link manBullet           Special
hi manSubSectionStart       term=NONE cterm=NONE gui=NONE ctermfg=black ctermbg=black guifg=navyblue guibg=navyblue
hi manSubSection            term=underline cterm=underline gui=underline ctermfg=green guifg=green
set ts=8
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 







VimTip 168: Viewing the actual XPM data in GVIM
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=168

GVIM has an excellent syntax highlighting for XPM images, but sometimes it's useful to view the actual data. This can be achieved by searching for everything, type in "/." and all characters will be highlighted and therefore the old colouring is lost. To regain the normal highlighting you can search for a non-existent sequence, like "/foo".






VimTip 169: <Tab> = <C-I> and <Esc> = <C-[>
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=169

     An FAQ on the vim users' mailing list is whether <Tab> and <C-I>
can be mapped to different things.  The answer is no.  As I understand
it, this is a low level issue:  <Tab> and <C-I> are different names
for the same ASCII code, and there is no way for vim to tell them
apart.  Similarly, <Esc> and <C-[> are the same thing.






VimTip 170: Repeating a sequence of commands without defining a macro
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=170

Imagine.

You have just finished a complicated modification of a file, 
involving numerous replace commands :%s/xxx/yyyy/g, 
and other ex commands.

Then you realize, you have done it a little bit wrong, 
and you have to begin all the operation again, 
just to change one replace string, or do one more operation
"somewhere 10 commands ago".

Or you realize, you will have to do the same stuff tomorrow 
with another file.

or you realize, you want to perform the same sequence
of commands, you have typed a few days ago

You should have made it a macro (normal command q), 
but you haven't.

Nothing is lost yet.

You go to the command line (by typing :)
and press Ctrl+F.
(Ctrl+F in other modes scrolls the screen)

You get a temporary window, listing the history of command line.
It is possible to yank appropriate lines here,
make a new file called $VIMRUNTIME/macros/something.vim
put those lines here, edit them and save

see
:help cedit


Then you can call the macro using 
:source something.vim


You might want to set variable 'history' to a higher
number then default in your vimrc file
like
:set history=300
see
:help history
:help vimrc









VimTip 171: Do you know the "g/" and "g?" commands?
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=171

Directly from the Vim Todo list:

7   For Visual mode: Command to do a search for the string in the marked area.
    Only when less than two lines. Use "g/" and "g?".


In other words, a way to search for visually selected text !!  :-)

"==== vsearch.vim ====

" Visual mode search

vmap g/ :call VsearchPatternSave()<cr>/<c-r>/<cr>
vmap g? :call VsearchPatternSave()<cr>?<c-r>/<cr>

function! VsearchPatternSave()
  let l:temp = @@
  normal gvy
  let @/ = substitute(escape(@@, '/\'), "\n", "\\\\n", "g")
  let @@ = l:temp
  unlet l:temp
endfunction

"==== END ====


Normally, this file should reside in the plugins directory and be automatically
sourced. If not, you must manually source this file using ':source vsearch.vim'.

In Visual mode, highlight the text for searching.  Then you can use the
default visual key mappings

g/ - search forwards
g? - search backwards

Visual searches behave like normal searches.  The 'n' and 'N' commands
work as they should, and the search history correctly records each search.
Multi-line searches behave as they should (this corrects the 'yank-only'
method mentioned in the Vim help files).  Block visual searches do not work
yet.  Hopefully, someone can figure out a way to do this easily.

I've only tested this on Win2000 and Redhat Linux 7.1.  I'm not really clear
on how the carriage returns are dealt with on other systems.

Anyway, enjoy!






VimTip 172: Using Ispell on a highlighted region
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=172

Suppose you would like to use Ispell to check a word or region that you've
visually highlighted.  The following macro will do the job.  Just type
Shift-Insert while in visual mode.

vnoremap <S-Insert> <C-C>`<v`>s<Space><Esc>mq:e ispell.tmp<CR>i<C-R>"<Esc>:w<CR>:! xterm -bg ivory -fn 10x20 -e ispell %<CR><CR>:e %<CR><CR>ggVG<Esc>`<v`>s<Esc>:bwipeout!<CR>:!rm ispell.tmp*<CR>`q"_s<C-R>"<Esc>

This is based on Chip Campbell's macro which uses Ispell on the whole file
(in normal mode).

noremap <S-Insert> :w<CR>:! xterm -bg ivory -fn 10x20 -e ispell %<CR><Space>:e %<CR><Space>

Carl Mueller






VimTip 173: Switch between splits very fast (for multi-file editing)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=173

I am a Web developer and I use Vim as my primary editor. 

Most programming projects (and Web programming projects, in particular) are spread out over multiple files, which you often want to have open concurrently. If you don't already know, Vim supports this very well! Just use:

:sp name-of-another-file-to-edit

My problems were that (1) it took too long to move between files, and (2) the files were taking up too much room on the screen. 

(1) In order to move to the file in the split above my current window, I was typing Ctrl-W, Up (move up a window) Ctrl-W, _ (maximize the menu). That's four keystrokes (more if you count Ctrl and Shift), and they are all over the keyboard. To help avoid this problem, I created this mapping in my .vimrc:

map <C-J> <C-W>j<C-W>_
map <C-K> <C-W>k<C-W>_

Now I can hold down Ctrl and move between windows with the standard Vim movement keys. Much, much quicker!

(2) By default, Vim displays the current line of each minimized file, which (to me) isn't much help and takes up too much screen real estate. I use this line in my .vimrc:

set wmh=0

This sets the minimum window height to 0, so you can stack many more files before things get crowded. Vim will only display the filename. 

Hope this helps those of you who are working on projects with large numbers of files you're constantly flipping through. Happy Vimming! 






VimTip 174: Footnotes
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=174

ab (1 [1]<esc>:/^--\s/-1/<cr>o<insert><cr>Footnotes:<cr>----------<cr>[1]
ab (2 [2]<esc>:/^Footnotes\:/+2/<cr>o<insert>[2]
ab (3 [3]<esc>:/^Footnotes\:/+3/<cr>o<insert>[3]
ab (4 [4]<esc>:/^Footnotes\:/+4/<cr>o<insert>[4]
ab (5 [5]<esc>:/^Footnotes\:/+5/<cr>o<insert>[5]







VimTip 175: how to make VIM as ur default editor even without root ac.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=175

hi,
if u have installed vim in your home directory somewhere
and u don't have a root account, and you want to
make VIM the default editor for anything u do.
i.e if ur using SQLplus and want to edit a sql command.
normally typing edit brings up the vi editor and not vim editor.
to solve this problem.
define these three variables in your .profile
VIM=<base directory where vim executable is placed>
VIMRUNTIME=<base direcoty where vim runtimes are kept>
EDITOR=$VIM/vim 

note if u have installed vim with another name, say vim.exe then
change EDITOR=$VIM/vim to EDITOR=$VIM/vim.exe

source the .profile and viola. next time u start an editor from any
program u have the vim editor.

Njoy.






VimTip 176: Autocheckout from perforce
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=176

The following code automatically checks out files from perforce when the user modifies them. It first confirms the check-out with the user.

(Perforce is a commercial version control system.  I imagine this could be modified for RCS, CVS, etc., but I don't use those.)

I'm a vim newbie -- I've used vi since 1984, but just started with vim a couple days ago.  Color me impressed!  Please excuse any stupidity in the code..

Note that this function needs the "P4HOME" environment variable to be set.  I could extract it by invoking "p4 client", but I don't want to invoke p4 every time I start vim.  So I assume the user sets it in the environment.

" Set a buffer-local variable to the perforce path, if this file is under the perforce root.
function IsUnderPerforce()
    if exists("$P4HOME")
        if expand("%:p") =~ ("^" . $P4HOME)
            let b:p4path = substitute(expand("%:p"), $P4HOME, "//depot", "")
        endif
    endif
endfunction
" Confirm with the user, then checkout a file from perforce.
function P4Checkout()
   if exists("b:p4path")
        if (confirm("Checkout from Perforce?", "&Yes\n&No", 1) == 1)
            call system("p4 edit " . b:p4path . " > /dev/null")
            if v:shell_error == 0
                set noreadonly
            endif
        endif
    endif
endfunction

if !exists("au_p4_cmd")
    let au_p4_cmd=1

    au BufEnter * call IsUnderPerforce()
    au FileChangedRO * call P4Checkout()
endif







VimTip 177: Highlight matching brackets as one moves in normal mode (plugin)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=177

Check out http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#VimFuncs for
a plugin script which highlights matching brackets.  The script has
two always-on maps:
	\[i   : start [HiMtchBrkt] mode
	\[s   : stop [HiMtchBrkt] mode
The plugin will save all user maps and options that the plugin uses and
will restore them when the mode is stopped.







VimTip 178: Making a "derived" colorscheme without copy & paste
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=178

Suppose there's a colorscheme that you're pretty fond of, but hate one or two particular aspects about.  For example, I love the "blue" colorscheme that ships with vim, but I find it's colors for the non-active status line to be unreadable.  Here's how to create a colorscheme which extends "blue" without copying it to a new file and editing it.

In my ~/.vim/colors, I created a "my-blue.vim" file with these contents:

"these lines are suggested to be at the top of every colorscheme
hi clear
if exists("syntax_on")
   syntax reset
endif

"Load the 'base' colorscheme - the one you want to alter
runtime colors/blue.vim

"Override the name of the base colorscheme with the name of this custom one
let g:colors_name = "my-blue"

"Clear the colors for any items that you don't like
hi clear StatusLine 
hi clear StatusLineNC

"Set up your new & improved colors
hi StatusLine guifg=black guibg=white
hi StatusLineNC guifg=LightCyan guibg=blue gui=bold

That's all there is to it.






VimTip 179: Simplify help buffer navigation
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=179


Vim is distributed with comprehensive help system, which has basic hyperlink support - 
you can press <C-]> over |some subject| or 'some option' to read more about particular term.

The following mappings simplify help buffer navigation:
pressing s(or S) will find next(previous) subject from cursor position
pressing o(or O) will find next(previous) option from cursor position
pressing Enter will jump to subject under cursor
pressing Backspace will return from the last jump

Put them into help filetype plugin (like ~/.vim/ftplugin/help.vim on UNIX).

nmap <buffer> <CR> <C-]>
nmap <buffer> <BS> <C-T>
nmap <buffer> o /'[a-z]\{2,\}'<CR>
nmap <buffer> O ?'[a-z]\{2,\}'<CR>
nmap <buffer> s /\|\S\+\|<CR>
nmap <buffer> S ?\|\S\+\|<CR>








VimTip 180: Reload your filetype/syntax plugin
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=180

Ever tried to write/debug your own  filetype/syntax plugin?

It's an iterative process which involves editing plugin code and testing it on some
sample file. To see changes you made in your plugin simply do :e on sample file.
This will force Vim to reload all buffer-specific files, including your plugin.







VimTip 181: get the vim patched source
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=181

Hi,
there has been a number of person (including) asking in the vim list how to keep up with Bram's incredible bug correction 
and patch writing skills, but there is a great way to do this!
Use the cvs source which is available at http://sourceforge.net/cvs/?group_id=8
it is kept up to date and its a lot easier than applying all the patch in order.
Benoit






VimTip 182: Keep your cursor centered vertically on the screen
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=182

i hope i don't hear a collective 'DUH!' from around the world but i just did this and i think it's kinda cool.

in your .vimrc add...

map j jzz
map k kzz

so whenever you go up or down, vim does that and then re-centers.
obviously it doesn't work when you page up/ down.







VimTip 183: Select a buffer from those matching a pattern
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=183

The :bu command will take a pattern as an argument and jump to the matching buffer.  However, it's not very helpful if there is more than one buffer matching the pattern.  In that case, it will jump to the first match, which may not be what you want.  The following function and user-command will print a list of the matching buffers in the command-line area, and allow you to select one of the matching buffers by number.

"Select from buffers matching a certain pattern
"the 'pattern' argument shouldn't be prepended with a slash

function! BufSel(pattern)
   let bufcount = bufnr("$")
   let currbufnr = 1
   while currbufnr <= bufcount
      if(bufexists(currbufnr))
         let currbufname = bufname(currbufnr)
         if(match(currbufname, a:pattern) > -1)
               echo currbufnr . ":      ". bufname(currbufnr)
         endif
      endif
      let currbufnr = currbufnr + 1
   endwhile
   let desiredbufnr = input("Enter buffer number: ")
   if(strlen(desiredbufnr) != 0)
      exe ":bu ". desiredbufnr
   endif
endfunction

"Bind the BufSel() function to a user-command
command! -nargs=1 Bs :call BufSel("<args>")








VimTip 184: How to obscure text instantaneously
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=184

Hi,
Lets say your writing some imp. doc. and your colleague
comes along. you don't wan't him to see what you are typing.
so u start fumbling to type :wq! or switch with Alt-TAB. etc.
but wouldn't it be nice to just obsucre the text temporarily,
so that u don't have to quit or swith to another application using Alt-tab.
(and if u don;t have any other window open u can;t even use alt-tab)
well rot-13 comes to help. vim has a built in rot-13 encoder.

jut put the follwoing in your .vimrc

map <F3> ggVGg?

so next time some body comes along just press <F3> and all the buffer will 
be rot-13 encoded. to decode just press <f3> again.
Njoy






VimTip 185: Make vim the editor for files with unregistered extensions in Windows
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=185

Normally in Windows, if you try to "launch" a file whose extension is not registered with the system, the OS will prompt you for what editor you would like to use to open the file.  A much more appealing solution, in my mind, is to make vim the default editor for any unregistered extension.  

To set vim up as the default editor for unregistered extensions, follow these steps:
1. Copy the following into a file named unregistered.reg
-------------begin unregistered.reg-----------------
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\shell\Open\Command]
@="d:\\program files\\vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe \"%1\""
-------------end unregistered.reg-----------------

2. Import unregistered into your registry.  This can be done in vim by executing the following
:!regedit "unregistered.reg"

Disclaimer: This has been tested only on NT4.






VimTip 186: Making search powerful
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=186

My tip is just a bunch of mappings that can be used while searching.








VimTip 187: Making search powerful
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=187

(Sorry, I think I accidentally added an incomplete tip)

My tip is just a bunch of mappings that can be used while searching.
What it does?
  o. Extend your current search. (kinda emacs search where you can search each occurences 
      one by one and go back to the cursor position.
  o. Scroll/position during mapping.
  o. Other miscellaneous stuffs ;) read on

How to use?
   o. copy and paste the mappings into a file
   o. open vim (like vim .profile)
   o. :so <saved-file>
   o. start using the mappings

Note:
   In case these mappings dont work run like, 'vim -u NONE -U NONE -c "so the-saved-file.vim"'

   Some of my mappings override the default vim bindings. (like Ctrl-A, Ctrl-Q). I
   selected those because, I feel by taking those I can do all the search stuff with
   my left hand.

   One thing I did not like with this is, I usually miss the "search hit bottom" message. I could have
   handled that by complicating the current mappings, but I preferred to make it simple

Mappings Used
/          => regular forward search start
?         => regular backward search start
Rest of the mappings are used during search
Ctrl-A  => search again forward (In normal mode, search forward with the word under cursor)
Ctrl-Q  => search again backward (in normal mode, search backward with the word under cursor)
Ctrl-X  => restore cursor (use at any point of time/during-any-operation mentioned during searching)
Ctrl-F  => search with the word under cursor
Ctrl-G  => incrementally add the letters following the search pattern (in current line)
Ctrl-T Ctrl-T => search for the exact
Ctrl-T Ctrl-Y => search partial (just strips \< and \>)
Ctrl-E  => scroll up during searching
Ctrl-Y  => scroll down during searching
Ctrl-Z Ctrl-Z => position the cursor to mid of screen (like zz in normal)
Ctrl-Z Ctrl-A => position the cursor to top of screen (like zt in normal)
Ctrl-Z Ctrl-X => position the cursor to bottom of screen (like zb in normal)

Misc:
Ctrl-K during search save the current matching line
Ctrl-K in normal mode pastes the saved line

C mappings
Ctrl-V Ctrl-G search for the global variable of the search pattern/word under cursor
Ctrl-V Ctrl-H search for the local variable of the search pattern/word under cursor

" --- cut n paste from here to end of document ---
se nocp incsearch
" core mappings
noremap  / mg/
noremap  ? mg?
ounmap /
ounmap ?
noremap <C-A> mg"gyiw/<C-R>g
cnoremap <C-A> <CR>/<Up>
cnoremap <C-X> <CR>`g
cnoremap <C-Q> <CR>?<Up>

" extending current search mappings
cnoremap <C-F> <CR>yiw<BS>/<C-R>"
cnoremap <C-G> <CR>y/<Up>/e+1<CR><BS>/<C-R>=escape(@",'.*\/?')<CR>

" miscellaneous: copy current line during search and later paste in NORMAL mode
cnoremap <C-K> <CR>"hyy?<Up><CR>/<Up>
noremap <C-K> "hp

" exact/partial search mappings
cnoremap <C-T><C-T> <Home>\<<C-End>\>
cnoremap <C-T><C-Y> <Home><Del><Del><End><Del><Del>

" C global/local variable search mappings
noremap <C-V><C-G> mgyiw<CR>gg/\<<C-R>"\>
noremap <C-V><C-H> mgyiw?^{<CR>/\<<C-R>"\>
cnoremap <C-V><C-G> <CR>yiwgg/\<<C-R>"\>
cnoremap <C-V><C-H> <CR>yiw?^{<CR>/\<<C-R>"\>

" positioning/scrolling during search mappings
cnoremap <C-E> <CR>mt<C-E>`t<BS>/<Up>
cnoremap <C-Y> <CR><C-Y><BS>/<Up>
cnoremap <C-Z><C-A> <CR>zt<BS>/<Up>
cnoremap <C-Z><C-X> <CR>zb<BS>/<Up>
cnoremap <C-Z><C-Z> <CR>zz<BS>/<Up>

" VISUAL mappings
vnoremap / ymg/<C-R>=escape(@",'.*\/?')<CR>
vnoremap ? ymg?<C-R>=escape(@",'.*\/?')<CR>








VimTip 188: Searching for more than one word at the same time.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=188

Did you know that with VIM u can search for more
than one word with a single command. 
say you want to search all occurances of "bill" or "ted", or
"harry" in a text.
in normal mode do the following.
/\(bill\)\|\(ted\)\|\(harry\) <Enter>

this will match all instances of either "bill", or "ted", or "harry" in your
text. the key is the \(\) and \| operators.
\(\) group characters in a word and \| is for ORing.

this is so cool u can even use it for replacing text.
to replace all instances of "bill" or "ted" or "harry" with "greg"
do the following
:%s/\(bill\)\|\(ted\)\|\(harry\)/greg/g <enter>
(note :- if u have set the option "gdefault" u don't need the "g" at the
end of the above command)

I don't know of any other editor which can do this, with so much ease.
Rock on VIM
Njoy






VimTip 189: Make Ctrl-Backspace delete previous word (like GTK inputs)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=189

Stuff this into your ~/.gvimrc and then you'll be able to type Control-Backspace to delete the previous word.  I had gotten so used to C-BS working a certain way in all my editors with a ceezy input area (like mozilla/galeon, gabber, etc...), that I wanted the same behaviour when I used gvim.

" map control-backspace to delete the previous word
:imap <C-BS>        <Esc>vBc

Simple, I know, but reasonably useful.

--Robert






VimTip 190: XP > I-Explorer > HTML Editor < REG files
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=190

The issue is permitting other programs, besides NOTEPAD,
be the HTML editor under Internet Explorer. 
(Adding "Edit" as a New Action in the publicly exposed
Files Types for HTM/L does NOT do the job.)

Given below are two REG files for vim. 
Just cut 'em up where indicated.
They have been tested under Windows XP.


-------------------------------------------------------CUT HERE---------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; GOAL: Set gvim as HTML editor in Internet Explorer 6.0
; Vim version : 6.0
; Windows version: XP 
; EASY USAGE: name this file iex-vim60.reg and double click on it
; Hard Usage: IMPORT this file using REGEDIT.EXE found in c:\WINDOWS 
; Last modified date : Dec 16, 2001

; gvim is expected in "C:\Program Files\Vim\vim60\gvim.exe"
; Be sure to also reset Explorer>Tools>Internet Options>Programs

; Microsoft documentation
; http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/configuration/clientreg/clientregistrylayout.asp

; Add Vim in the list of supported HTML editors
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim\shell\edit]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim\shell\edit\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe\" \"%1\""

; Do NOT add to .html, registry for .htm type suffices
;[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim]

;[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim\shell]

;[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim\shell\edit]

;[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim\shell\edit\command]
;@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe\" \"%1\""


; OPTIONAL: Within Internet Explorer "View Source" with gvim
; but prefer to use Edit button (got to add this) on Toolbar
;[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor]

;[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor\Editor Name]
;@="C:\\Program Files\\Vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe"

; ============================================= EOF

-------------------------------------------------------CUT HERE---------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; GOAL: UNINSTALL gvim as HTML editor in Internet Explorer 6.0
; Vim version : 6.0
; Windows version: XP 
; EASY USAGE: name this file iex-vim60-uninstall.reg and double click on it
; Hard Usage: IMPORT this file using REGEDIT.EXE found in c:\WINDOWS 
; Last modified date : Dec 16, 2001

; gvim is expected in "C:\Program Files\Vim\vim60\gvim.exe"
; Be sure to also reset Explorer>Tools>Internet Options>Programs

; Microsoft documentation
; http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/configuration/clientreg/clientregistrylayout.asp


[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim]

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim]

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor]


; ============================================= EOF
-------------------------------------------------------CUT HERE---------------

Happy Vimming...






VimTip 191: Transposing
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=191

You can easily move lines with these maps using <C-Up> and <C-Down> (only in GUI version :( )
(Works in normal, insert, and visual mode, but you can't add a count to them)
" Transposing lines
nmap <C-Down> :<C-u>move .+1<CR>
nmap <C-Up> :<C-u>move .-2<CR>

imap <C-Down> <C-o>:<C-u>move .+1<CR>
imap <C-Up> <C-o>:<C-u>move .-2<CR>

vmap <C-Down> :move '>+1<CR>gv
vmap <C-Up> :move '<-2<CR>gv

" Transpose chars (like Ctrl-T in emacs, shell...)
imap <C-F> <Esc>Xpa






VimTip 192: Latex Help for VIM
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=192

LaTeX Help for aucTeX `translated' as vim help file.

Installing

:help add-local-help






VimTip 193: Insert the current filename at cursor postion.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=193

I found this one good for when I was starting to learn Java, it simply inserts the current filename, at the cursor position, when you are in insert mode.  Honestly, its a mish-mash of some other tips I found here, but I thought it might be useful.

imap \fn   <C-R>=expand("%:t:r")<CR>

Enjoy!






VimTip 194: Inserting text in multiple lines
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=194

Do you know the I key in visual-block mode?

Suppose you have
let a=2
let b=3
let c=4

You want to make these variables script-wise. Then you move to over a, hit <C-v>, press jj and now press I.
You will be in insert mode before a
Now enter s:<Esc>, and when you press <Esc>, b and c will have the s: prefix too.
See |v_b_I|

Happy vimming!
Gergely Kontra






VimTip 195: Switching between files
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=195

When you edit multiple files, you often need to change windows.
You can set up vim in windows and gvim to switch between windows with the commonly used Ctrl-Tab and Ctrl-Shift-Tab
The mappings
nmap <C-Tab> <C-w>w
nmap <C-S-Tab><C-w>W
(They wrap around)
See also |Ctrl-w|






VimTip 196: FileName Completion in Shell Scripts
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=196

In shell scripts, you often define environment variables for diff directory names.
i.e.
JAVA_HOME=/opt/java/jdk1.4
PATH=/usr/local/bin:/bin....

Normally typing Ctrl-X Ctrl-F is used to complete FileName under cursor.
But this does not work if used on lines given above.
This is because vim treats "=" sign as a valid filename character.
Since the actual possibility of "=" being in any filename is very less, this
char can be removed from the list of valid filename char.

set isfname-==

putting the above line in .vimrc will remove "=" from the list of valid filename chars.
thus u can easyly complete filenames using <Ctrl-X> <Ctrl-F>
Njoy






VimTip 197: Open file in already running vim from elsewhere
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=197

If you want edit new file, and you  want do it  in alrady running vim, instead of launching another instance, you may use --remote argument:

gvim first_file
gvim --remote +split first_file

:he --remote
It requires X windows (but works in terminal version of vim there too) or MS windows and built-in client-server mechanism. If there are several instances of vim already running, you may choose to which you talk using --servername
:help --servername






VimTip 198: Pasting code with syntax coloring in emails
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=198

When sending code snippets or diffs to your colleagues either for code review or for something else as email, how nice and clear it will be if you can paste it with the Vim syntax highlighting? I am sure they will be impressed and feel much easier to read the code. It is also very easy and fast (once you practice it) to do this.

This probably works only on windows and requires you to use Internet Explorer and an email client that understand RTF content coming from clipboard, such as Outlook or Outlook Express. At least that would make the process faster. I haven't tried on any other combination though. This is what you need to do:

- Open the file containing the code/code snippet/diff etc. in gvim. If you use dark background for GVim (like me), then I would suggest you to change your color scheme temporarily to something else that has a white background or just use the "-U NONE" as below:

    gvim -U NONE <file>

- Convert the file into HTML by using the following command at the colon prompt as below:

    :runtime syntax/2html.vim

- The above step will open a new window with the HTML content in it. You might want to just save it with the suggested name or write into a temporary file as:

    :w! c:/tmp/t.html

- Open the IE browser window and open the above temp file "c:/tmp/t.html".
- Now you select all (press ^A) and copy it (^C).
- You are ready to paste it with syntax coloring in any application that accepts RTF content from clipboard, including Outlook or Outlook Express mail composing window.







VimTip 199: maximize window and return to previous split structure
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=199

Say you have layed out a complex window split structure, and want to temporarily open 1 window with max dimensions, but don't want to lose your split structure.  The following function and mappings let you toggle between the split windows and on window maximized. The mappings prevent the default behavior of calling :only and losing your finely tuned splits.

Put this bit in your vimrc file, change mappings if you don't want to override the defaults:

nnoremap <C-W>O :call MaximizeToggle ()<CR>
nnoremap <C-W>o :call MaximizeToggle ()<CR>
nnoremap <C-W><C-O> :call MaximizeToggle ()<CR>

function! MaximizeToggle()
        if exists("s:maximize_session")
                source s:maximize_session
                call delete(s:maximize_session)
                unlet s:maximize_session
                let &hidden=s:maximize_hidden_save
                unlet s:maximize_hidden_save
        else
            	let s:maximize_hidden_save = &hidden
                let s:maximize_session = tempname()
                set hidden
                mksession! s:maximize_session
                only
        endif
endfunction







VimTip 200: Bouncing Parentheses (during insertion)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=200

When one is inserting parentheses some folks like to see the cursor
bounce off the matching parenthesis.  To do that, put the following
map into your <.vimrc> file:

    inoremap ) )<c-o>%<c-o>:sleep 500m<CR><c-o>%<c-o>a

Adjust the time delay (its 500 milliseconds above) to suit your needs.






VimTip 201: The meaning of life
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=201

Use this tip if you need to discover the meaning of life, the universe and everything.

Simply do:
:h 42






VimTip 202: debugging window autocommands
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=202

Don't know how people debug autocommands, but I just found out that you can debug (at least) those that result due to window close by just doing a debug quit, i.e.,

:debug quit

Vim will let you step into the autocommands. Try it to believe.






VimTip 203: Make make more helpful
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=203

I find this a very useful command to use.
Add the below 4 lines to your vimrc.
Then instead of "make" use "Make".

" Command Make will call make and then cwindow which
" opens a 3 line error window if any errors are found.
" if no errors, it closes any open cwindow.
:command -nargs=* Make make <args> | cwindow 3






VimTip 204: Some mappings for using cscope with vim.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=204

These mappings can make using cscope a fun. You can copy the word under the cursor in one window, and search for it from other window.

" Copy and paste the word under cursor
map <silent> <C-Space> :let@m=expand("<cword>")<CR>

" Use the C-Space word as the search criterion
map <C-F6> :cscope find s <C-R>=@m<CR><CR>
map <C-F5> :cscope find c <C-R>=@m<CR><CR>
map <C-F7> :cscope find g <C-R>=@m<CR><CR>







VimTip 205: Computing a sum of numbers in vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=205

"Sometimes you need to sum a some numbers in vim.  There *are* some plugins
"that can do the job.  But what if the numbers are not in a columns or are on
"the same line or are sacttered all across the file? You might also need to
"sum all the numbers in file that look like '1234$', or '54565 Eu'  ignoring others.
"
"There is a very simple trick, using (my favourite) command 
":s
"
"First you define following function

:let g:S=0 		"In global variable S we later find the result

:function! Sum(number)		"The function is defined with a '!',
				"so it does not complain during debugging
				"when you are redefining the function
	:let g:S=g:S+a:number	"we accumulate the result in global variable S
	:return a:number	"function returns the argument, so after a :s
				"command the text remains the same
:endfunction

"you can do issue those few commands from a command line, 
"or create a small file and put it into your plugin directory,
"or write those few commands into a file end issue a command :so %



"how to use this little function:
"let's suppose you have a simple column of numbers like
"
"10
"20
"30
"
"you issue command like:
:let S=0
:%s/[0-9]\+/\=Sum(submatch(0))/
"the command finds the first number on the line and adds it to the S
"
"the result is displayed 
:echo $S

"!!!! don't forget to do
:let g:S=0 
"before use.

"you can also use \zs and \ze atoms in a regular expression to 
"delimit the number, so submatch(0) returns only a number and 
"the text remains unchanged after 'substitute'


"for starter on the wonderfull world of regular expressions see:
:help usr_27.txt

"for the definition of the search pattern see 
:help :s
:help pattern

"for replacement strings begining with \= and special function submatch(0)see 
:help sub-replace-special

"for the *ultimate* guide through the world of regular expressions see book:
"Mastering Regular Expressions
"Powerful Techniques for Perl and Other Tools
"by Jeffrey E.F. Friedl
"from O'REILLY

"the book does not write about vim, yet here you can learn that
":s command is the most powerfull command you can find in a text editor. 
"(with the possible exception of :global command)







VimTip 206: Highlight doubled word errors in text
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=206

An error I sometimes make while working on a LaTeX file is the repetition of a
word as in "the the". Most often, such doubled words come about through a
careless edit. Doubled words are hard to spot when the first word of the
doubled pair is the last word on one line, and the second word of the pair is the
the first word on the next line. There is an example of such an error in the last 
sentence. Vim's syntax mechanism can be used to highlight doubled words as an error.

To obtain this highlighting for TeX and LaTeX files, place the following two lines:

       syn match texDoubleWord "\c\<\(\a\+\)\_s\+\1\>"
       hi def link texDoubleWord Error

in a file called tex.vim in the directory that shows up last in your
runtimepath (:set runtimepath? to check). This will often be 
either ~/.vim/after/syntax/tex.vim or $VIM/vimfiles/after/syntax/tex.vim 

The same effect can be obtained for files of a different filetype, say html,
by putting the same lines in a file called html.vim in the same location.

For more on the runtimepath, :he runtimepath.
For more on syntax highlighting, :he syntax






VimTip 207: editing databases with Vim/Perl/DBI
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=207

Perl's Data-Base-Independent (DBI) module provides programming language level
access to a lot of databases.

Vim hosts an embedded Perl interpreter. So it is only a matter of some key
strokes to interactively issue DB commands from within Vim or to search, edit,
and replace database contents including retrieval and storage. Of course
"create table" scripts can be worked upon in Vim as well as storing recurring
patterns in Vim functions or Perl modules.


Prerequisites: Vim needs to be compiled with Perl support enabled. See the
|if_perl.txt| manual page! The CPAN module DBI as well as an appropriate
database driver has to be installed with Perl in order to execute these Vim
commands:

" connect to perl's dbi module:
:perl use dbi;

" connect to the database:
:perl $dbh = dbi->connect( "DBI:mysql:$DBNAME:$HOST",$USER,$PASSWORD,
                                        { raiseerror => 1});

" perform a simple query:
:perl $result = $dbh->selectall_arrayref("show tables;");

" insert the list of tables into the current buffer's top:
:perl $curbuf->Append(0, map($_->[0], @{$result}));

In MySql the command "show tables;" results in a list of table names. Inserted
into a Vim buffer this results in one line per table.


You can find more on my web page
http://members.chello.at/intelliware/dbEdit








VimTip 208: Alter the display of buffers in the buffers menu
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=208

If you use the buffers menu, here's where you can change how the buffernames are displayed:

menu.vim, function s:BMMunge

OLD:   let name2 = name2 . ' (' . a:bnum . ')'

displays:
  
  .vimrc (1)
  menu.vim (2)


NEW:    let name2 = '&' . a:bnum . '. ' . name2 

displays
  
  1. .vimrc 
  2. menu.vim
(with the 1 and the 2 underlined)

which is more useful, because you can (almost) always pick the buffer you want with one keystroke, the buffernumber, until you get to buffer 10 anyway.

Roger







VimTip 209: backtracking your movements in a file
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=209

If you are jumping from one line to another a lot.
You may find the "Ctrl-o" command handy.
Usually u can set markers in a buffer to keep track of your
movements.
but Ctrl-o makes it even easier. it takes you back sequentially to
all your previous cursor locations in a buffer.
just press ctrl-o in normal mode and u will go to your last cursor position.

Njoy






VimTip 210: compiling the actual file with gcc
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=210

if you use  set makeprg=gcc\ -o\ %<\ % in your .vimrc, and your actual file is file.c,  then :make will compile file.c with the output file. (gcc file.c -o file).






VimTip 211: Rotate color themes
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=211

This tip is for those who like to change their vim color themes pretty often.  I like different themes just for a change in my work environment.  To achieve this just add the following to your .vimrc or _vimrc file.

let themeindex=0
function! RotateColorTheme()
	let y = -1	
	while y == -1 
		let colorstring = "#blue.vim#elflord.vim#evening.vim#koehler.vim#murphy.vim#pablo.vim#ron.vim#"
		let x = match(colorstring,"#",g:themeindex)
		let y = match(colorstring,"#",x+1)
		let g:themeindex = x+1
		":echo x y g:themeindex
		if y == -1
			let g:themeindex = 0
		else
			let themestring = strpart(colorstring,x+1,y-x-1)
			echo("Setting Theme to-> ".themestring)
			return ":so $VIMRUNTIME/colors/".themestring
		endif
	endwhile
endfunction

Change the value of colorstring above by changing the line
let colorstring = "#blue.vim#elflord.vim#evening.vim#koehler.vim#murphy.vim#pablo.vim#ron.vim#"
You can add your favorite color themes in this string so that you can rotate between them.  Just make sure that any string that you add is in between the # as shown above.  Just follow the format above and things will work.

Then assign a key to roate the theme.  
map <F8> :execute RotateColorTheme()

Dunno if there are better ways to do the same.  I just did a "help eval" and wrote the above.  






VimTip 212: Setting file attributes without reloading a buffer
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=212


While creating scripts and others executable files with Vim it is needed to set UNIX executable bit on the file.
You can do this from inside Vim with :!chmod a+x %. The % represents current buffer's filename.
The problem is that Vim will notice attribute changes and prompt you to reload a file. If you do this, your undo history for the file will be lost.

The following function facilitate changing executable attributes without reloading a buffer.
Thanks to Bram for the algorithm for this function.

fun! SetExecutableBit()
	let fname = expand("%:p")
	:checktime
	exec "au FileChangedShell " . fname . " :echo"
	:silent !chmod a+x %
	:checktime
	exec "au! FileChangedShell " . fname
endfun

" Create an EX command that will call the function.
command -nargs=0 Xbit call SetExecutableBit()

Now you can type :Xbit to make the file executable!







VimTip 213: delet all lines containt TXT
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=213

I needed this one when I was editing an ldif file:

I needed to delete all lines containing "profile":

:g/profile/d

very handydandy






VimTip 214: Current buffer based menus
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=214

If you have different menus for different filetypes, and you want to have only the menu relevant to current buffer displayed, you can use this approach:

in .vimrc:
au BufEnter * if exists('b:BuffEnter')|exec b:BuffEnter|endif
au BufLeave * if exists('b:BuffEnter')|exec b:BuffLeave|endif

In appropriate ftplugin/?.vim, there are assigned commands to create or destroy the menus - here typed in directly, may be of course call to a menu-generating function or whatever.

let b:BuffEnter='amenu C.added ...'
let b:BuffLeave='unmenu! C|unmenu C'








VimTip 215: Edit configuration files for a filetype
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=215

When you open a file, vim may load several scripts to customize itself for editing the file type the file is associated with (for example a file "test.c" is associated with the filetype "c").
Such configurations include the setting of syntax highlighting colors (:help syntax) and support for indentation (:help filetype-indent-on).
When you start to override these files for yourself, it can sometimes be confusing, which file sets a specific option.
The following function can be used, to edit the configuration files which are associated with a specific filename. It open a buffer for all files which get loaded.
If I invoke it with ':call Edit_ft_conf("test.c")', for example, I end up with the following buffers / windows:
  1  a   "[No File]"                    line 1
  2  a   "test.c"                       line 1
  3  a=  "/usr/local/share/vim/vim60/syntax/c.vim" line 1
  4  a   "~/.vim/after/syntax/c.vim"    line 1
  5 #a=  "/usr/local/share/vim/vim60/indent/c.vim" line 1
  6 %a=  "/usr/local/share/vim/vim60/ftplugin/c.vim" line 1


Here comes the function:

" Edit filetype configuration files
" Usage: ':call Edit_ft_conf("file")'
" Purpose: open all scripts which get loaded implicitly by opening "file"
"   (syntax highlighting, indentation, filetype plugins, ..)
"   The order of windows reflects the order of script loading (but "file" is
"   the topmost window)
fun! Edit_ft_conf(name)
    " we may not do this with a loaded file, since this won't trigger the
    " configuration file loading as desired.
    " try calling with 'call Edit_ft_conf("nonexistingfile.<EXT>")' if this
    " gives you troubles
    if bufexists(a:name) && bufloaded(a:name)
        echo "!Attention: buffer for " . a:name . " is loaded, unload first."
        return
    endif
    " split-open the file with verbose set, grab the output into a register
    " (without clobbering)
    let safereg = @u
    redir @u " redirect command output to register @u
    exec "silent 2verbose split " . a:name
        " verbose level 2 suffices to catch all scripts which get opened
    redir END
    " Parse register @u, looking for smth like: 'sourcing"/usr/local/share/vim/vim60/syntax/c.vim"'
    let pos = 0
    let regexp = 'sourcing "[^"]\+"'
    while match(@u,regexp,pos) >= 0
        let file = matchstr(@u,regexp,pos)
        let pos = matchend (@u,regexp,pos)
        let file = strpart(file,10,strlen(file)-11)
        exec "silent below split " . file
    endwhile
    " restore the register
    let @u = safereg
endfun








VimTip 216: calculate equations from within vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=216

The following map and function calculates equations using the program 'bc' (found on most linux systems, available for most systems).  Visually select the equation you want to calculate, then hit ;bc - if the selection ends with an '=' sign, the answer will be appended after the equal, otherwise, the answer is echoed as a message.  The code to put in a vimrc and source is at the end.

Equations can span multiple lines, and the full bc syntax is probably supported.  Additionally, sin (), cos (), etc, are transformed into the names used by bc (s () c (), etc).

Here are some example lines:

2 * sqrt (2) = 

3 * (2 - 1) + 4.0 ^ 6 = 

4 / 3 = 

3 + 
   4 -
      2 * (1 / (3 + 2)) = 

define rad (x) {
  return (x / 180) * 4 * atan (1)
}
cos (rad (45)) = 

Select each of these in turn (continguous non-blank lines, and hit ;bc for each), and this is what you get:
2 * sqrt (2) = 2.82842712474619009760

3 * (2 - 1) + 4.0 ^ 6 = 4099.000000

4 / 3 = 1.33333333333333333333

3 + 
   4 -
      2 * (1 / (3 + 2)) = 6.60000000000000000000

define rad (x) {
  return (x / 180) * 4 * atan (1)
}
cos (rad (45)) = .70710678118654752440


Fun, no?  Here is the code you need to put in your vimrc file:

vnoremap ;bc "ey:call CalcBC()<CR>
function! CalcBC()
	let has_equal = 0

	" remove newlines and trailing spaces
	let @e = substitute (@e, "\n", "", "g")
	let @e = substitute (@e, '\s*$', "", "g")

	" if we end with an equal, strip, and remember for output
	if @e =~ "=$"
		let @e = substitute (@e, '=$', "", "")
		let has_equal = 1
	endif

	" sub common func names for bc equivalent
	let @e = substitute (@e, '\csin\s*(', "s (", "")
	let @e = substitute (@e, '\ccos\s*(', "c (", "")
	let @e = substitute (@e, '\catan\s*(', "a (", "")
	let @e = substitute (@e, "\cln\s*(", "l (", "")

	" escape chars for shell
	let @e = escape (@e, '*()')

	" run bc, strip newline
	let answer = substitute (system ("echo " . @e . " \| bc -l"), "\n", "", "")

	" append answer or echo
	if has_equal == 1
		normal `>
		exec "normal a" . answer
	else
		echo "answer = " . answer
	endif
endfunction







VimTip 217: Translate &#nnn; in html source to readable ascii
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=217

I found a website *cough*Tivoli.com*cough* that likes to obfuscate some of its help file web pages using &#nnn; instead of normal ascii.  If you load the source with Vim (in Opera you can just designate Vim as your source viewing program), you can :so the following code to make it readable.

let n = 32
while n < 127
    if n == 38
        silent! exec '%s/&#38;/\&amp;/g'
    elseif n == 47
        silent! exec '%s/&#47;/\//g'
    else
        silent! exec '%s/&#' . n . ';/' . nr2char(n) . '/g'
    endif
    let n = n + 1
endwhile

Disclaimer: I hacked this together in about 10 minutes (or possibly longer :).  It worked suitably for the website I wrote it for (or possibly "against" :).  Your Milage May Vary.

See :help eval, :help silent, :help exec, :help :s







VimTip 218: Check for comments, independent of the filetype
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=218

For some scripts it might be useful to detect, whether a specific position in a buffer is inside
of a comment or not. Syntax highlighting can save us the work for parsing the comments ourselves.

The command
  :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 0)), "name")
echoes the group used for *highlighting* the character at the current cursor position, see ':help synIDtrans()'. It will usually be "Comment" if the cursor is inside of a comment, so
   synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 0)), "name") == "Comment"
detects, independent of the filetype (which have their own group 'names' for comments), if the cursor is inside a comment or not.
The expression
  synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 0)), "name") =~ 'Comment\|Constant\|PreProc'
will detect additionally, if the cursor is inside of a string or some preprocessor statement.








VimTip 219: make from command line, open vim on errors
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=219

A simple alias (*csh) or shell function (bash) will let you run make from your shell, then automatically open vim or gvim on the errors (if there were any):

csh or tcsh:

alias Make 'make \!* |& tee make.errors || gvim -q make.errors -c :copen'

bash:

Make () { command make "$@" |& tee make.errors || gvim -q make.errors -c :copen ; }

If you use vanilla sh or ksh or even cmd.exe, you can probably do the same - add a not if you have ideas.








VimTip 220: Regexp: Match every word except 'foo'
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=220

This is a regular expression that matches all words except 'foo'
\v<(foo>)@!\k+>

\v 		Very magic
<		Start-of-word
(Foo>)	The atom 'Foo' followed by end-of-word
@!		Match (with zero length) when the previous atom doesn't
match.
\k+		Match one or more Keywords
>		Match end-of-word.

This is a kool example of using \@! in the middle of a regexp.
The non-magic version is:
\<\(foo\>\)\@!\k\+\>







VimTip 221: indenting "throws" in java
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=221

I want to indent java files like this:

    int x(int y, int z)
        throws Exception
    {
        [...]
        return something;
    }

By default vim will properly indent "throws" line, but following "{" will not be deindented back to the method declaration.

The following indentexpr does the trick:
let &indentexpr='getline(v:lnum)=~"^\\s*{" && getline(v:lnum-1)=~"^\\s*throws\\s" ? cindent(v:lnum)-&sw : cindent(v:lnum)'

It just checks that the current line starts with "{" and the previous line starts with "throws" and if that is the case, it subtracts one shiftwidth from the number returned by cindent.






VimTip 222: Building vim with color on HP-UX
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=222

Following the normal steps of running "./configure" and "make" to build
vim on an HP-UX 10.20 will result in vim being linked with the termlib
library.  This library does not support certain termcap capability
codes, such as the "Co" code used to query the number of colors
supported by the terminal.  Consequently, vim will not display colors
when used with a color terminal such as a color xterm.

One solution to this is to run the configure script with the
"--with-tlib=curses" option, like this:

    ./configure --with-tlib=curses

This will cause vim to be linked with the HP-UX curses library, which
does support the color termcap capability codes.

Note that the xterm that comes standard with HP-UX 10.20 does not
display color character attributes.  To see colors when running vim in a
terminal window, you will also need to install a color terminal emulator
such as a recent xterm.






VimTip 223: Reverse Selected Text
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=223

Suppose you want to reverse some text - I don't know why you would want to - maybe you're dyslexic.  Anyway, I had a need, so this mapping will reverse visually selected text.  Put the mapping in your vimrc or otherwise source it, then visually select the word or words, and hit ;rv - really only works with selections on one line:

vnoremap ;rv c<C-O>:set revins<cr><C-R>"<esc>:set norevins<cr>









VimTip 224: Shifting blocks visually
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=224

I use the < and > commands on blocks a lot, and it has always annoyed me that if you want to shift more than one 'shiftwidth', you have count how many 'shiftwidth's you want to enter the '[count]>', or restore the selection with "gv". So I've cooked up two mappings that come in very handy:

:vnoremap < <gv
:vnoremap > >gv

These mappings will reselect the block after shifting, so you'll just have to select a block, press < or > as many times as you like, and press <ESC> when you're done to unselect the block.

I know it's not rocket science, but it sure has helped me a lot.






VimTip 225: vim can interact with xdvi
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=225

 vim can interact with the tricks that the latest xdvi does:

 * If one clicks at some place in xdvi, vim automatically jumps to the
   corresponding line in the LaTeX source file ("reverse search")
 * Also, from inside vim, one can jump to the corresponding line in xdvi
   which becomes highlighted ("forward search").

 Here is how to do it:

 * Reverse search:
   We start a vim server by:  vim --servername xdvi
   We start xdvi(k) on file.dvi by:
      xdvik -editor "vim --servername xdvi --remote +%l %f" file.dvi
   At the desired location in xdvi, we press:   <ctrl><left_mouse>
   Then, vim will jump to the corresponding line in the source file.

 * Forward search:
   Inside vim, we type, for example,  _g  which is the following mapping:
        (the following should be a single line)

   map _g  :execute "!xdvik -name xdvi -sourceposition " . line(".") . expand("%") . " " . expand("%:r") . ".dvi" <cr><cr>

    [the command to go to the point of xdvi that corresponds to line, eg, 77
     of the source file is (no space after 77)
       xdvik -name xdvi -sourceposition 77file.tex file.dvi  ]

  For the above to work one needs:
  1) A recent version of xdvi or xdvik (>22.39 I think)
  2) The package srcltx.sty and \usepackage{srcltx} (which should  be
     commented out when one finishes and is ready for printing etc).
  3) Our version of vim should have been compiled with +clientserver
     (however, my vim doesn't have it and still works, so try it before
      Bram finds out what is happening and fixes it)








VimTip 226: Edit file under cursor after a horizontal split
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=226

I use the command 'gf' quite often. But with this command the current buffer is hidden. To avoid that I use the following mapping :

map gw <Esc>:sp %<CR> gf

With this mapping the file under the cursor is opened after a horizontal split.






VimTip 227: Power of :g
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=227

:g is something very old and which is very powerful. I just wanted to illustrate the use of it 
with some examples. Hope, it will be useful for someone.

Brief explanation for ":g"
-------------------------
Syntax is:
    :[range]:g/<pattern>/[cmd]
You can think the working as, for the range (default whole file), execute
the colon command(ex) "cmd" for the lines matching <pattern>. Also, for all
lines that matched the pattern, "." is set to that particular line (for
certain commands if line is not specified "." (current line) is assumed).

Some examples
-------------
Display context (5 lines) for all occurences of a pattern
    :g/<pattern>/z#.5
    :g/<pattern>/z#.5|echo "=========="
    << same as first, but with some beautification >>
Delete all lines matching a pattern
    :g/<pattern>/d
Delete all blank lines (just an example for above)
    :g/^\s*$/d
Double space the file
    :g/^/pu =\"\n\"
    :g/^/pu _
    << the above one also works >>
Copy all lines matching a pattern to end of file
    :g/<pattern>/t$
Yank all lines matching a pattern to register 'a'
    0"ay0:g/<pattern>/y A
Increment the number items from current line to end-of-document by one
    :.,$g/^\d/exe "normal! \<c-a>"
Comment (C) lines containing "DEBUG" statements
    g/^\s*DEBUG/exe "norm! I/* \<Esc>A */\<Esc>"
A Reverse lookup for records
(eg: An address book, with Name on start-of-line and fields after a space)
    :g/<patern>?^\w?p               "if only name is interested
    :g/<patern>/ka|?^\w?p|'ap       "if name and the lookup-line is interested
    :g/<patern>/?^\w?|+,/^[^ ]/-1p  "if entire record is interested
Reverse a file (just to show the power of 'g')
    :g/^/m0

Foot note 1: use :v to negate the search pattern
Foot note 2: Some explanation of commonly used commands with :g
 :2,8co15 => Copy lines 2 through 8 after line 15
 :4,15t$  => Copy linesa 4 through 15 towards end of document (t == co)
    :-t$  => Copy previous line to end of document
     :m0  => Move current line to the top of the document
:.,+3m$-1 => Move current line through cur-line+3 to the last but one line
             of the document
Foot note 3: Commands used with :g are ex commands, so a help search should
             be,
                :help :<help-topic>
                eg. :help :k







VimTip 228: Deleting nested reply threads in emails
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=228

I find the following setting useful when replying to email threads that have lots of lines like the following:
> blah
> > blah
> > > blah

autocmd FileType mail map <F8> :%g/^> >/d<CR>

When replying to a mail and you want to remove everything except what the person you are directly replying to wrote just press F8.
From the example above, you would just be left with
> blah

What it does is simply match any line starting with > > and deletes it.  It's not perfect as sigs and other debris may remain but it takes a lot of the grunt work out of replying to mails.
The autocmd only maps F8 when using mails, this is handy if you use F8 for other things as I do.

:help autocmd
:help map
:help :g







VimTip 229: First thing to try before asking help
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=229

I've seen several questions asked in the reflector which is available in the help files. 
Yeah, I know the help is huge. But, you can try this command to show a list of related
topics you are trying:
   :he <topic><c-d>
It is "some topic" followed by the key sequence Ctrl-D. For eg:
   :he xterm<c-d>
will show all the help topics matching xterm. Then you can do completion/copy-n-paste
the topic you are searching. Of course you can cycle through all the topics through 
repeated <TABS>, but if the number of hits are huge, it is cumbersome.

Enjoy vimming beginners!!!
-Arun







VimTip 230: copy current file to another location from within vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=230

I work on jsp pages in my source tree but I have to copy the jsp files over to the tomcat directory in order to view my changes.The following mapping will copy the file being edited to another location.

command Cpage silent !cp '%:p' "c:/Progra~1/Tomcat/webapps/console/pages/%"

Explanation:

% refers to the current buffer
%:p refers to the path to the file 
silent suppresses the command prompt window.

Usage:

:Cpage







VimTip 231: Localized color schemes
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=231

i frequently like to edit multiple files in the same vim session.  however, if i come into vim from another window i frequently hit 'i' and start typing in whatever buffer is currently being used -- this is often the wrong one (requires <esc>, undo, go the other buffer and . to redo).

one way to work around this for me is to use a different color scheme depending on what file i'm working on:

au BufEnter * if (exists("b:colors_name")) | let b:current_colors=colors_name | execute "colorscheme " . b:colors_name | endif

au BufLeave * if (exists("b:current_colors")) | execute "colorscheme " . b:current_colors | endif

if you define b:colors_name with a particular color scheme name, then the above autocommands will switch to that colorscheme when you enter that window and will return to the original color upon departure.

inside ftplugin/java.vim, for example, i might have b:colors_name set to 'morning', causing all java files to have a distinguishing color scheme.






VimTip 232: Search JDK help for keyword at cursor
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=232

 If you are using the Win32 version of Vim you can use this tip to search the Jdk help for the keyword under the cursor.
You need the winhlp32 version of the Jdk docs from this URL - http://www.confluent.fr/javadoc/indexe.html.
It is a 16mb D/L and approx 85mb unzipped!

I added a command to the popup menu 
:amenu PopUp.JavaHelp	:!start winhlp32 -k <cword> F:\jdk\winhelp\JDK13.HLP <CR

And also made a keymapping
map J :!start winhlp32 -k <cword> F:\jdk\winhelp\JDK13.HLP <CR>

Trivial yes, but I find it quite useful.






VimTip 233: Some tips for using Vim to write Lisp code
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=233

For some tips on how to use Vim for writing Lisp code, see http://www.lisp-p.org/i000/15-vim.






VimTip 234: Vi(M) Command Line tips & tricks
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=234

Hi VIMMERs

These tips save me wearing out my delicate little fingers with unnecessary keystrokes.
They assume Unix, but I also use them on a Windows Unix Shell (MKS) as well

# When I know the file i want to edit is the most recent file in a directory

alias -x vew='vi `l\s -t * | head -1 `'

#When I know the file I want to edit contains a unique keyword
#this is actually in a little shell script call ed vg where the keyword is passed as parameter $1
#/bin/sh
#name vg
vi.exe  $(grep -isl $1 *) &

# some variations
alias -x vp='vi `l\s -t *.@(pl|cgi)| head -1 `'

#execute the most recent script (I call this from within VIM with a mapped button)
alias -x xew='`l\s -t *.pl | head -1 `'

Cheers zzapper








VimTip 235: Toggle highlight word under cursor, to find cursor.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=235

When the screen has scrolled such as during a search, it may be difficult to find the cursor.  :help %# explains the pattern one can use to highlight the word around the cursor, which gives a bigger target to look for on the screen.  I have this in my .vimrc:

function VIMRCWhere()
    if !exists("s:highlightcursor")
        match Todo /\k*\%#\k*/
        let s:highlightcursor=1
    else
        match None
        unlet s:highlightcursor
    endif
endfunction
map <C-K> :call VIMRCWhere()<CR>

This means that in "normal" mode ctrl-k will toggle the highlight.  Todo is a hightlight group whch is particularly easy to see.
For further information see ":help s:", ":help match",  ":help exists()"  and ":help funtion".






VimTip 236: Menu for inserting special characters
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=236

First, thanks for the script printascii.vim.

When looking at the ascii table, I found some characters I'd like to have inserted when editing.
Add the following lines in your _gvimrc and you can select them via menu.
(change the names of the menu if you don't have German installed or don't like my titles).
I also made some abbreviations to get separation lines in documentation or code files,
e.g.
abb dotlin ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………^M
abb cdotlin /*…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………*/^M
abb fdotlin •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••^M
abb cfdotlin /*•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••*/^M
abb dlin =======================================================================^M
abb cdlin /*===================================================================*/^M
abb lin -----------------------------------------------------------------------^M
abb clin /*-------------------------------------------------------------------*/^M
abb ulin _______________________________________________________________________^M
abb culin /*___________________________________________________________________*/^M
abb Ulin ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯^M
abb cUlin /*¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯*/^M

(you have to substitute ^M with CTRL_V CTRL_M or delete it)

20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.open\ angle\	«	<C-R>=nr2char(171)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.open\ angle\	«	a<C-R>=nr2char(171)<CR><ESC>
20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.close\ angle\	»	<C-R>=nr2char(187)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.close\ angle\	»	a<C-R>=nr2char(187)<CR><ESC>
20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.start\ mark\	„	<C-R>=nr2char(132)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.start\ mark\	„ 	a<C-R>=nr2char(132)<CR><ESC>
20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.end\ mark\	\	”	<C-R>=nr2char(148)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.end\ mark\	\	” 	a<C-R>=nr2char(148)<CR><ESC>
20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.fat\ dot\	\	•	<C-R>=nr2char(149)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.fat\ dot\	\	•	a<C-R>=nr2char(149)<CR><ESC>
20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.etc\	\	\	…	<C-R>=nr2char(133)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.etc\	\	\	… 	a<C-R>=nr2char(133)<CR><ESC>
20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.!underscore\	\	¯	<C-R>=nr2char(175)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.!underscore\	\	¯ 	a<C-R>=nr2char(175)<CR><ESC>
20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.copyright\	\	©	<C-R>=nr2char(169)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.copyright\	\	©	a<C-R>=nr2char(169)<CR><ESC>
20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.paragraph\	\	§	<C-R>=nr2char(167)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.paragraph\	\	§	a<C-R>=nr2char(167)<CR><ESC>
20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.noitamalcxe\	¡	<C-R>=nr2char(161)<CR>
20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.noitamalcxe\	¡	a<C-R>=nr2char(161)<CR><ESC>








VimTip 237: If you prefer vertical splits
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=237

This is just in case there's somebody else who likes to work in a maximized vim window on a high resolution desktop. If you follow good coding practice and make sure your programs use only 80 characters in each row, have you noticed how much space lies unused on the right?

I find that the following settings keep me from ever seeing another horizontal split, unless I specifically ask for it.

cabbrev split vsplit
cabbrev hsplit split
cabbrev sta vertical sta
cabbrev help vertical help
cabbrev new vnew
cabbrev right botright

; A more heavyweight solution for ^W^]
function! ToggleSplit (dir)
    let currFname = bufname ("%")
    let old = winnr ()

    " Window navigation to ensure the correct window is 'last'.
    if (a:dir == "u")
        wincmd k
        let back="j"
    elseif (a:dir == "d")
        wincmd j
        let back="k"
    elseif (a:dir == "l") 
        wincmd h
        let back="l"
    elseif (a:dir == "r")
        wincmd l
        let back="h"
    endif

    if (winnr () == old)
        echo "Ouch"
        return
    endif

    exec "wincmd " . back

    quit

    if (back == "j" || back == "k")
        let orientation = "vsplit"
    else
        let orientation = "split"
    endif

    if (back == "j" || back == "l")
        let dir = "below"
    else
        let dir = "above"
    endif

    exec dir . " " . orientation " " . currFname
endfunction
noremap ^W^] ^W^]:silent call ToggleSplit ("d")<CR>

; Optional.
set splitright
; In which case the above mapping becomes:
noremap ^W^] :set splitbelow<CR>^W^]:silent call ToggleSplit ("u")<CR>:set nosplitbelow<CR>
; Or you could just
set splitbelow
; :-)

; Very elegant and almost perfect, but it screws up if you want to run a command with ranges :-)
;noremap : :vertical<Space>

; EOF






VimTip 238: Very basic session persistence
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=238

I use the following code in my plugins dir to ease session persistance. If I want my session to persist I use :mks! and then whenever I open the Session.vim file, my session is restored. If I am working from a restored session and I close VIM, the session is saved automatically. Drawback is that it makes editing the Session.vim file a bit cumbersome ;)

  au BufRead Session.vim so %
  au VimLeave * call SaveCurrentSession()

  function! SaveCurrentSession()
    if v:this_session != ""
      exe "mksession! " . v:this_session
    endif
  endfunction






VimTip 239: Scroll using arrow keys like browser: map shift-up and shift-down
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=239

You can make Vim scroll the text using the shifted up/down arrows, sort of like your browser (except with shifted keys :), by mapping Shift-Up to Ctrl-Y and Shift-Down to Ctrl-E.

    map <s-Down> <C-E>
    map <s-Up> <C-Y>

Shift-Down will then scroll down (like moving a scroll-bar down, or like moving a cursor at the bottom of a window down), and Shift-Up will then scroll up (like moving a scroll-bar up, etc).

If you'd rather think about the text moving down/up instead of the cursor moving up/down, you can of course swap the mappings.

If you normally use j and k for cursor movement, and rarely use the arrow keys, you can map the arrow keys directly, in which case I'd probably map the shifted arrow keys back to cursor movement:

    map <down> <c-e>
    map <up> <c-y>
    map <s-down> j
    map <s-up> k

See :help ctrl-e, :help ctrl-y, and :help key-mapping.

See also :help i_ctrl-o and :help map-modes for how to set up these mappings for use in other modes (like insert mode :).

(Vim by default maps s-Down and s-Up to Ctrl-F and Ctrl-B, for both normal and visual mode.  Keep this in mind if you change some of the above mappings to "nmap", 'cause you'll probably also want to look in to "vmap".)







VimTip 240: Hideall for Vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=240

Xemacs has a hide all function which can make all the function in your C file a fold and close them. And here is something small to achieve similiar under Vim.

func! HideAll()
   syn region myFold start="{" end="}" transparent fold
   syn sync fromstart
   set foldnestmax=1
   set foldmethod=syntax
endfunc

amenu Whatever.Hide\ all :call HideAll()<CR>






VimTip 241: "Hide" Folding Markers
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=241


I wanted to start using folding without having to get used to
seeing the (default) markers, a.k.a {{{ and }}}. So, here are 
2 autocmd's that will make them fade to black....bg=black fg=black

au BufRead,BufNewfile   * syn match fmrkr '"*{{{\|"*}}}'                 | 
                        \ syn cluster vimCommentGroup contains=fmrkr     | 
                        \ hi fmrkr term=NONE guibg=black   guifg=black 
                        \                    ctermbg=black ctermfg=black

au BufRead,BufNewfile   * syn match fmrkr '"*{{{\|"*}}}'
                        \ containedin=vimLineComment contained           | 
                        \ hi fmrkr term=NONE guibg=black   guifg=black
                        \                    ctermbg=black ctermfg=black

They both accomplish the same thing, but with different methods, so
simply pick one and see those annoying (at least to me) markers fade away.
I just tried it out with vim files, but you can easily modify it for
any other filetypes.

Thanks to Colin's lead with ':help c-syntax'    for the 1st au.
Thanks to Benji's lead with ':help containedin' for the 2nd au.
Understanding most of the syntax.txt document file would also be helpful.

To figure out what highlighting group the Marker is in, I would suggest
using Chip's vimtip#99.

Happy Vimming!






VimTip 242: The power of "\_" in reg-ex
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=242

One of the most uncelebrated feature of vim 6.0 is the ability to span a search across multiple lines.

\_^   maps a begining of line anywhere in search pattern. 
\_$   ---"----- end           ----------------------"-------------------------.
\_s  ---"------ space                   ------------"------------------------- .

e.g  /{\_s will map all white spaces and new-line chars after a "{"

The \_ can be appended to other objects as well. such as \_U,  \_L,  \_. (this one's risky) .

See :help pattern for more details.
Njoy 







VimTip 243: Develop vim modules on Win
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=243

We're trying to develop txt2pdf.vim http://vim.sourceforge.net/scripts/script.php?script_id=283 on Win.
It's a very simple module to save the current file and convert it to PDF using our txt2pdf tool http://www.sanface.com/txt2pdf.html
On our Windows 2000 we've developed it. It works good.
Today we've tested the module on Linux. Surprise: it doesn't work.
Default Win Vim configure save on Win text in Win way: EOL \r\n.
A Vim module made in this way can't work on Linux (probably on every Unix OS).
If you want to make a Vim module on Win and you want it can work also on Unix (we hope the same rula can work also on different OS) you've to save the Vim module with Unix EOL (\n).

Please send us (sanface@sanface.com) your notes about other OS (e.g. OpenVMS).






VimTip 244: Ask vim where an option was set.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=244

     When things go wrong, it is sometimes hard to figure out why.  For example,
an option might be set in the system vimrc file, in a personal vimrc file, in a
plugin (global or local), or interactively.  Vim will tell you where the current
value was set if you ask:

:verbose set history?

will tell you the current value of the 'history' option, and where it was set.






VimTip 245: Working with Unicode (platform-independent)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=245

Here are the main options you will want to set if you want to work with Unicode files in (g)vim (see at bottom what help tags to look for)

if has("multi_byte")
     set encoding=utf-8                       " how vim shall represent characters internally
     setglobal fileencoding=utf-8         " empty is also OK (defaults to same as 'encoding'). Or you may want to set one of the ucs encodings (which
                                                          " may use less disk space if you use only "alphabetic" scripts such as Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew or Arabic, and
                                                          " not "ideographic" scripts like Chinese, Japanese or Korean. With the ucs encodings it is usually better
     set bomb                                      "  to also set 'bomb' on ('byte-order-mark" option, irrelevant for utf-8 but not for ucs)
     set termencoding=iso-8859-15    " or whatever is appropriate to your locale (iso-8859-15 is Latin1 + Euro currency sign)
     set fileencodings=ucs-bom,iso-8859-15,iso-8859-3,utf-8
         " or whatever is appropriate to the kinds of files you want to edit
         " 'fileencodings' defines the heuristic to set 'fillencoding' (local to buffer) when reading an existing file. The first one that matches will be used.
         " ucs-bom is "ucs with byte-order-mark"; it must not come after ucs-8 if you want it to be used
else
     echoerr "Sorry, this version of (g)vim was not compiled with +multi_byte"
endif

In "replace" mode, one utf character (one or more data bytes) replaces one utf character (which need not use the same number of bytes)
In "normal" mode, ga shows the character under the cursor as text, decimal, octal and hex; g8 shows which byte(s) is/are used to represent it
In "insert" or "replace" mode,
  - any character defined on your keyboard can be entered the usual way (even with dead keys if you have them, e.g. âêîôû  äëïöü)
  - any character which has a "digraph" (there are a huge lot of them, see :dig after setting enc=utf-8) can be entered with a Ctrl-K prefix
  - any utf character at all can be entered with a Ctrl-V prefix, either <Ctrl-V> u aaaa or <Ctrl-V> U bbbbbbbb, with 0 <= aaaa <= FFFF, or 0 <= bbbbbbbb <= 7FFFFFFF

Unicode can be used to create html "body text", at least for Netscape 6 and probably for IE; but on my machine it doesn't display properly as "title text" (i.e., between <title></title> tags in the <head> part).

Gvim will display it properly if you have the fonts for it, provided that you set 'guifont' to some fixed-width font which has the glyphs you want to use (Courier New is OK for French, German, Greek, Russian and more, but I'm not sure about Hebrew or Arabic; its glyphs are of a more "fixed" width than those of, e.g. Lucida Console: the latter can be annoying if you need bold Cyrillic writing).

see:

:h utf8
:h 'enc'
:h 'fenc'
:h 'fencs'
:h 'tenc'
:h 'bomb'
:h 'guifont'
:h ga
:h g8
:h i_Ctrl-V_digit

Happy Vimming !
Tony.






VimTip 246: Working with Unicode (the same, rewritten for legibility)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=246

1. Where to look for help
-------------------------
:h utf8
:h encoding-values
:h 'enc'
:h 'fenc'
:h 'fencs'
:h 'tenc'
:h 'bomb'
:h 'guifont'
:h ga
:h g8
:h :dig
:h i_Ctrl-V_digit
:h has()

2. What to do (These are *examples*. Modify them to suit your work environment.)
-------------
if has("multi_byte")
     set encoding=utf-8
     setglobal fileencoding=utf-8
     set bomb
     set termencoding=iso-8859-15
     set fileencodings=ucs-bom,iso-8859-15,iso-8859-3,utf-8
else
     echoerr "Sorry, this version of (g)vim was not compiled with +multi_byte"
endif

3. What the above does
----------------------
* has("multi_byte") checks if you have the right options compiled-in. If you haven't got what it takes, it's no use trying to use Unicode.

* 'encoding' sets how vim shall represent characters internally. Utf-8 is necessary for most flavors of Unicode.

* 'fileencoding' sets the encoding for a particular file (local to buffer); :setglobal sets the default value. An empty value can also be used: it defaults to same as 'encoding'. Or you may want to set one of the ucs encodings, It might make the same disk file bigger or smaller depending on your particular mix of characters. Also, IIUC, utf-8 is always big-endian (high bit first) while ucs can be big-endian or little-endian, so if you use it, you will probably need to set 'bomb" (see below).

* 'bomb' (boolean): if set, vim will put a "byte order mark" at the start of ucs files. This option is irrelevant for most non-ucs files (utf-8, iso-8859, etc.)

* 'termencoding' defines how your keyboard encodes what you type. The value you put there will depend on your locale: iso-8859-15 is Latin1 + Euro currency sign, but you may want something else for, say, an Eastern European keyboard.

* 'fileencodings' defines the heuristic to set 'fileencoding' (local to buffer) when reading an existing file. The first one that matches will be used (and, IIUC, if there is no match, Vim falls back on Latin1). Ucs-bom is "ucs with byte-order-mark"; it must not come after utf-8 if you want it to be used.

4. Additional remarks
---------------------
* In "replace" mode, one utf character (one or more data bytes) replaces one utf character (which need not use the same number of bytes)

* In "normal" mode, ga shows the character under the cursor as text, decimal, octal and hex; g8 shows which byte(s) is/are used to represent it.

* In "insert" or "replace" mode,
  - any character defined on your keyboard can be entered the usual way (even with dead keys if you have them, e.g. French circumflex, German umlaut, etc.);
  - any character which has a "digraph" (there are a huge lot of them, see :dig after setting enc=utf-8) can be entered with a Ctrl-K prefix;
  - any utf character at all can be entered with a Ctrl-V prefix, either <Ctrl-V> u aaaa or <Ctrl-V> U bbbbbbbb, with 0 <= aaaa <= FFFF, or 0 <= bbbbbbbb <= 7FFFFFFF.

* Unicode can be used to create html "body text", at least for Netscape 6 and probably for IE; but on my machine it doesn't display properly as "title text" (i.e., between <title></title> tags in the <head> part).

* Gvim will display it properly if you have the fonts for it, provided that you set 'guifont' to some fixed-width font which has the glyphs you want to use (Courier New is OK for French, German, Greek, Russian and more, but I'm not sure about Hebrew or Arabic; its glyphs are of a more "fixed" width than those of, e.g. Lucida Console: the latter can be awkward if you need bold Cyrillic writing).

Happy Vimming !
Tony.







VimTip 247: Preexisting code indentation
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=247

Using tabs as elementary unit in your code indentation has two advantages: first, you may modify 'tabstop' and immediately all the indentations depths are modified according to it; second, your file will be smaller.

But how can we change some already-written code in order to convert spaces to tabs. Very simple!
Suppose your old code has an indentation unit of 2 spaces
:ret! 2
:x
will replace every 2-spaces to one tab, independently from your current tabstop value, and will save the modified file.
Then, if you open again the file with tabstop=2, the file will look as before but it will be smaller. If you open the file with tabstop=4, the code vill have a more indented look, and so on...

Cheers! 






VimTip 248: Auto-save the current buffer periodically.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=248

I have no  idea if this was implemented  in vim 5.3 or not,  but you can
definitely  do the  following  kludge  in 6.x  by  using CursorHold  and
localtime:

- When you  start reading a file,  set a buffer variable  to the current
  time:

  au BufRead,BufNewFile * let b:start_time=localtime()

- Set a  CursorHold event  to check  to see if  enough time  has elapsed
  since the last save and save if not:

  au CursorHold * call UpdateFile()

- Define a function to save the file if needed:

  " only write if needed and update the start time after the save
  function! UpdateFile()
    if ((localtime() - b:start_time) >= 60)
      update
      let b:start_time=localtime()
    else
      echo "Only " . (localtime() - b:start_time) . " seconds have elapsed so far."
    endif
  endfunction

- Reset the start time explicitly after each save.

  au BufWritePre * let b:start_time=localtime()

Obviously, you  should get rid of  the else portion once  you're certain
that this does indeed do what you wanted.

The  thing  to  note  is  that  the  CursorHold  will  only  fire  after
'updatetime' milliseconds  of inactivity have  elapsed. So, if  you type
rapidly for  one and  a half  minutes non-stop,  it won't  actually save
anything until you STOP activity long  enough. This may be what you want
anyway because it won't interrupt your activity with a forced save.

The actual save-delay can be changed from '60' to another number (in seconds) or a variable or anything like that.  This entire functionality can be easily wrapped inside a nice script which enables/disables this on a per-buffer basis (maybe with maps etc.).  If desired, I can provide that also.






VimTip 249: C/C++: Quickly insert #if 0 - #endif around block of code
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=249

One of my favorite macros that I use in vim (and vi) inserts a #if 0 #endif sandwich
around a block of code.  I always map this to the 2 key sequence ;'  which is the
semi-colon followed by the single quote.  Look at your keyboard, you will notice
these keys are adjacent to one another.  I like this mapping because it's very fast,
my fingers easily roll from one key to the next, obviously YMMV.

To use this mapping, go to the line of code that you want the '#if 0' to be on, type
ma to mark this line with the marker a, then move to the line that should be last line
just above the '#endif' and press ;'

    " insert #if 0 - #endif around block of code
    map ;' mz'aO<Esc>i#if 0<Esc>'zo<Esc>i#endif<Esc>

--
David Thompson
dat1965@yahoo.com






VimTip 250: One big window
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=250

If you like to see your files in fullscreen, and you have to edit more files, you can do the following.
* Use only one window
* Open further files with :e
* type :nm <A-Up> :bp!<CR>
* type :nm <A-Down> :bn!<CR>
* type :nm <C-F4> :bd!<CR>
You can of course change the keys.
Now to switch between windows, you can press Alt-Up, and Alt-Down
(Just in the GUI, if you use console, don't use Alt key)
Another idea is to map them to Ctrl-Tab, and Ctrl-Shift-Tab
To close the current file you can press Ctrl-F4






VimTip 251: c/c++: align #endif with corresponding #if/#ifdef
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=251

If you try to impose any sort of alignment on your preprocessor directives, rather than just starting them on column 0, this mapping will align the #endif 'correctly' when you type '#en', start a new line, and bring you back to the correct alignment to edit code.

inoremap <buffer> #en X<BS><Esc>?#if<CR>"zy0^Og0"zpDa#endif<CR>X<BS><Esc>?#end?-1<CR>^"zy0^O0"zpDa

I am reasonably sure this is insensitive to vim options...






VimTip 252: python script to align statements
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=252

i know there's some awk scripts out there that do the same thing, and if i were a real trooper i would have
written this in vims internal language but...

i wrote a python script to align statements.

i put this in my .vimrc:
map L :!lineUp.py<cr>   " of course lineUp.py is somewhere in my path

and i have this python file somewhere in my path:
http://ophinity.com/res/dotFiles/lineUp.py

so now i can just pipe the offending lines thru my code:
:5, 10 !lineUp.py 
or using the mapping above, visually select the lines and press 'L'








VimTip 253: The power of | (v75|r- actually...)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=253

'|' as you may well be aware is the goto column motion, and that "75|" will place your cursor on column 75 of the current line.

That in itself is pretty handy at times, but some true power arises when used in conjuction with visual mode and replace. Or you could just say a sneaky trick :)

v75|r-
will repace from the cursor to the end of line with '-'
*breakdown*
v to turn on visual mode
75 for the count
| *bar* to goto column
r to enter repace
- to specify the char to replace.

A handy and quick way to make a noticable section of your code (or whatever).

A handy way to use this (formated to just drop into DrChip's CStubs):
"// -[Feral]---------------------------------------------------------------
"// <cursor>
	elseif wrd == "//"
		exe "norm! a -[AuthorId]\<esc>$lv75|r-$a\<cr>\<esc>$a "

"// -[Feral:146/02@08:31]--------------------------------------------------
"// <cursor>
	elseif wrd == "///"
		exe "norm! s -[AuthorId:\<C-R>=strftime('%j/%y@%H:%M')\<CR>]\<esc>$lv75|r-$a\<cr>\<esc>$a "

"/* -[Feral:146/02@08:31]--------------------------------------------------
" * <cursor>
" * -------------------------------------------------------------------- */
	elseif wrd == "/*"
		exe "norm! a -[AuthorId:\<C-R>=strftime('%j/%y@%H:%M')\<CR>]\<esc>$lv75|r-$a\<cr>\<cr>\<esc>2lv72|r-$a */\<esc>k$a "


Have to love VIM!






VimTip 254: Using \%[] to easily match parts of a word.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=254

This code fragment is suitable to drop into DrChip's CStubs.
After much searching I was unable to find a tip nor script number to referance, I believe where I found Dr. Chip's CStubs originally : http://users.erols.com/astronaut/vim/vimscript/drcstubs.vim
Thank you Dr. Chip! (=


If you have ever wanted to match parts of a word you may have considered something like:
if wrd == "re" || wrd == "ret" || wrd == "retu" || wrd == "retur"
   "do something

Althought the above works well enough it is a pain to maintain and add new words (not to mention its just a touch messy ;) )

A more elegant (and easier to use I believe) method would be to use \%[] as part of a pattern.

For instance, "\\<re\\%[tur]\\>" will match "re", "ret", "retu" or "retur"

*breakdown*
\\< = start of word
re = first letters of word we want to require to match
\\%[tur] = optionally match chars bewteen the braces, i.e. 't', 'tu' or 'tur'
\\> = end of word

So, we can use this as a pattern for match like so (In DrChip's CStubs)

elseif match(wrd, "\\<re\\%[tur]\\>") > -1
    exe "norm! bdWireturn\<Esc>"

Which, I think, is a little better than the longer alternative:
"  vs
elseif wrd == "re" || wrd == "ret" || wrd == "retu" || wrd == "retur"
    exe "norm! bdWireturn\<Esc>"


Just another one of those VIM things that made me smile :)






VimTip 255: arbitrary tags for file names
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=255

This definitely work on linux and there is probably some windows equivalent.
I've started working with tomcat and many many .jsp files.  I find this trick to be very helpful.

find -name '*.jsp' -printf '%f\t%P\t1\n' |sort > jsp.tags

This will create a file called jsp.tags with tag entries for each .jsp file.  Within Vim I use 

:set tags+=jsp.tags

Now I can to simple :tag file.jsp to quickly switch b/w the many, many .jsp files.

One important note.  The utility sort will use the value of LC_COLLATE to sort according to your
locale.  This will give Vim issues.  So try "LC_COLLATE=C sort" instead of plain "sort"






VimTip 256: Opening current Vim file in your Windows browser
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=256

Hi Vimmers

open current file in browser

map ,f   :update<CR>:silent !start c:\progra~1\intern~1\iexplore.exe file://%:p<CR>

open http link under cursor in your browser

map ,i   :update<CR>: !start c:\progra~1\intern~1\iexplore.exe <cWORD><CR>

Note use of cWORD (not cword) meaning OUTER Word

Works for me in XP & 98
(Original came from a posting by Ralf Arens)

zzapper






VimTip 257: fast page up/down.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=257

i discovered a cool way to move between pages of the same document in vim 6.1. press a number in -normal mode- and the page up/down. the document will move with that number of pages up/down.if the number is greater that the nr of pages, document will move to begin/end of file.
i didn't test it on other version. 






VimTip 258: how long is the current word?
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=258

ever wondered how long the current word is?  this can be quite useful when editing data files.
simply add the following to your .vimrc

nmap <C-_> :echo 'word' expand("<cword>") '  wordlen =' strlen(expand("<cword>"))<CR>

and it will tell you the word under the cursor, and how long it is.

and for things that arent words, this addition to your .vimrc works on sections of a line that have been hightligted in visual mode

vmap <C-_> "-y:echo 'word' @- '  wordlen =' strlen(@-)<CR>

again you see the "word", and its length
this may also work on vim 5.x, but i havent checked to make sure.






VimTip 259: removing the toolbar (icons) from gvim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=259

Change good or bad usually  encounters interia from people in excepting it. 
gvim 6.0 is the first version that introduced the icons shortcut in shape of a toolbar under the menu.
when we upgraded to the new and improved vim 6.1 from vim 5.7 some of people in our company encountered some problems with their syntax highlighting
and some of them objected on the new toolbar which displayed icons for some common tasks for people more used to GUI.

I finally figured out how to remove this new feature since I also didn't see much use for it

Here is for all those who haven't figured it out yet

In your .gvimrc include the following two lines

unmenu ToolBar
unmenu! ToolBar

Doing this from an open gvim does not remove them but grays them out but doing from gvimrc does the job

I was also trying to remove the menus at the top and almost succeeded with a similar technique but somehow the Buffer menu item stays there no matter what. IMHO it is a bug but it could very well be a feature ;)

I tried this 

unmenu *
unmenu! *

even added this line after the above two but didn't help
unmenu Buffers

I hope this benefits you all as much as I have benefitted from all your tips







VimTip 260: gvim-->mouse-->popup menu
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=260

This tip is for those who prefer to do some of the common
operations like cut/copy/paste etc using mouse. All u have to do is
 
 :set mousemodel=popup

by this u get a popup menu on right click of your mouse and u can
do all the common operations like undo, cut, copy, paste, select etc
using mouse.

u can also customise your popup menu by editing $VIMRUNTIME/menu.vim








VimTip 261: Close windows from  Gvim poup menu
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=261

To close windows from the popup menu add these lines to your .gvimrc

:amenu PopUp.Close.\ Window :confirm close<CR>
:amenu PopUp.Close.\ Other  :confirm only<CR>

You obviously need ':set mousemodel=popup' in your .gvimrc as well :=)






VimTip 262: Bored of ur arrow shapped mouseptr?
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=262

here is how u can change the shape of ur mouseptr in gvim.

:set mouseshape=n:pencil

this will change the shape of the mouseptr to pencil in normal mode.
u can choose different shapes for different modes. see :h mouseshape

Want more shapes?

Then look for the file cursorfont.h in ur X11/ directory.
This file contains lots of cursor shape #define definitions, like
.
#define XC_heart 62
.
now :set mouseshape=n:62 will set the shape of the mouseptr to heart
in normal mode.

-ncr






VimTip 263: color active line
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=263

This tip shows how to color the active line, the line in which the cursor is, for better reading.
You should try possibility 2 before 1, IMHO it is mostly usable.

possibility 1:
     :au! CursorHold * let @/ = '\%' . line('.') . 'l.*'
     :set ut=500

explanation:
     After 500 ms of waiting for you to hit a key, vim sets the search register to a pattern that matches the current line.

problem:
     Register / holds the search pattern, so you cannot have color the active line and search.
     Therefore another solution:

possibility 2:
     :highlight CurrentLine guibg=darkgrey guifg=white     (or whatever colors you want)
     :au! Cursorhold * exe 'match CurrentLine /\%' . line('.') . 'l.*/'
     :set ut=100

explanation:
     This solution uses 'match' to highlight a string, it does not interface with the current search pattern.

addition:
     Turning the highlighning off:
          :au! Cursorhold
          :match none
     The order of these commands are important. If :match none is executed first, the autocommand would
     almost immediately execute another match command.

references to vim help:
     :help Cursorhold
     :help 'ut'
     :help /\%l
     :help "/
     :help \%








VimTip 264: F5 Compile and Run, F8 Compile (ala Visual Studio)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=264

I love vim, it's my default editor on my Sun, Windows, Linux and *BSD boxen.  That said, I hate having to flip windows to compile while doing the write->compile->debug loop.

If you're used to Visual Studio and the ability it has to just hit F5 to compile and run the current file or F8 to compile or step through the code you'll appreciate this...

This is my Windows version of this scriplet/tiplet.  For other platforms, you'll want to change the IF ELSE loops.  You should actually never see the "Unsuccessful" message from the compile/run loop unless the compiler completely bombs out.   This is from my _vimrc... 


map <F5> :call CompileRunGcc()<CR>

map <F8> : call CompileGcc()<CR>

func! CompileRunGcc()
		exec "w"   "Save the file
		exec "!gcc % -o %< && cr 10 && IF EXIST %<.exe (%<) ELSE banner -c = Compile Unsuccessful "  
		exec "i" "jump back where we were
		
	
endfunc

func! CompileGcc()
		exec "w"
		exec "!gcc % -o %<  && IF EXIST %<.exe (cr 5 && banner -c # Success) ELSE banner -c # Compile Unsuccessful "
		exec "i"
	
endfunc






VimTip 265: Fast help in full window
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=265

You can get fast access to help by writing small script

#!/bin/bash
vim -c "help $1" -c only

now name it eg. vih and from cl

$ vih makeprg






VimTip 266: use -S command line switch
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=266


The -S switch could be used to simplify common idiom: start Vim and source a script file:
gvim -c ":so foobar.vim" got translated into gvim -S foobar.vim

Yes, this tip is trivial but I still see the -c ":so x" way too often. Time to update your mind!






VimTip 267: selectively displaying abbreviations
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=267

Hi Vimmers,
abbreviations have always been one of the most useful parts of vi(m), trouble is when you've got too many you forgot what you called them.

You can of course list the whole lot with

:ab<cr>

But did you know that you can type the first few letters of your abbreviations and get a list of just thos abs eg

:ab php<cr>
gives me all my php abs
&
:ab perl<cr>
gives me all my perls

also try control-D instrad of <cr>

zzapper








VimTip 268: Get cursor position as byte percentage instead of line percentage
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=268

On line 300 of a thousand line file, Vim will show you that you're 30% through the file.  But what if most of the lines have one character in them, and some of them have twenty thousand?  Sometimes it comes in handy to know your percentage through the file in terms of current-byte / total-bytes.  I looked through the Vim docs and couldn't find a way to do this, so I wrote a Vim function to show it.

Put this in your .vimrc:

function! Percent()
    let byte = line2byte( line( "." ) ) + col( "." ) - 1
    let size = (line2byte( line( "$" ) + 1 ) - 1)
    " return byte . " " . size . " " . (byte * 100) / size
    return (byte * 100) / size
endfunction

(Uncomment the first return to see intermediate values.)

And put this somewhere in your "set statusline=...":

    %{Percent()}%%

See "help statusline", "help eval".







VimTip 269: Syntax highlighting is "out of sync", seems to correct itself with refresh ??
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=269

This one has come across the 'vim' users mailing list many times, and probably
comp.editors as well...

Summary:
see :help :syn-sync
and search for 'sync' in your favorite syntax file in $VIMRUNTIME/syntax

Long Version:
The syntax highlight code utilizes a certain synchronization method to efficiently
figure out syntax highlighting, specifically if you aren't at the very beginning or
end of a file.  The specific setting is 'syntax sync'.  For various file types the
method is set by default in this is setup in the syntax file and one can vary
the degree of trouble which VIM goes to to try and figure this out.  As an example
for C, from $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/c.vim:

if exists("c_minlines")
  let b:c_minlines = c_minlines
else
  if !exists("c_no_if0")
    let b:c_minlines = 50	" #if 0 constructs can be long
  else
    let b:c_minlines = 15	" mostly for () constructs
  endif
endif
exec "syn sync ccomment cComment minlines=" . b:c_minlines

Where c_minlines is the minimum number of lines that VIM goes backward
to try to find the start of a comment for syntax highlighting.  If that line which
starts a comment is outside of that range, highlighting will appear wrong.

You can easily set up something like this in your .vimrc:
let c_minlines=500
or even bigger, but realize that it is a performance trade-off and that
syntax highlighting will slow things down.







VimTip 270: Insert a single character
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=270

Using Insert mode to insert a single character feels clumsy (you need
3 keypresses for one character), so here's a slightly easier way:

:nmap <space> i_<esc>r

Now, when in Normal mode, just press space followed by what
it is you want to insert.

BUG: Repeating the insertion with . doesn't work.







VimTip 271: easy (un)commenting out of source code
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=271

Something that I do quite alot is comment out blocks of text, only to uncomment that same block later. The following mappings have proven useful to me. They can be applied using visually selected blocks, or with motion keys.

" lhs comments
map ,# :s/^/#/<CR>
map ,/ :s/^/\/\//<CR>
map ,> :s/^/> /<CR>
map ," :s/^/\"/<CR>
map ,% :s/^/%/<CR>
map ,! :s/^/!/<CR>
map ,; :s/^/;/<CR>
map ,- :s/^/--/<CR>
map ,c :s/^\/\/\\|^--\\|^> \\|^[#"%!;]//<CR>

" wrapping comments
map ,* :s/^\(.*\)$/\/\* \1 \*\//<CR>
map ,( :s/^\(.*\)$/\(\* \1 \*\)/<CR>
map ,< :s/^\(.*\)$/<!-- \1 -->/<CR>
map ,d :s/^\([/(]\*\\|<!--\) \(.*\) \(\*[/)]\\|-->\)$/\2/<CR>

The commands to comment a selection of text are as follows, begining with begining-of-line comments:

    ,#    shell, perl, etc
    ,/     c++
    ,>    email quote
    ,"     vim
    ,%    latex, prolog
    ,!      assembly?... add single !
    ,;      scheme
    ,-      don't remember this one... add --
    ,c     clears any of the previous comments

Here are the wrapping comments, each line wrapped individually:

    ,*      c
    ,(       Standard ML
    ,<      html
    ,d      clears any of the wrapping comments







VimTip 272: automaticaly formating pasted text (p=`])
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=272

In times past I used a nice editor that had the neat feature of automatically setting pasted text to the proper indent level. Recently I've begun to miss this so I went looking in the help and camp up with....

=`]

which will format to the end of the pasted text... Perfect to call right after you past something as the cursor ends up at the top of the pasted text, thus the mapping:

:map <c-p> =`]

" by the by the above may should be nmap and I am pretty sure c-p is unused, your mileage will vary no doubt.

However I wanted the formatting to automatically be done so it was two simple (once I figured out how!) nnoremap:

" [Feral:185/02@14:27] map c-p to what p was (past with no formatting), map p to p and = to end of pasted text.
:nnoremap p p=`]
:nnoremap <c-p> p

This simply (as the comment hints at) maps normal mode p to what p did (paste) then = to `] (last character in the previously changed text). While ctrl+p just does what p did. (just in case you find you don't want a bit of text auto formatted.).

reference:
:h :nnoremap
:h p
:h =
:h `]

Whatever the name of this idea is, tis something I find handy :)

Happy VIMing






VimTip 273: Fast fixing of email quotations (too long lines)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=273


When using VIM as your editor of choice, even for email processing - as I do - it is often unpleasing how some MUA's quote the email body produced by mailers such as Outlook. The lines often span across multiple visual lines and its difficult to reply on certain parts of it.

With VIM, you can quickly fix those quotations to maintain a proper 75 char break. For example, when using Mutt, put this line in your .muttrc, or use a custom .vimrc_mail for it:

set editor="vim -c 'set fo=tcrq' -c 'set tw=76'"

For other MUA's this has to be fitted. However, now, when your quoted email is displayed, you can use this VIM sequence to fix it:

1. move cursor to first line of broken paragraph
2. press 'V' and move to the last line of the paragraph you want to fix
3. press 'g' and then 'q'. The marked text will wrap around to your specified textwidth (76 in our case) and the quotations will be preserved across the lines







VimTip 274: Some useful mappings for TeX
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=274

You know, TeX requires a lot of additional formatting code. I'm tired of opening and closing braces, brakets,
 \beginning and \ending etc. I particularly hate typing \begin and \end.
To help myself and to save a few(not a few) keystrokes I naturaly came up to some solutions, which I wish to share with
other TeXnicians and TeXperts whhich use Vim.
"===============================cut here=========================
"=============== you can put it in ~/.vim/after/ftplugin/tex.vim ===============
"
" Note: i_<C-L>
" This constructs a skeleton of a TeX environment.
" You write a line like this:
" floatingfigure:ht<C-L>
" and after you press <C-L>, you get:
"
" \begin[ht]{floatingfigure}
" 
" \end{floatingfigure}
" -- INSERT --
" 
" where floatingfigure is the desired environment
" ht are options
" : is delimiter; in fact, you can use whatever delimiter you want
" as long it is not in &iskeyword option.
inoremap <buffer> <C-L> 
			\:s/[^][:alnum:]<bar>]\+/,/eg
			\I\begin{ea}[A]%d%%P
			\:s/\[,/[/e
			\:s/,]/]/e
			\:s/\[]//e
			\0f{y%o\endpO
inoremap <buffer> { {}i
inoremap <buffer> [ []i
inoremap <buffer> ^ ^{}i
inoremap <buffer> _ _{}i
inoremap <buffer> \( \(\)hi
inoremap <buffer> \[ \[\]hi

" Note: v_<C-L>
" For this to work, you have to write on a blank line the name of
" the desired environment and options (see i_<C-L>) and visual select
" (from top to bottom) this and following lines.
" After pressing <C-L> the selected lines will be surrounded
" with begin/end skeleton of the environment.
vnoremap <buffer> <C-L> o
			\:s/[^][:alnum:]<bar>]\+/,/eg
			\I\begin{ea}[A]%d%%P
			\:s/\[,/[/e
			\:s/,]/]/e
			\:s/\[]//e
			\0f{y%gvoo\endp
"	vnoremap <buffer> { di{}P
"	vnoremap <buffer> [ di[]P
vnoremap <buffer>  di^{}P
vnoremap <buffer>  di_{}P
vnoremap <buffer> \( di\(\)hP
vnoremap <buffer> \[ di\[\]hP

" This makes "two spaces after a comma" before every :write
au BufWritePre *.tex %s/,\(\S\)/, \1/ge

"==================== You can put this in your ~/.vimrc ========================
" If cursor is inside braces and not before comma, blank or opening brace,
" exit the brace block and stay in insert mode.
" If cursor is outside braces, it inserts a space or perform an abbreviation
" as normal.
function! CleverSpace()
	let CharOnCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.')-2, 1)
	let CharAfterCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.'), 1)
	if CharOnCursor !~ ',\|\s\|(' && CharAfterCursor =~ ')\|]\|}'
		normal x
	endif
endfunction
inoremap <Space> <Space>:call CleverSpace()<LF>a

" I use the last function not only for LaTeX but also in C sources.






VimTip 275: Some useful mappings for TeX
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=275

You know, TeX requires a lot of additional formatting code. I'm tired of opening and closing braces, brakets,
 \beginning and \ending etc. I particularly hate typing \begin and \end.
To help myself and to save a few(not a few) keystrokes I naturaly came up to some solutions, which I wish to share with
other TeXnicians and TeXperts whhich use Vim.
"===============================cut here=========================
"=============== you can put it in ~/.vim/after/ftplugin/tex.vim ===============
"
" Note: i_<C-L>
" This constructs a skeleton of a TeX environment.
" You write a line like this:
" floatingfigure:ht<C-L>
" and after you press <C-L>, you get:
"
" \begin[ht]{floatingfigure}
" 
" \end{floatingfigure}
" -- INSERT --
" 
" where floatingfigure is the desired environment
" ht are options
" : is delimiter; in fact, you can use whatever delimiter you want
" as long it is not in &iskeyword option.
inoremap <buffer> <C-L> 
			\:s/[^][:alnum:]<bar>]\+/,/eg
			\I\begin{ea}[A]%d%%P
			\:s/\[,/[/e
			\:s/,]/]/e
			\:s/\[]//e
			\0f{y%o\endpO
inoremap <buffer> { {}i
inoremap <buffer> [ []i
inoremap <buffer> ^ ^{}i
inoremap <buffer> _ _{}i
inoremap <buffer> \( \(\)hi
inoremap <buffer> \[ \[\]hi

" Note: v_<C-L>
" For this to work, you have to write on a blank line the name of
" the desired environment and options (see i_<C-L>) and visual select
" (from top to bottom) this and following lines.
" After pressing <C-L> the selected lines will be surrounded
" with begin/end skeleton of the environment.
vnoremap <buffer> <C-L> o
			\:s/[^][:alnum:]<bar>]\+/,/eg
			\I\begin{ea}[A]%d%%P
			\:s/\[,/[/e
			\:s/,]/]/e
			\:s/\[]//e
			\0f{y%gvoo\endp
"	vnoremap <buffer> { di{}P
"	vnoremap <buffer> [ di[]P
vnoremap <buffer>  di^{}P
vnoremap <buffer>  di_{}P
vnoremap <buffer> \( di\(\)hP
vnoremap <buffer> \[ di\[\]hP

" This makes "two spaces after a comma" before every :write
au BufWritePre *.tex %s/,\(\S\)/, \1/ge

"==================== You can put this in your ~/.vimrc ========================
" If cursor is inside braces and not before comma, blank or opening brace,
" exit the brace block and stay in insert mode.
" If cursor is outside braces, it inserts a space or perform an abbreviation
" as normal.
function! CleverSpace()
	let CharOnCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.')-2, 1)
	let CharAfterCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.'), 1)
	if CharOnCursor !~ ',\|\s\|(' && CharAfterCursor =~ ')\|]\|}'
		normal x
	endif
endfunction
inoremap <Space> <Space>:call CleverSpace()<LF>a

" I use the last function not only for LaTeX but also in C sources.






VimTip 276: Function signature previewer
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=276

Have you ever tried to call a function which parameters you have forgotten?
Especially those long named and with long parameter list GTK+ functions
like gtk_menu_item_image_from_stock_new(..........) !!!
By accident I saw a function in Vim help. It's name was PreviewWord and it allowed
one to jump in the preview window to the tag for the word cursor is on.
I _slightly_ modified this function not to need tags file, but to search included files instead.
I wrote another function, which uses the above said one, which triggers PreviewWord
when you open the parenthesis after a function name.
Here it is:
" Note:
" This is literally stolen from Vim help. The only changes are:
" (1) if w != ""               becomes       if w =~ "\k"
" (2) exe "silent! ptag " . w  becomes       exe "silent! psearch " . w
" * The first change prevents PreviewWord of searching while cursor is on some
"   non-keyword characters, e.g. braces, asterisks, etc.
function! PreviewWord()
	if &previewwindow			" don't do this in the preview window
		return
	endif
	let w = expand("<cword>")		" get the word under cursor
	if w =~ "\k"				" if there is one ":ptag" to it

		" Delete any existing highlight before showing another tag
		silent! wincmd P			" jump to preview window
		if &previewwindow			" if we really get there...
			match none			" delete existing highlight
			wincmd p			" back to old window
		endif

		" Try displaying a matching tag for the word under the cursor
		let v:errmsg = ""
		exe "silent! psearch " . w
		if v:errmsg =~ "tag not found"
			return
		endif

		silent! wincmd P			" jump to preview window
		if &previewwindow		" if we really get there...
			if has("folding")
				silent! .foldopen		" don't want a closed fold
			endif
			call search("$", "b")		" to end of previous line
			let w = substitute(w, '\\', '\\\\', "")
			call search('\<\V' . w . '\>')	" position cursor on match
			" Add a match highlight to the word at this position
			hi previewWord term=bold ctermbg=green guibg=green
			exe 'match previewWord "\%' . line(".") . 'l\%' . col(".") . 'c\k*"'
			wincmd p			" back to old window
		endif
	endif
endfunction
au! CursorHold *.[ch] nested call PreviewWord()

" Note:
" When you open a parenthesis after a function name, and at the
" line end, that function's definition is previewed through PreviewWord().
" This is inspired from Delphi's CodeInsight technology.
" Something similar (PreviewClassMembers) could be written for
" the C++ users, for previewing the class members when you type
" a dot after an object name.
" If somebody decides to write it, please, mail it to me.
function! PreviewFunctionSignature()
	let CharOnCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.')-2, 1)
	if col(".") == col("$")
		call PreviewWord()
	endif
	return "("
endfunction
inoremap <buffer> ( <C-R>=PreviewFunctionSignature()<LF>







VimTip 277: Function signature previewer
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=277

Have you ever tried to call a function which parameters you have forgotten?
Especially those long named and with long parameter list GTK+ functions
like gtk_menu_item_image_from_stock_new(..........) !!!
By accident I saw a function in Vim help. It's name was PreviewWord and it allowed
one to jump in the preview window to the tag for the word cursor is on.
I _slightly_ modified this function not to need tags file, but to search included files instead.
I wrote another function, which uses the above said one, which triggers PreviewWord
when you open the parenthesis after a function name.
Here it is:
" Note:
" This is literally stolen from Vim help. The only changes are:
" (1) if w != ""               becomes       if w =~ "\k"
" (2) exe "silent! ptag " . w  becomes       exe "silent! psearch " . w
" * The first change prevents PreviewWord of searching while cursor is on some
"   non-keyword characters, e.g. braces, asterisks, etc.
function! PreviewWord()
	if &previewwindow			" don't do this in the preview window
		return
	endif
	let w = expand("<cword>")		" get the word under cursor
	if w =~ "\k"				" if there is one ":ptag" to it

		" Delete any existing highlight before showing another tag
		silent! wincmd P			" jump to preview window
		if &previewwindow			" if we really get there...
			match none			" delete existing highlight
			wincmd p			" back to old window
		endif

		" Try displaying a matching tag for the word under the cursor
		let v:errmsg = ""
		exe "silent! psearch " . w
		if v:errmsg =~ "tag not found"
			return
		endif

		silent! wincmd P			" jump to preview window
		if &previewwindow		" if we really get there...
			if has("folding")
				silent! .foldopen		" don't want a closed fold
			endif
			call search("$", "b")		" to end of previous line
			let w = substitute(w, '\\', '\\\\', "")
			call search('\<\V' . w . '\>')	" position cursor on match
			" Add a match highlight to the word at this position
			hi previewWord term=bold ctermbg=green guibg=green
			exe 'match previewWord "\%' . line(".") . 'l\%' . col(".") . 'c\k*"'
			wincmd p			" back to old window
		endif
	endif
endfunction
au! CursorHold *.[ch] nested call PreviewWord()

" Note:
" When you open a parenthesis after a function name, and at the
" line end, that function's definition is previewed through PreviewWord().
" This is inspired from Delphi's CodeInsight technology.
" Something similar (PreviewClassMembers) could be written for
" the C++ users, for previewing the class members when you type
" a dot after an object name.
" If somebody decides to write it, please, mail it to me.
function! PreviewFunctionSignature()
	let CharOnCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.')-2, 1)
	if col(".") == col("$")
		call PreviewWord()
	endif
	return "("
endfunction
inoremap <buffer> ( <C-R>=PreviewFunctionSignature()<LF>







VimTip 278: all the right moves
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=278

One of the principles of effective text editing is moving around very efficiently.
Following are some pointers which may help u do that.

    h      move one character left
    j       move one row down
   k       move one row up
   l         move one char. right.
   w       move to begining of next word
   b       move to begining of previous word
   e       move to end of word
   W     move to begining of next word after a whitespace
   B      move to begining of pervious word before a whitespace
   E      move to end of word before a whitespace.
 
(All the above movements can be preceeded by a numeric value . i.e  '4j' will move 4 rows down )

   ^        move to first non blank char of the line.
   g_      move to last non blank char of the line.
   0        moev to begining of line
   $        move to end of line.
   gg      move to first line.
   G        move to last line.
   nG      move to "n"th line.
   H        top of screen.
  M         middle of screen
   L        bottom of screen
    Ctrl-D   move half page down
    Ctrl-U   move half page up.
    Ctrl-B   page-up
    Ctrl-F   page down.

     Ctrl-o  last cursor position.
     '[a-z,0-9,A-Z]    jump to the marker. (u can set a marker on line by :-   m[a-zA-Z,0-9] and then jump back to it by '[a-z,A-Z0-9]

      n   next matching search pattern
      N  previous matching search pattern
      *    next word under cursor
     #    previous word under cursor.
     g*   next matching search pattern under cursor.
     g#  previous matching search pattern under cursor.







VimTip 279: On Windows, make GVim the default action for double-click with "unknown file types"
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=279

I find myself installing the following registry modification for all my PC's now (even other people's PC's).  It applies to Microsoft Windows machines only.  The following is also for Windows 9x...  NT or XP or 2000 may require modifications (which I don't care to understand!).

The problem: You double-click on a file that doesn't have a 'registered type' and that pesky "What program should I use?" dialog pops up.  Even worse, depending on the installation, the GVim icon may not be listed, and one has to browse to the executable...  and then the type becomes forever bonded to being editted with GVim (if that box is checked).  The standard Vim 6.1 installation does include a "right click to edit" menu item for all files, but a double-click is so much faster!

The solution: What if unregistered types would just automatically open up in GVim?  Well, they can..  with a little registry trickery.

How to Install it: 

Step 1. Create a text file called "vimalways.reg" and paste the below text into it.  

Step 2.  Important NOTE: You will have to edit the pathname to correspond to the pathname of your GVim.exe.  The text below works fine for a GVim 6.1 default installation.

Step 3: Save the file.

Step 4: Right-click on the file and select "install".  Then you are done!


------ vimalways.reg  ------- cut here ------snip---snip---
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell]
 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell\Open with &GVim]
@="Open with &GVim"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell\Open with &GVim\command]
@="\"C:\\vim\\vim61\\gvim.exe\" \"%1\""

----end of file---- cut here----- snip---snip----

Note 1.  This can't be de-installed automatically, and if you want to remove it, you'll have to edit the registry by hand (annoying, but easy).

Note 2.  Keep this file around, so when you upgrade your GVim, all you have to do is modify the pathname (to say, for example, vim62) and then install it again.



Ok, thanks for playing!  
And thanks to the author(s) of Vim and GVim.
If it weren't for them, I'd still be using elvis or stevie!
 






VimTip 280: Integration with PyUnit testing framework
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=280


Vim has a wonderful ability to integrate with external tools, like compilers, make, ctags etc.
That's one of the reasons we love it.

PyUnit can be seen as a "compiler" for the Python test code. 
To understand it, Vim should be told about the language
the PyUnit speaks. This could be done with 'errorformat' option:

setlocal efm=%C\ %.%#,%A\ \ File\ \"%f\"\\,\ line\ %l%.%#,%Z%[%^\ ]%\\@=%m

This magic spell enables Vim to parse unittest.TextRunner's output and to enter quick-fix mode.
To run all your unit tests at once you'll need to setup 'makeprg' option and provide a runner.
I'm using this setup:

setlocal makeprg=./alltests.py

And contents of the alltests.py (for the sake of completeness):


#!/usr/bin/env python2

import unittest
import sys
sys.path.append('unittests')

modules_to_test = (
	'fooTest', 
	'barTest',
	'bazTest',
)

def suite():
    alltests = unittest.TestSuite()
    for module in map(__import__, modules_to_test):
        alltests.addTest(unittest.findTestCases(module))
    return alltests

if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main(defaultTest='suite')

============== end of the alltests.py file ========================

While talking about it, I'd also suggest to add a couple of mappings.
In the end, my vim/files/ftplugin/python.vim looks like this:

setlocal makeprg=./alltests.py\ -q
setlocal efm=%C\ %.%#,%A\ \ File\ \"%f\"\\,\ line\ %l%.%#,%Z%[%^\ ]%\\@=%m
iabbr <buffer> sae self.assertEquals
iabbr <buffer> sar self.assertRaises



For details see :help quick-fix,  :help 'efm' and  :help 'makeprg'.
See also:  http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?PythonUnit

Many thanks to Stefan Roemer who patiently spent quite some time to build 'efm' for me.







VimTip 281: Stateful zz
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=281

Do you find yourself hitting 'zz' all the time in order to see some context of what you're 
currently working on? If so, then this tip might be for you. If you add the following line
in your vimrc, you can toggle zz mode by pressing <Leader>zz. 

" maintain a constant zz state, second call will toggle it back off
map <Leader>zz	:let &scrolloff=999-&scrolloff<CR>










VimTip 282: Folding with Regular Expression
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=282

Well, I've tried to understand some of the folding scripts, but life's
too short. Instead, I added the following lines to my vimrc file.

set foldexpr=(getline(v:lnum)=~@/)?0:(getline(v:lnum-1)=~@/)\|\|(getline(v:lnum+1)=~@/)?1:2
map \z :set foldmethod=expr foldlevel=0 foldcolumn=2<CR>

The first line is an extension of foldexpr=(getline(v:lnum)=~@/)?0:1
The second line (re)sets the foldmethod to expr(ession) plus.

First search for /regexp/, then fold everything else with \z
Use zr to reveal more context (before/after) lines.

You could add (getline(v:lnum-2)=~@/)\|\|(getline(v:lnum+2)=~@/)?2:3
but it will take longer as folded lines (the majority) evaluate the full expression.

What could be easier?






VimTip 283: Turn on syntax coloring in Mac OS X
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=283

This tip is actually for vim 6.1. To turn on syntax coloring in Mac OS X enter the following commands, or place them in your $HOME/.vimrc file.

:set term=builtin_beos-ansi
:syntax on








VimTip 284: Mapping to print syntax highlighted buffer in B&W
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=284

I use this mapping to print syntax highlighted C++ code in B&W
This tip needs vimscript #233 print_bw. 

The mapping is as follows
map <C-p> :color print_bw<CR>:hardcopy<CR>:color sean<CR>:syn on<CR>

Change ":color sean" to whatever is your chosen color scheme.
Need to change line 7 of print_bw from "syntax reset" to "syntax off"
<C-p> on a syntax highlighted buffer turns off syntax highlighting , sets the colors to B&W, prints the buffer, resets the color scheme and turns on syntax highlighting again.









VimTip 285: Don't use the escape key!
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=285

Vim (any vi really) is a dream for touch typists... Until you want to switch from insert mode to normal mode.  Then you've got to reach way up to whack the escape key.

Or at least that's what I was doing until I realized that (drum roll please)

                    Esc is exactly equivalent to control-[  (that's the control key plus the left square bracket key)


That little bit of knowledge, plus mapping my caps lock to another control key, was what turned my fascination with Vim into true love.  You never have to lose track of the home row again!

For Xfree86 users - you can make the capslock key another control key by adding

Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:nocaps"

to the InputDevice section of your XF86Config file.

For Windows NT/2000 users  - use the following .reg file to do the same thing:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00







VimTip 286: Recover after doing something... ugly.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=286

I was once editing a file and wanted to test something. The test was meant to add a line at the end of the file, from outside vim. All was fine, but instead of >>, I wrote >. You can imagine what happened... :)

If you happen to do something like that, the solution is:

:recover






VimTip 287: Cool trick to change numbers
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=287

In the gvim if you want to decrement any number just put ur curcor on that number in Esc mode and pres <CTRL> X






VimTip 288: A keymapping to generate Java setters and getters automatically
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=288

This mapping makes it much simpler to write new java classes by simplifying some of the dull repetative coding (ie setters and getters).

To use, first write a basic class with the following format:

public class MyClass
{

     private <type> <varname> = <initvalue>;
     private <type> <varname> = initvalue>;

     // getters


     // setters

}


Note the getters/setters comment -- they are important as they are used to place the getters and setters.

The mapping is:

map jgs mawv/ <Enter>"ty/ <Enter>wvwh"ny/getters<Enter>$a<Enter><Enter>public <Esc>"tpa<Esc>"npbiget<Esc>l~ea()<Enter>{<Enter><Tab>return <Esc>"npa;<Enter>}<Esc>=<Enter><Esc>/setters<Enter>$a<Enter><Enter>public void <Esc>"npbiset<Esc>l~ea(<Esc>"tpa <Esc>"npa)<Enter>{<Enter><Tab>this.<Esc>"npa=<Esc>"npa;<Enter>}<Esc>=<Enter>`ak


(the above should be one long line with no spaces between the end of the lines above).

To use this to generate a class go to the variable that should have a setter/getter and place the curser at the beginning of the 'private':

   private <type> <variable> = <initvalue>'
   ^

Then type:

jgs

this will create the first getter/setter and then move up to the next variable.  You can just keep typing jgs until all the  getters/setters have been generated.

This should mapping isn't perfect and someone could probably make it a little cleaner.  It could also relatively easily be adapted to C++.  Please feel free to send me any feedback/enhancements as I am trying to compile a list of these.








VimTip 289: Alternative <escape> that allows you to do a "quick and dirty insert" and get out into normal mode
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=289

This is an alternative key combo for the escape key from the one mentioned by David A. Rogers in vimtip #285.

I do a lot of editting in Vim, and I've always found myself in situations where I had to "do a quick insert" - basically (from normal mode), change into insert mode, type in one quick word, then <esc> out, then navigate elsewhere.

As has been rightly observed by a lot of people, the <esc> key can sometimes be a little bit out of the way. But that's no problem for ViM, is it?

At first, I thought of editting the ViM source code itself, in order to come up with a command that could do things like say "let me jump into insert mode, type a few quick words, then escape out into normal mode when i press something like double <space>".

It was only later when reading through the section in Jesse Goerz's "Beginner's Guide to ViM" on remapping (http://newbiedoc.sourceforge.net/tutorials/vim/mapping-vim.html) that I got inspired to retake a look at using remapping as an alternative instead.

This is what I came up with.. Use whatever is comfortable for you - single or double <Shift-space>

:map! <S-space> <esc>
:map! <S-space><S-space> <esc>

With this quick combo ("Shift", + <space>), one can easily (and might I add, intuitively) "do a quick insert" and exit quickly out into normal mode. I guess I always thought the <space> would be a good way to do this sort of thing, since it is after all, so intuitive in the typing process. So why not make it such that it can "escape" you out into normal mode as well? Just type 'i', to go into insert mode, type in your stuff, and once you're done, hit Shift-space!







VimTip 290: Text Processing With Integrated Spell Checking
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=290

I have written an HTML document to help others use Vim as a basic text processing application. It discusses how to integrate spell checking, dictionary, and thesaurus applications. It also talks about wrapping lines, indentation, justification, and the vim settings that effect the behavior of these operations. The document can be found at:
   http://www.highley-recommended.com/text-processing.html

Everything has been tested with UNIX, Linux, Windows, and Windows with Cygwin patforms.






VimTip 291: ^P & auto filling of variables and text
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=291

Do you know you can auto fill the variable and names as you type your code ? This will help most of the programmers, who always try hard to remember the variable names and browse through all the files to find out the variable name. 
   Use Ctrl+P and Ctrl+N to autofill the variables names etc. Just practice, you will feel the ease of using vim






VimTip 292: vim + cscope + cygwin
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=292

I've found that vim + cscope + cygwin does not work. The problem seems to be that in 

sprintf(cmd, "exec %s -dl -f %s", prog, csinfo[i].fname);

vim execs cscope with the "-dl" options, causing it to fail. It is probably a cscope bug, but a simple workaround is top build vim without thad "d":

sprintf(cmd, "exec %s -l -f %s", prog, csinfo[i].fname);

seems to work for me!








VimTip 293: remember where you had ended reading help
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=293


You could jump to the last place you had been while reading Vim help files if you add this to your
.vimrc file:

au BufLeave * if &ft == "help" | mark H | endif

Then use 'H to go to the mark H.

To work between Vim runs 'viminfo' option should be setup to save file marks.
See :help 'viminfo' and :help file-marks for more information.







VimTip 294: Use Ctrl-S to save current or new files.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=294

I wanted to have a single key stroke that would save existing files, or call the file browser.
Here's a key map for Ctrl-S to accomplish that (place in vimrc file):

if has("gui_running")
  " If the current buffer has never been saved, it will have no name,
  " call the file browser to save it, otherwise just save it.
  :map <silent> <C-S> :if expand("%") == ""<CR>:browse confirm w<CR>:else<CR>:confirm w<CR>:endif<CR>
endif


Tom Kimpton






VimTip 295: Line/word/file/whatever completion
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=295

In addition to vimtip #291 you can use whole <C-x> completion mode. It can complete whole lines (<C-x>l, then <C-p>, <C-n>), filenames (<C-f>), keywords, words from custom dictionary and many, many others. During coding it usually saves a LOT of key strokes ;) This mode has many other powerful features, for example when completing word (by <C-x><C-p> or just by <C-p>) you can continue completion with another <C-x><C-p>. For example, after writing such text:

this is first line
second line is here

Placing cursor at third line and pressing <C-x>l will double last line - <C-n>, <C-p> in this moment can be used to manipulate completed line. Or, instead of completing whole line you can press 'f' and then complete by <C-p> which will result in 'first' word. After that you can <C-x><C-p> to get 'line' word (since this is next word after 'first'). Try yourself for other powerful combinations.






VimTip 296: Attach the currently open file to email
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=296

This is very simple, but most people don't seem to take advantage of this. Often you have some file (source code or other text file) already open in an existing vim session and you need to attach it with an email. It is very simple.
    - First copy the filename into clipboard. For this I put the following mapping in vimrc and press <F2>:
         nnoremap <F2> :let @*=expand("%:p")<cr>
    - Go to your email compose window and use your regular file attachment menu (Insert->File in outlook) and press ^V (or whatever key to paste clipboard) and press Enter.

That is all there to it. If you are on windows and your email client doesn't accept forward-slashes, then you might want to change the map to:

         nnoremap <F2> :let @*=substitute(expand("%:p"), "/", "\\", "g")<cr>

HTH,
Hari






VimTip 297: Start in insert mode without loosing your escape key
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=297

There are two parts to this, each is fairly simple.

First, I want to start in insert mode.  Well "set im!" in my vimrc did the job, but I lost the escape key.
Second, I have found that often times, when I'm in command mode, I hit escape trying to get back into insert mode.  I am always rewarded with a beep, telling me once again I made that mistake.

So I mapped esc in command mode to set insert mode (":set im") and I mapped esc in insert mode to unset insert mode (<c-o>:set im)  Well then I realized if you hit "i" in command mode, escape woulding work the first time.  So here's the code to add to your vimrc:

set im!                      " start in insert mode
map <esc> :set im!<cr>       " escape in command mode goes to insert mode
map i :set im!<cr>           " i in command mode goes to insert mode
map! <esc> <c-o>:set im!<cr> " escape in insert mode goes to command mode

see :help insert






VimTip 298: Changing case with regular expressions
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=298

I stumbled across this factoid on a website about vi. I haven't been able to locate it in the Vim documentation, but it works in Vim, and it's very handy.

There are times that you might like to go through a file and change the case of characters that match some arbitrary criteria. If you understand regular expressions well, you can actually do this fairly easily.

It's as simple as placing \U or \L in front of any backreferences in your regular expressions. Vim will make the text in the backreference uppercase or lowercase (respectively).

(A "backreference" is a part of a regular expression that refers to a previous part of a regular expression. The most common backrefernces are &, \1, \2, \3, ... , \9). 

Some examples that demonstrate the power of this technique:

Lowercase the entire file - 
:%s/.*/\L&/g

(& is a handy backreference that refers to the complete text of the match.)

Uppercase all words that are preceded by a < (i.e. opening HTML tag names):
:%s/<\(\w*\)/<\U\1/g

Please add a note if you know where this is in the documentation. I have done Ctrl-D searches on upper, lower, \U, and \L with no luck. 






VimTip 299: Open file under cursor.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=299

A little thing that I did and found quite useful:

function! OpenFileUnderCursor()
	let FileName = expand("<cfile>")
	let OldPath = getcwd()
	silent cd %:p:h
	execute "silent sp +e " . FileName
	execute "silent cd " . OldPath
endfunction

map! silent <M-e> :call OpenFileUnderCursor()<CR>

Then use Alt+E on a filename to open it (relative to the directory the current file resides in).






VimTip 300: Making a tags file for IDL (Interactive Data Language)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=300

I have recently began using the tags features of vim (:help tags) with my fortran codes and come to appreciate their power.  I also do a lot of coding in IDL (Interactive Data Language), but found that ctags did not have native support for IDL.  If you take the time you can learn how to get ctags to support IDL, but I found, after a search of usenet, that someone else has already done this and written a perl script called idltags.  It is part of an emacs package (is anyone still reading?) that you need to download, called idlwave, which is located at:
                      http://idlwave.org/
and currently (I don't know if this will change) the direct download link is
                      http://idlwave.org/download/idlwave.tar.gz
In the usenet pages the maintainer, JD Smith, was suggesting that idlwave had outgrown idltags and was not sure it was still needed, so I don't know how long it will be available.







VimTip 301: Edit files in path, or related.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=301

You can write a little shell function that will let you easily edit any file that is in the path, or which's location can be retrieved with the whereis tool. This is something similar to what I have in /etc/profile:

function vvim() { vim `whereis $1|cut -d: -f2` }
function ggvim() { gvim `whereis $1|cut -d: -f2` }

Then just type, for example, "vvim ls", and you'll start vim with /bin/ls and /usr/share/man/ls.1.gz loaded :)
(it's not very useful to edit /bin/ls, but you get the ideea ;)






VimTip 302: Use gvim in kmail
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=302

To automatically open gvim to edit in kmail, "-f" command line option must be used .
In kmail configuration go to the composer settings , and write in the "use external editor" field the following 
command :
"gvim -f %f"  
Without -f option gvim would work in background and editing would not have any effect on kmail.






VimTip 303: Statusline Tab Level Function Ruler TVIM
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=303

I use this function to let me know if my cursor is on a TAB column.
The t* on the ruler means I am not. But t3 means the cursor is on tablevel 3
~vimrc  ----------------------- My Ruler ------------------------ r4,c13,t3
~vimrc  ----------------------- My Ruler ------------------------ r4,c14,t*
If you want to change a tab level you can drag or push the first character
of a line to a desired tab level. (more on that later)
This ruler replacement will let you know where you are, whether you
like to use space tabs (see vimtip #12 ) or regular tabs.  My function is set
to four space tabs stops and only goes 9 levels but can be easily modified.

Actually I just wanted to learn how to use a function in my _vimrc
and this was my first attempt.  Add this to your _vimrc

"--------------------cut------------------
set laststatus=2
"This makes sure the ruler shows.  See    help laststatus
set statusline=%f\ ---------\ My\ Ruler\ ----------\ r%l,c%c,t%{ShowTab()}
"See help statusline  (I toggle between 12 helpful rulers -- more on that later)
fu ShowTab()
    let TabLev='*' 
    let Col=(col(".")) 
    if Col == 1 | let TabLev='0' | en  
    if Col == 5 | let TabLev='1' | en
    if Col == 9 | let TabLev='2' | en
    if Col ==13 | let TabLev='3' | en
    if Col ==17 | let TabLev='4' | en
    if Col ==21 | let TabLev='5' | en
    if Col ==25 | let TabLev='6' | en
    if Col ==29 | let TabLev='7' | en
    if Col ==33 | let TabLev='8' | en
    if Col ==37 | let TabLev='9' | en
return TabLev
endf
"The ruler (statusline) shows a t* unless you are on col 1,5,9,13,...
"-------------------cut-------------------

This function ShowTab() gets called and updates the ruler with every cursor
move but it does not slow things down as I type.  Perhaps a speed typist 
may complain :-)
In case I write something else you may search on the key word TVIM
Best Wishes        TVIM Tamed Vim        paradocs@frontiernet.net






VimTip 304: fold braces and javadoc
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=304

If you'd like to have javadoc folded together with areas in braces try that
<pre>
set foldmethod=syntax
set foldenable
syn region foldBraces start=/{/ end=/}/ transparent fold 
syn region foldJavadoc start=,/\*\*, end=,\*/, transparent fold keepend
</pre>
and play a bit with:
<pre>
set foldlevel=0
set foldnestmax=10
</pre>
parameters






VimTip 305: Best of VIM Tips (VIM's best Features)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=305

Here's a necessarily cryptic list of "MY" Best Vim Tips that I've gleaned
from http://vim.sf.net/  & comp.editors  
http://groups.google.com/groups?safe=off&group=comp.editors

updated version at http://www.rayninfo.co.uk/vimtips.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Absolutely essential
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
vim.sf.net         : Visit frequently
comp.editors    : "VIM" dominated newsgroup
* # g* g#          : find word under cursor (forwards/backwards)
%                   : match brackets {}[]()
matchit.vim      : % now matches tags <tr><td><script> etc
<C-N> <C-P>   : word completion in insert mode 
<C-X><C-L>    : Line complete SUPER USEFUL
/<C-R><C-W>   : Pull <cword> onto search/command line
:set ignorecase # you nearly always want this
:syntax on    : colour syntax in Perl,HTML,PHP etc
:h slash<C-D> : type control-D and get a list all help topics containing
                   slash (plus use TAB for Help completion)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# MAKE IT EASY TO UPDATE/RELOAD_vimrc 
:nmap ,s :source $VIM/_vimrc
:nmap ,v :e $VIM/_vimrc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#VISUAL MODE Mappings
:vmap sb "zdi<b><C-R>z</b><ESC> : wrap <b></b> around VISUALLY selected Text
:vmap st "zdi<?= <C-R>z ?><ESC>  : wrap <?=   ?> around VISUALLY selected Text
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Exploring
:Ex                             : file explorer note capital Ex
\be                             : builtin buffer explorer
:ls                             : list of buffers(eg following)
:cd ..                          : move to parent directory
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Great
guu                             : lowercase line
gUU                             : uppercase line
gf                              : open file name under cursor (SUPER)
ga                              : display hex,ascii value of character under cursor
ggVGg?                          : rot13 whole file
CTRL-A,CTRL-X                   : increment,decerement number under cursor
                                  win32 users must remap CNTRL-A
CTRL-R=5*5                      : insert 25 into text
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Makes all other tips superfluous
:h 42                           
:h holy-grail                  
:help!                        
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Markers & moving about
'.               : jump to last modification line (SUPER)
`.               : jump to exact spot in last modification line
<C-O>            : retrace your movements in file (old)
<C-I>            : retrace your movements in file (new)
:ju(mps)
:help jump-motions
:history          : list of all your commands
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Abbreviations & maps
:map   <f7>   :'a,'bw! c:/aaa/x
:map   <f8>   :r c:/aaa/x
:map   <f9>   :w<CR>:!c:/php/php.exe %<CR>
:map   <f11>  :.w! c:/aaa/xr<CR>
:map   <f12>  :r c:/aaa/xr<CR>
:ab php           : list of abbreviations beginning php
:map ,            : list of maps beginning ,
# For use in Maps
<CR>             : carriage Return for maps
<ESC>            : Escape
<LEADER>         : normally \
<BAR>            : | pipe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# List your Registers
:reg             : display contents of all registers
"1p....          : retrieve numeric buffers
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Useful trick
"ayy@a            : execute "Vim command" in a text file 
yy@"              : same thing using unnamed register 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Get output from other commands
:r!ls.exe        : reads in output of ls
!!date           : same thing
:%!sort -u       : use an external program to filter content
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Multiple Files Management
:wn              : write file and move to next (SUPER)
:bd              : remove file from buffer list (SUPER)
:sav php.html    : Save current file as php.html and "move" to php.html
:sp fred.txt     : open fred.txt into a split
:e!              : return to unmodified file
:w c:/aaa/%      : save file elsewhere
:e #                 : edit alternative file
:e %
:rew                : rewwind to first file in ARGS
:bn                 : next file
:bp                 : next file
:brew
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Recording (BEST TIP of ALL)
qq  # record to q
your commands
q
@q to execute
@@ to Repeat
# editing a register/recording
"ap
<you can now see register contents, edit as required>
"add
@a
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# _vimrc essentials
:set incsearch : jumps to search word as you type (annoying but excellent)
:set wildignore=*.o,*.obj,*.bak,*.exe
:set shiftwidth=3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# launching Win IE
:nmap ,f :update<CR>:silent !start c:\progra~1\intern~1\iexplore.exe file://%:p<CR>
:nmap ,i :update<CR>: !start c:\progra~1\intern~1\iexplore.exe <cWORD><CR>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# FTPing from VIM
cmap ,r  :Nread ftp://209.51.134.122/public_html/index.html 
cmap ,w  :Nwrite ftp://209.51.134.122/public_html/index.html
gvim ftp://209.51.134.122/public_html/index.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# appending to registers (use CAPITAL)
# yank 5 lines into "a" then add a further 5
"a5yy
10j
"A5yy
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[I     : show lines matching word under cursor <cword>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#Conventional Shifting
:'a,'b>>
# visual shifting (builtin-repeat)
:vnoremap < <gv 
:vnoremap > >gv
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# searching
/^joe.*fred.*bill/ : normal
/^[A-J]\+/         : search for lines beginning A-J followed by at leat 1 A-J
/forum\(\_.\)*pent   search over possible multiple lines
/fred\_s*joe/i    : any whitespace including newline
/fred\|joe        : Search for FRED OR JOE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#substitution
:%s/fred/joe/igc            : general substitute command
:%s/\r//g                   : Delete DOS returns ^M
:'a,'bg/fred/s/dick/joe/gc  : VERY USEFUL
:s/\(.*\):\(.*\)/\2 :  \1/  : reverse fields separated by :
:%s/^.\{-}pdf/new.pdf/  non greedy matching (ie to first pdf)
:s/fred/<c-r>a/g substitute "fred" with contents of register "a"
:%s/^\(.*\)\n\1/\1$/  delete duplicate lines
# non-greedy matching \{-} 
:%s/^.\{-}pdf/new.pdf/
:help /\{-} 
:s/fred/<c-r>a/g substitute "fred" with contents of register "a"
# multiple commands
:%s/\f\+\.gif\>/\r&\r/g | v/\.gif$/d | %s/gif/jpg/
:%s/suck\|buck/loopy/gc  : ORing
:s/__date__/\=strftime("%c")/ : insert datestring
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# global command
:g/^\s*$/d       :delete all blank lines
:g!/^dd/d        : delete lines not containing string
:v/^dd/d         : delete lines not containing string
:g/fred/,/joe/d  : not line based
:v/./.,/./-1join : compress empty lines
:'a,'b g/^Error/ . w >> errors.txt
:g/cmap\|form/p  : ORing
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Paste register *
:redir @*   : redirect commands to paste
:redir END
"*yy        : yank to paste
"*p         : insert paste buffer
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Formatting text
gq<CR>
gqap  (a is motion p paragraph (visual mode))
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Operate command over multiple files
:argdo %s/foo/bar/
:bufdo %s/foo/bar/ 
:windo %s/foo/bar/ 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Command line tricks
gvim -h
ls | gvim -   : edit a PIPE!!
# vg.ksh (shell script)
# vi all files in directory containing keyword $1 and jump to $1
gvim.exe -c "/$1"  $(grep -isl "$1" *) &
------------------------------------------------------------------------------







VimTip 306: Open a web-browser with the URL in the current line
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=306

function! Browser ()
    let line = getline (".")
    let line = matchstr (line, "http[^ ]*")
    exec "!netscape ".line
endfunction

map <Leader>w :call Browser ()<CR>






VimTip 307: annoying "Hit any key to close this window..."
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=307

i use gvim and bash heavily under win98.
i have

let $HOME = substitute($HOME, '\\', '/', 'g')
set shell=bash\ --rcfile\ \"$HOME\"_bashrc\ -i

in my _vimrc, and something like

function br()
{
if [ $1 ]; then
        explorer.exe ${1//\//\\}
    else
        explorer.exe ${PWD//\//\\}
    fi
}

in my _bashrc. when i finish editing one html file,
i simply type :!br %

everything works fine now. but when :!br % executes,
one console window will bump out and wait me to press some
key to contiue. i consider this quiet annoying. i want the console window
to disappear automatically if no fault has happened.
does anyone know how to achieve this?
thanks.






VimTip 308: Move through wrapped lines.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=308

If you don't like the fact that when you press Up and Down on a wrapped line, you get to the next phisical line instead of the next line on the screen, you can do something like this:

imap <silent> <Down> <C-o>gj
imap <silent> <Up> <C-o>gk

nmap <silent> <Down> gj
nmap <silent> <Up> gk







VimTip 309: close vim you left open remotely
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=309

Vim 6 has this cool client-server protocol. I use it all the time to edit a file in an existing gvim, like so
$ gvim --remote [filename]

Today I left myself logged in at the console at work, and when I got home I realized I had left vim running with files  unsaved. I think I even left it in insert mode. I wanted to edit these files at home. So I ssh'd to the machine and started playing with the --remote commands.

:help was a bit cryptic
   --remote-send {keys}         Send {keys} to server and exit.

After a lot of failed attempts, I finally succeeded in getting the remote vim to save its buffers and quit. 

$ DISPLAY=:0 vim --servername GVIM --remote-send '<ESC>:wqa<CR>'

A couple of notable things. Then environment variable DISPLAY has to be the display of the remote vim, and you have to be able to open that display. The client-server stuff is done through X.

The <CR> is important. This part eluded me for a long time. The {keys} are just like keys you would press if you were editing at the console, and you have to press enter, or vim won't do anything.

Check your .swp files to make sure vim really closed the files it was editing. Vim provides little feedback as to the success or failure of what you're trying to do remotely. Nonetheless, it's clearly a useful feature to have available.








VimTip 310: showing ascii value of the current character in decimal, hex, and octal
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=310

dont know if you guys know this or not, but i was trying to make the word "hello" to upper case by trying "gaUw" (=
which didnt work but it showed the decimal, hex, and octal of the char under the cursor... ncie to know.






VimTip 311: Open the folder containing the currently open file
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=311

Occasionally, on windows, I have files open in gvim, that the folder for that file is not open. This key map opens the folder that contains the currently open file. The expand() is so that we don't try to open the folder of an anonymous buffer, we would get an explorer error dialog in that case.

if has("gui_running")
 if has("win32")
    " Open the folder containing the currently open file. Double <CR> at end
    " is so you don't have to hit return after command. Double quotes are
    " not necessary in the 'explorer.exe %:p:h' section.
    :map <silent> <C-F5> :if expand("%:p:h") != ""<CR>:!start explorer.exe %:p:h<CR>:endif<CR><CR>
  endif
endif

Tom.







VimTip 312: Copy, Cut, and Paste
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=312

PS: copy, cut, and paste are the words from (usually) gui editor.

Ever try to cut (or copy) some lines and paste to another place?
If you need to count the lines first, then try these to eliminate counting task.

Cut and Paste:

1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the block you want to CUT.
2. Mark it with md
3. Go to the end of the block.
4. Cut it with d'd
5. Go to the new location that you want to PASTE those text.
6. Press P.

Copy and Paste:

1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the block you want to COPY.
2. Mark it with my
3. Go to the end of the block.
4. Cut it with y'y
5. Go to the new location that you want to PASTE those text.
6. Press P.

The name of the mark used is related to the operation (d:delete or y:yank).
I found that those mark names requires minimal movement of my finger. ;)







VimTip 313: printing using kprinter (unix + kde)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=313

just add 
set printexpr=system('kprinter'\ .\ '\ '\ .\ v:fname_in)\ .\ delete(v:fname_in)\ +\ v:shell_error
to your ~/.vimrc; further on all your printing will be piped through the nice and consistent print-dialog of kde.

lg,
tomte






VimTip 314: Insert and back...
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=314

this is related to vimtip #289 in terms of programmers (like I) too lazy to move their hands to reach the far far away <esc> key.... joking! :)
  actually the less your hands move around the faster you type, and the fester you type the more time you have on your hands to think of "what" you type...

here is a small snippet from my mappings file, ready to speed things up:
// the key overloading might be a somewhat confusing at first....

--cut---
imap <S-Space> <esc>l
imap <C-CR> <esc>o
imap <S-CR> <esc>O

nmap <S-Space> i
nmap <space><space> i
nnoremap <CR> o
nmap <S-CR> O

---uncut---

Good luck!!






VimTip 315: "Smart <home>"
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=315

to make it faster to navigate through indented code here is a common way to "go home"...

---cut---
fun! s:SmartHome()
    if col('.') != match(getline('.'), '\S')+1
        norm ^
    else
        :call cursor(line('.'),2)
        norm h
    endif
endfun
inoremap <silent><home> <C-O>:call <SID>SmartHome()<CR>
nnoremap <silent><home> :call <SID>SmartHome()<CR>
vnoremap <silent><home> :call <SID>SmartHome()<CR>

---uncut---

what this snippet does is make the <home> key behave as it does in such IDEs as PythonWin or MSVisualStudio, and that is first go to the first non whitespace, and then to the first char on the line.






VimTip 316: Using /pattern/ search in a script
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=316

There are a number of ways you can search for a pattern in a script.   The search function is the typical way to search for a pattern.  But, it has limited options.  In particular, there are no options to control the position of the cursor after it matches the pattern.   

Instead you can use :normal command.  The secret is to add a <CR> (^M) on the end of the command.   For example, to search for "pattern" and move the cursor to the end of the matching pattern issue the command:

:normal /pattern/e+1^M

where ^M is a real carriage return.  It can be entered with <c-v><c-m>.

Another use is when you want to enter a bunch of normal commands together.  For example, if you were looking to find a '{' to highlight and delete a C block.  The '{' may not be on the same line so you can't use the "f" normal command.   

:normal V/{/^M%d

A drawback to using the normal command is that if the pattern does not match then it is difficult to detect.  Also, you can get in trouble with the wrapscan setting.

For more information about these commands look at

:help /
:help normal
:help search()






VimTip 317: Mozilla Vim Keybindings
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=317

If you use VIM you like the h, j, k, and l movement keys.  I found myself annoyed at not having these movement keys available when browsing web pages.  Moving to the arrow keys on a laptop is annoying to just scroll the page.  

Locate your mozilla/res/builtin directory (varies by platform). You could search for htmlBindings.xml to find it. (ie. locate htmlBindings.xml.   

On Mac OS X it's inside the Mozilla application bundle.  /Applications/Mozilla/Mozilla.app/Contents/MacOS/res/builtin. 

Create a new XML file called userHTMLBindings.xml, making it executable for all users and making sure the CRLF format is the same as htmlBindings.xml.  i.e. on Mac OS X most files use \r but Vim writes \n instead. You can either save the file with Vim as a Mac formatted file or use tr '\n' '\r' < input.xml > output.xml to convert the file.

Place the following XML into the userHTMLBindings.xml file.

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<bindings id="htmlBindings"
   xmlns="http://www.mozilla.org/xbl"
   xmlns:xul="http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul">

  <binding id="browserUser">
    <handlers>
      <handler event="keypress" key="h" command="cmd_scrollLeft"/>
      <handler event="keypress" key="j" command="cmd_scrollLineDown"/>
      <handler event="keypress" key="k" command="cmd_scrollLineUp"/>
      <handler event="keypress" key="l" command="cmd_scrollRight"/>
    </handlers>
  </binding>
    </bindings>


There are many more bindings one could configure to get Vim like keybindings.  You can read http://www.mozilla.org/unix/customizing.html#keys for more information.

PS.  I love the keymaster/gatekeeper xul reference in the xul URL above.  It's from the original GhostBusters movie.  ;-)




  






VimTip 318: Extended Bracket and Parenthesis + extras for perl
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=318

This is an extension of vimtip #153
I found this tip useful, but the jump seemed out of place for me, I couldn't enter just one ' or ", and so I created an improvement
Basically, I set it up so that when you're in perl and have a non keyword charcter, (except for @, $ and % for perl) and you type a { you get:
{
       | <- cursor
}
Where as, when I have a keyword I get:
word{}
With the cursor in the middle, for hashes in perl.  I can jump out of any block, except the "" or '' blocks, by typing their closing charcter.  So } jumps me out past the next } in the file.

Warning, this search may wrap around.

Finally, I made it so that, using the alt key, 
<Alt-'> inserts a '
<Alt-/> inserts a "
<Alt-[> inserts a [
<Alt-]> inserts a ]
<Alt--> inserts a {
<Alt-=> inserts a }
<Alt-,> inserts a <
<Alt-.> inserts a >

"########################################
" File -		matchMe.vim
" Date -		Wednesday, August 21, 2002
"########################################

" This code fixes my problem with 
" does the one format for perl and still keeps hashes
function! InsertBrackets()
	let fileType = &ft

	if fileType == 'perl'
		let col = col('.') - 1
		if !col || getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '\k' && getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '\$' && getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '@' && getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '%'  && getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '#'  
			return "{\<cr>\<bs>}\<esc>ko"
		else
			return "{}\<esc>i\<c-o>:echo \<cr>"
		endif
	else
		return "{\<cr>\<bs>}\<esc>ko"
	endif
endfunction

" This code jumps out of the brackets
function! JumpNext(normChar)
	let ret = "\<space>\<esc>ma\<left>/\\".a:normChar."\<cr>mb`ai\<del>\<esc>`bi\<right>"
	return ret
endfunction

" mappings
inoremap " ""<esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr>
inoremap ' ''<esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr>
inoremap < <><esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr>
inoremap ( ()<esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr>
inoremap [ []<esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr>
inoremap { <c-r>=InsertBrackets ()<cr>
inoremap > <c-r>=JumpNext(">")<cr>
inoremap ) <c-r>=JumpNext(")")<cr>
inoremap ] <c-r>=JumpNext("]")<cr>
inoremap } <c-r>=JumpNext("}")<cr>
inoremap <m-[> [
inoremap <m-]> ]
inoremap <m-/> "
inoremap <m--> {
inoremap <m-=> }
inoremap <m-,> <
inoremap <m-.> >
inoremap <m-'> '

"########################################
" End Of File
"########################################

If you have any other suggestions, drop a note...






VimTip 319: text formatting (lining up ='s,('s etc))
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=319

some time onw would like to reformat text like
a=1;
foo=2;
longstring=1;
c=2

to

a              =1;
foo           =2;
longstring  =1;
c              =2;

Note I am not sure wether the code above is displayed properly in your browsers what  is basically shows is all the ='s are lined up in a single column
and this  is how we achive it
0f=20i<space><esc>020lvf=hx
and this is what it does
0                             goes to first column
f=                             finds next occurance of = on current line
20i<space><esc>         inserts 20 spaces before =
0                               goesback to first column
20l                             forward 20 column
vf=hx                         deletes everything up to the = sign








VimTip 320: Borland pageup/down behavier
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=320

borlandbehavier = the cursor keeps the same xy position during pageup/down

Im new to VIM scripting, im sure it can be done smarter? 
I read vimtip #105 and it gave me a clue of how BorlandPageUp/Down could be done.


" i could'nt find any get_number_of_visible_lines function, so i made my own.
function GetNumberOfVisibleLines()
    let cur_line = line(".")
    let cur_col = virtcol(".")
    normal H
    let top_line = line(".")
    normal L
    let bot_line = line(".")

    execute "normal " . cur_line . "G"
    execute "normal " . cur_col . "|"
    return bot_line - top_line
endfunc

" noremap <PageUp> 39<C-U>:set scroll=0<CR>
function! MyPageUp()
    let visible_lines = GetNumberOfVisibleLines()
    execute "normal " . visible_lines . "\<C-U>:set scroll=0\r"
endfunction

" noremap <PageDown> 39<C-D>:set scroll=0<CR>
function! MyPageDown()
    let visible_lines = GetNumberOfVisibleLines()
    execute "normal " . visible_lines . "\<C-D>:set scroll=0\r"
endfunction

" BorlandPascal pageup/down behavier! 
" todo: when hitting top/bottom of file, then restore Y to lastY
noremap <PageUp> :call MyPageUp()<CR>
noremap <PageDown> :call MyPageDown()<CR>







VimTip 321: Centura swap with upper/lower line behavier
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=321

I was once forced to use a windows development suite called "Centura". 
The only good thing i remember was its swap current_line with upper/lower line.

function! MySwapUp()
    let cur_col = virtcol(".")
    normal ddkkp
    execute "normal " . cur_col . "|"
endfunction

function! MySwapDown()
    let cur_col = virtcol(".")
    normal ddp
    execute "normal " . cur_col . "|"
endfunction

" swap lines and preserve cursorx
" todo: in visual mode, perform swap with line before/after the selection
noremap <S-Up> :call MySwapUp()<CR>
noremap <S-Down> :call MySwapDown()<CR>







VimTip 322: text template with placeholders
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=322

Many scripts/ftplugin provide text or code templates. Sadly none of the marks the places where you are supposed to "fill in the form".
My own code templates for C/C++ insert a triple percent (%%%) where you are supposed to enter something. I mapped ;; to find the next %%% and change them. 
All the template mappings are insert-mode only, while the "skip to next placeholder" is both insert and normal mode enabled.

A complete for-loop template for C++ looks like:

:imap <buffer> ;fo <C-O>mzfor( %%%; %%%; %%%)<CR>{ // %%%<CR>%%%<CR>}<CR><C-O>'z;;

The command to go to the next placeholder is this:

:imap <buffer> ;; <C-O>/%%%<CR><C-O>c3l
:nmap <buffer> ;; /%%%<CR>c3l


Every time I need a for-loop ;fo produces this ( _ is the cursor position) :
for( _; %%% ; %%%)
{ // %%%
  %%%
}

Now I enter starting value (i=0):
for( i=0_; %%% ; %%%)
{ // %%%
  %%%
}

and go to the condition using ;;
for( i=0; _ ; %%%)
{ // %%%
  %%%
}

and so forth.

The choice of %%% proved to be almost universal, it even works in MATLAB or LaTeX where % is the comment character.

Even if you forget to replace one %%%, that's not a problem as the compiler flags is as a syntax error (except MATLAB and LaTeX, of course).

It made my life easier, maybe it works for you.







VimTip 323: using folders with latex
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=323

set foldmarker=\\begin,\\end
set foldmethod=marker 

this is useful with big latex document 






VimTip 324: Search and replace in files named NAME
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=324

I'm not sure if there is a simple way to do this from within Vim, but, I wrote this simple script that does it. It basically searches for files named NAMED (whatever name pass) for a given string and replaces that with a given string:
find_replace.sh NAMED "string_to_find" "string_to_replace"

This is all done from the command line without opening Vim.

Of course one could do things like:
                    :let n = 1
                    :while n <= argc()      " loop over all files in arglist
                    :  exe "argument " . n
                    :  " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
                    :  " first search to find match at start of file
                    :  normal G$
                    :  let flags = "w"
                    :  while search("foo", flags) > 0
                    :    s/foo/bar/g
                    :    let flags = "W"
                    :  endwhile
                    :  update               " write the file if modified
                    :  let n = n + 1
                    :endwhile

As suggested in the Vim help files :-) but, I wanted to go and find only these files... here is the script:
      1 #!/bin/sh
      2 # Luis Mondesi < lemsx1@hotmail.com >
      3 # DESCRIPTION:
      4 #   it uses vim to replace a given string for 
      5 #   another in a  number of files
      6 #
      7 # usage:
      8 #   find_replace.sh file "string" "replace"
      9 #
     10 if [ $1 -a $2 -a $3 ]; then
     11     for i in `find . -name "$1" -type f | xargs grep -l $2`; do
     12         # how do search and replace
     13         # the screen might flicker... vim opening and closing...
     14         vim -c ":%s/$2/$3/g" -c ":wq" $i
     15     done
     16     exit 0
     17 fi
     18 # I should never reach here
     19 echo -e "USAGE: find_replace.sh file 'string' 'replace' \n\n"
     20 exit 1








VimTip 325: Errorformat for java/ant/junit/cygwin/bash
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=325

If you program in Java and use Jakarta ant for builds *and* if you have the
bash shell, this tip will make your development experience a little
smoother.

This tip will result in a working compile/edit/debug system (in Win32
vim/gvim and in Cygwin vim) that takes you to the exact lines where the
build fails, whether the failure is a compilation error or a junit test
failure.  If you use bash on a linux box, you shouldn't have to change very
much to get everything to work.

There are 6 sections:
1. set up your build script
2. set up makeprg
3. set up shell options
4. set up path formatting options
5. set up your errorformat
6. set up key mappings

Set up build script
-------------------
Add the following script to your path (I use /usr/local/bin/):

mymake:
#!/bin/bash
cd /work/
ant -emacs $* 2>&1 | tr '\\' / | tr ^M ' ' | sed -u -n -f /usr/local/bin/testerrors.sed | tee /tmp/errors

Comment: sed -u is non-standard, use the code at:
http://mail.gnu.org/pipermail/bug-gnu-utils/2002-May/000192.html to get
the -u option for sed (this avoids waiting for the build output to get to
the screen)

testerrors.sed:
# This assumes that all your junit test cases are in a com.* package
/^Running com\./ {
    # duplicate the line
    s!\(.*\)!\1\
\1!
    P

    # turn the test package into a directory path for %D errorformat
    s!.*\(com\..*\)\.[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*!\1!
    s!\.!/!g
    s!.*!Entering: /work/src/&!

    # print the line and go on
    p
    n
}

# just pass any unmatched lines through
p

Set up makeprg
--------------
Add the following lines to your vimrc:
  autocmd BufNewFile,BufRead /work/*.java set makeprg=mymake
  autocmd BufNewFile,BufRead ?:/work/*.java set makeprg=mymake

Set up shell options
--------------------
Add the following lines to your vimrc:
  " in order to have bash as the shell for win32 vi.exe and gvim.exe, you have
  " to set these options, and also build vimrun.exe in the cygwin environment
  " so that the system() call is executed via bash, not cmd.exe -- the command
  " to build vimrun.exe is "make -f Make_cyg.mak vimrun.exe"
  set shell=bash.exe
  set shellcmdflag=-c
  set shellslash

Also to use this environment in Win32 gvim, you must recompile vimrun so
that gvim invokes the shell via bash, not via cmd.exe.

Set up path formatting options
------------------------------
Add the following lines to your vimrc:
  " allows DOS file names from UNIX (Cygwin) vim
  set isfname+=\

Set up your errorformat
-----------------------
Add the following lines to your vimrc:
  " the "\%DEntering:\ %f," rule relies on a sed script which generates
  " "Entering: " messages for each test class run (the directory name is
  " generated from the test class package and a hard-coded src root)

  " the "%\\C" at the start of the exception matching line tells to match
  " case-exact (the exception mathching lines rely on the %D rule that sets
  " up the correct directory from the package structure)

  " ant/junit/javac errorformat
  set errorformat=
      \%-G%.%#build.xml:%.%#,
      \%-G%.%#warning:\ %.%#,
      \%-G%\\C%.%#EXPECTED%.%#,
      \%f:%l:\ %#%m,
      \C:%f:%l:\ %m,
      \%DEntering:\ %f\ %\\=,
      \%ECaused\ by:%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%ERoot\ cause:%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%Ecom.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%Eorg.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%Ejava.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%Ejunit.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%-Z%\\C\	at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.test%[A-Z]%.%#(%f:%l)\ %\\=,
      \%-Z%\\C\	at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.setUp(%f:%l)\ %\\=,
      \%-Z%\\C\	at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.tearDown(%f:%l)\ %\\=,
      \%-Z%^\ %#%$,
      \%-C%.%#,
      \%-G%.%#

NOTE: Make sure that the character before "at" is an actual Tab character in
the three long -Z lines above

Here is an annotated version:
  set errorformat=
      " don't treat the build.xml diagnostic as an error
      \%-G%.%#build.xml:%.%#,

      " don't treat warning lines as errors
      \%-G%.%#warning:\ %.%#,

      " don't treat lines containing "EXPECTED" as errors
      \%-G%\\C%.%#EXPECTED%.%#,

      " look for this standard error format
      \%f:%l:\ %#%m,

      " look for this standard error format (with C: on front)
      \C:%f:%l:\ %m,

      " look for special sed-generated "Entering" lines while running tests
      \%DEntering:\ %f\ %\\=,

      " look for exceptions that were thrown in the tests, use the exception
      " description as the error message (don't know how to also include the
      " exception name in the error message)
      \%ECaused\ by:%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%ERoot\ cause:%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%Ecom.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%Eorg.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%Ejava.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,
      \%Ejunit.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m,

      " using the "Entering" directory and the filename/line number provided
      " in the exception trace, go to the test method where the exception
      " was thrown
      \%-Z%\\C\	at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.test%[A-Z]%.%#(%f:%l)\ %\\=,
      \%-Z%\\C\	at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.setUp(%f:%l)\ %\\=,
      \%-Z%\\C\	at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.tearDown(%f:%l)\ %\\=,

      " empty lines terminate searching for further exception lines
      \%-Z%^\ %#%$,

      " any line can intervene between the start of an exception printout
      " and the line where it ends (last in list so that it is matched if
      " none of the other exception trace patterns match)
      \%-C%.%#,

      " all other lines are not errors
      \%-G%.%#

Set up key mappings
-------------------
Add the following lines to your vimrc:
  nmap <F10> :clist<CR>
  nmap <F11> :cprev<CR>
  nmap <F12> :cnext<CR>

This allows for quick error navigation.


NOTES
-----
Vim treats the "Entering: /work/src/..." messages in a weird way.  If there
are any actual errors, then these error lines are ignored by the :cnext and
:cprev commands, but if there are no real errors, then :cnext and :cprev
roll through these "Entering:" messages as if they were errors, but since
they don't include any line numbers, the cursor position is never moved.

I thought that this was strange, but even stranger, it is programmed
directly into the vim error handling code to function exactly this way.
There were no comments, and nobody responded on the vim mailing list, so I
just decided to live with it.

The upshot of it all is that if you see an error like "Entering:", chances
are that your build succeeded and all the tests ran without a problem.


Hope this helps...

Mail me with bugs at jdsumsion at earthlink.net.






VimTip 326: Help for VIM Help (VIM QuickRef)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=326

Type 
:help quickref
or
:h quic  

And get a VIM Command Quick Reference Page brilliant for beginners & oldtimers alike

type
:h help to learn how to use help

Other Help Tips

# help for help
:h visual<C-D><tab>     : obtain  list of all visual help topics
                        : Then use tab to step thru them
:h ctrl<C-D>            : list help of all control keys
:h :r                   : help for :ex command
:h CTRL-R               : normal mode
:h \r                   : what's \r in a regexp
:h i_CTRL-R             : help for say <C-R> in insert mode
:h c_CTRL-R             : help for say <C-R> in command mode
:h v_CTRL-V             : visual mode
:h tutor              : VIM Tutor

These are also listed in my Best Of VIM Tips vimtip #305






VimTip 327: key mappings
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=327

I use my left thumb for the alt key and right for the space. Using this combo, you can get
some useful key maps for which you don't have to move your hands. I find I have to turn
my hand a little to press the left ctrl key. 

These are some maps i use for C programming.

map ' `
map <C-f> :w<C-m>:!make<C-m>
map <M-]> <C-]>                                         Tags
map <M-[> <C-t>                                          Tags
map <M-u> :!ctags -R *<C-m>                                          Build Tags
map <M-c> I/*<Esc>A*/<Esc>                                          Comment current line
map <M-d> ^xx$xx                                          Delete comment for a single line
map <M-l> [{zf%                                          Fold upto the enclosing brace level
map <M-o> zo                                           open fold
map <M-i> zc                                          close fold
map <M-.> :cn<C-m>                                          Go to next error in list
map <M-,> :cp<C-m>                                          previous error in list

imap <Tab> <C-p>                                                  Complete word
inoremap <S-Tab> <Tab>                                                  Tab
inoremap { <CR>{<CR>                                                  Brace and line
inoremap } <CR>}                                                  brace and line. saves one enter stroke



imap <M-j> <Esc>                                                  Escape. Don't want to move my hand to esc key.
imap <M-k> <C-y>                                                  Copy line from above.
imap <M-q> /*  */<Esc>hhi                                        Comment selected lines

noremap <M-r> ddko{<C-m>}<Esc>kpko             Convert a simple statement to a compound statement. And place cursor above prev line.
noremap <M-k> ddko{<C-m>}<Esc>kpo             Same as above but place cursor below old line.

vnoremap <M-j> <Esc>                   
vnoremap <M-c> di/*<C-m>/<C-m><Esc>kkp           Commented selected text



nmap <M-n> :noh<CR>                       No hilight


Bye,
    Nithin.






VimTip 328: Vim in Microsoft Visual Foxpro
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=328

You can tell MS VFP to use an external
editor for editing project files.
To tell MS VFP to use Vim:

start regedit
locate
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER
 \Software
  \Microsoft
   \VisualFoxPro
    \5.0
     \Options]

and create a new item 
TEDIT
with string content
"/N C:\Progra~1\vim\vim61\gvim.exe"
(or whatever your path to Vim happens to be.)

This will not replace the internal VFP
editor for such things as modifying the
"click method" for a button
(unfortunately),
but when you modify a program, VFP will
fire up gvim.

Start MS VFP, start Help and 
look for TEDIT. ;-)






VimTip 329: A map for swapping words
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=329

Put the following map into your <.vimrc>:

  nmap <silent> gw "_yiw:s/\(\%#\w\+\)\(\W\+\)\(\w\+\)/\3\2\1/<cr><c-o><c-l>

Then when you put the cursor on or in a word, press "gw", and
the word will be swapped with the next word.  The words may
even be separated by punctuation (such as "abc = def").

While we're talking swapping, here's a map for swapping characters:

  nmap <silent> gc    xph

This hint was formed in a collaboration between
Chip Campbell - Arun Easi - Benji Fisher






VimTip 330: how to stop auto indenting
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=330

Since VIM 6.0 the indent has been improved so much.
But sometimes when we are pasting formated text (source code or HTML etc)
into a buffer, VIM indents again so that lines will be padded with too
much spaces.

Setting nocindent, noautoindent, nosmartindent still cannot stop this.
All you need to do is "set paste", then paste your stuff, and then
"set nopaste" again.

Ref: indentexpr






VimTip 331: modline magic...
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=331

  One  of the  things about  vim that  are both  quite simple  yet very 
useful is that you can store  by-file settings... that is each file can 
contain settings specific to it. this  thing is called a modline (:help 
modline). though this  is limited to only the  'set' command arguments, 
you can do allot of local to  file things like the indent type, folding 
method and so on.                                                       

the syntax is as follows:

// vim:set ts=4 sw=4 nowrap:

or

/* vim:noai:ts=2:sw=4: */

  The modlines can be contained in comments so as to not interfere with 
the file  syntax (shown here  for C/C++). these  lines are read  by vim 
when it loads the  file, and they can either be in the  first or last 5 
lines (by default).                                                     

refer to ':help modline'

//and a happy 20th birthday to the good old smiley!! :-)







VimTip 332: make footnotes in vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=332

I found at http://groups.google.com/groups?q=vim+changing+shell+to+zsh&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=S_Rh9.716%24a5.124150%40news.uchicago.edu&rnum=4
a macro to insert footnotes in vim, but it doesn't work as of vim6.0.
so i wrote my own; this macro requires two differents shortcuts, one for entering the first footnote, the other one for all subsequent footnotes.

when you hit "K0" (first footnote) or "KK" (all other footnotes) in normal mode, your cursor is positionned at the end of the document, in the footnote & in insert mode. The "a" bookmark is set to the place where you entered the footnote in the text. so a "`a" will bring you back to the location of the footnote in the text.

" for now requires entering K0 for the first footnote and then KK                                  nmap K0 i[0]<esc>maG$i<end><enter>[0]
nmap KK maG$?\[[0-9]*\]<enter>yt]G$i<end><enter><esc>p<C-a>i<end>]<esc>`aP<C-a><right>i]<esc>maG$i<end><end>






VimTip 333: Syntax-based folding for c/c++/java
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=333

Here's a function to toggle the use of syntax-based folding for a c/c++/java file. It also handles folding markers.

function! OutlineToggle()
    if (! exists ("b:outline_mode"))
        let b:outline_mode = 0
    endif

    if (b:outline_mode == 0)
        syn region myFold start="{" end="}" transparent fold
        syn sync fromstart
        set foldmethod=syntax

        silent! exec "%s/{{{/<<</"
        silent! exec "%s/}}}/>>>/"

        let b:outline_mode = 1
    else
        set foldmethod=marker

        silent! exec "%s/<<</{{{/"
        silent! exec "%s/>>>/}}}/"

        let b:outline_mode = 0
    endif
endfunction






VimTip 334: Loading scripts in .vimrc safely
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=334

If you copy your .vimrc to many places, you might get a problem:
writing a portable .vimrc is sometimes painful.
Maybe in some places you have latest VIM6.1, and in some places
you have VIM 5.x. And maybe you have some favorite scripts in
your own computer while other places does not.

Here're some tips and examples on writing portable .vimrc that will not make error
messages when environment changes:

(1) Check version:
if version >= 600
    set foldcolumn=2
endif

(2) Use environment variables:
source $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim

(3) Loading scripts(especially useful for scripts just merged into standard macros):
if filereadable($VIMRUNTIME . "/macros/matchit.vim")
  source $VIMRUNTIME/macros/matchit.vim
endif








VimTip 335: Copy C++ function declaration into implementation file
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=335

There's a handy plug in for MS Visual Studio called CodeWiz that has a nifty ability to copy a function declaration and deposit it into the implementation file on command.  I actually missed while using vim, so I wrote an approximation of that capability.  This isn't foolproof, but it works alright.  

" Copy Function Declaration from a header file into the implementation file.
nmap <F5> "lYml[[kw"cye'l
nmap <F6> ma:let @n=@/<cr>"lp==:s/\<virtual\>/\/\*&\*\//e<cr>:s/\<static\>/\/\*&\*\//e<cr>:s/\s*=\s*0\s*//e<cr>:s/(.\{-}\zs=\s*[^,)]\{-1,}\>\ze\(\*\/\)\@!.*)/\/\*&\*\//e<cr>:s/(.\{-}\zs=\s*[^,)]\{-1,}\>\ze\(\*\/\)\@!.*)/\/\*&\*\//e<cr>:s/(.\{-}\zs=\s*[^,)]\{-1,}\>\ze\(\*\/\)\@!.*)/\/\*&\*\//e<cr>:let @/=@n<cr>'ajf(b"cPa::<esc>f;s<cr>{<cr>}<cr><esc>kk

To use this, source it into vim, for example by placing it in your vimrc, press F5 in normal mode with the cursor on the line in the header file that declares the function you wish to copy.  Then go to your implementation file and hit F6 in normal mode with the cursor where you want the function implementation inserted.






VimTip 336: type the line number and press enter to get there
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=336

an easy way to  to get to a line (whose number we know)  faster  is to combine some existing ways that are;
:132<ENTER>
or
123G
or 
123gg

and the solution is to map in normal mode the enter to G

so with 
:nmap <ENTER> G
we can type the line number and then press enter to get there...

it's very small gain ... but it is!!!







VimTip 337: editing remote files via scp in vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=337

VIM 6.x has the netrw plugin installed as a standard plugin. It allows you to edit files via ftp, rcp, scp, or http. If your username differs on the remote host, however, and you're trying to use scp, things can get a little wierd, particularly if you're not editing a document under your user tree.

To get around this, try opening the file as follows: 
    vim scp://remoteuser@server.tld//path/to/document
Notice two things: adding the "remoteuser@" syntax, and the use of two slashes (//) between the servername and the path. The first sets the remote user so that scp will not grab the $USERNAME environment variable, the second will appropriately set the absolute path.






VimTip 338: vim + cscope + cygwin
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=338

Tip #292 doesn't seem to be true, at least not anymore. I am using cscope 15.4 and vim 6.1. With a few hacks, I was able to get cscope to work with vim under cygwin for Windows 2000. I did not need to change the sprintf line. The hacks included 

1. Copying if_cscope.? to the src directory and the if_cscope.pro to the src/proto directory. These files do not come standard with the Windows source distribution of vim.  (I think it should - anybody in charge of distribution listening?) 

2. Edit if_cscope.c to make the following changes: 

Add the following includes: 
    #include <sys/unistd.h> 
    #include <sys/signal.h> 

3. Edit Make_cyg.mak 

Add if_cscope.o to OBJ variable. 

Add a rule for this at the end 

$(OUTDIR)/if_cscope.o: if_cscope.c $(INCL) 
$(CC) -c $(CFLAGS) if_cscope.c -o $(OUTDIR)/if_cscope.o 

Uncomment the lines following 

#>>>>> uncomment this block to build a GUI version 


4. Edit feature.h 

Force cscope compilation: 

# define FEAT_CSCOPE 

5. make -f Make_cyg.mak GUI=yes 

6. Note that the env variable TMPDIR should be defined in VIM for cscope to work correctly. 

That should do it. Somebody in charge of distribution please make this standard. It would save a lot of trouble. 







VimTip 339: "tabbed windows"
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=339

This is what I use to emulate the multi-tab environment of certain editors like EditPlus, and easly switch between multiple files being edited (opened with the :split command):

" put this in your .vimrc file to rotate windows with Alt-K / Alt-J
set winminheight=0
nmap <M-k> <C-W>r<C-W>k:resize<CR>
nmap <M-j> <C-W>j<C-W>R:resize<CR>
imap <M-k> <ESC><M-k>i
imap <M-j> <ESC><M-j>i
" end

The only problem is that after a :split you have to Alt-K-J to keep the new window "maximized".






VimTip 340: Visual Select And Search
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=340

The following visual select and search map is a combination of information
from Benji's vimrc file (vmap S y/<C-R>=escape(@",'/\')<CR>) and a tip that
mentions the "\n" to "\\\\n" substitution.

It works for special characters and multiple lines.

vmap \s y/\V<C-R>=substitute(escape(@",'/\'),"\n","\\\\n","g")<CR>/<CR>

Quick explanation:

vmap       visual map
\s         your choice
y          yank selected text
/          search delimiter
\V         no magic, just text
<C-R>=     expression
substitute substitute "\n" for "\\\\n"
escape     escape '/' (delimiter) and '\' in yanked text (@")
<CR>       end expression
/<CR>      search

Warning: Folding will not match if the foldexpr expression is using
getline() to match against a search pattern that spans multiple lines.

Enjoy.






VimTip 341: switch color schemes
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=341

This function is similar to the vimtip #211. I did not recognize that s.o.
already wrote a function for that, but this one has one advantage:
It just takes all possible colorschemes in the given directorys and rotates
them. Just put the following code in your .vimrc file:

let SwitchSchemesFiles = globpath("$VIMRUNTIME,$HOME/.vim","colors/*.vim")
let SwitchSchemesIndex = 0

function! SwitchSchemes()
        let sep="\n"
        if g:SwitchSchemesIndex == -1
                let g:SwitchSchemesIndex=0
        endif

        exe "source " . NextElement(g:SwitchSchemesFiles, sep, g:SwitchSchemesIndex)
        let g:SwitchSchemesIndex = NextIndex(g:SwitchSchemesFiles, sep, g:SwitchSchemesIndex + 1)
endfunction

In addition you need the http://www.vim.org/script.php?script_id=109
Put it in the plugin directory.

If you use e.g. a map to F12, you can easily switch between all
installed themes:
map <f12>  :call SwitchSchemes()<CR>








VimTip 342: Remap <ESC>
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=342

Tired of hunting down <ESC> at upper-left of your keyboard while using a keyboard with useless Windows keys?

Well, remap them -- use xmodmap. I'm using Debian and my xmodmap config file is in /etc/X11/xinit/xmodmap, ymmv. 
You may have to use xmodmap directly (from ~/.xinitrc  in *BSD or whatever).

Anyway, here's my xmodmap:
[ .. other irrelevant mappings skipped ... ]
keycode 115 = braceleft
keycode 116 = Escape
keycode 117 = braceright

Btw, the keys are:
    * 115 - Windows key, between the left-hand Ctrl and Alt keys
    * 116 - Windows key, to the right of the AltGr key
    * 117 - Menu key, to the left of the right-hand Ctrl key

Valid for all environments with X, on *BSD as well as on Linux.
You get the same mappings under ordinary console by modifying the console keymap file (pretty self-explanatory), in my case it's 
/usr/share/keymaps/i386/qwerty/et.kmap.gz.

I'm using mapping braces to winkeys because of my Estonian keyboard.







VimTip 343: Faster loading of large files
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=343

In the past I experienced long loading times for large files ( size > 10MB )
These files are normally generated by SQL tracing, XML message based
protocols tracing etc.
One of the causes of long loading times was syntax parsing, creating swap file etc.
Normally one want to view these files and remove not relevant details by 
deleting lines, but do not want to have undo capabilities and auto recalculation of 
syntax highlighting.

The code below, I put in my _vimrc to switch off a number of defaults for
large files.

One can modify the g:LargeFile variable and reload a file to test:
:let g:LargeFile=10
:e

It would be interesting to know if others have more or better suggestions.

" Protect large files from sourcing and other overhead.
" Files become read only
if !exists("my_auto_commands_loaded")
        let my_auto_commands_loaded = 1
        " Large files are > 10M
        " Set options:
        " 	    eventignore+=FileType (no syntax highlighting etc
        "            assumes FileType always on)
        "       noswapfile (save copy of file)
        "       bufhidden=unload (save memory when other file is viewed)
        "       buftype=nowritefile (is read-only)
        "       undolevels=-1 (no undo possible)
        let g:LargeFile = 1024 * 1024 * 10
        augroup LargeFile
                autocmd BufReadPre * let f=expand("<afile>") | if getfsize(f) > g:LargeFile | set eventignore+=FileType | setlocal noswapfile bufhidden=unload buftype=nowrite undolevels=-1 | else | set eventignore-=FileType | endif
        augroup END
endif







VimTip 344: Cut / Copy / Delete / Paste Lines without knowing the number of lines
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=344

If you ever need to cut / copy / delete / paste lines without knowing the actual number of lines, here is what you should do.

1. In the command Mode, Go to the beginning of the first mark (lets say line 50).
2. Type: mk
3. Go to the end of your selection (lets say 100), using j's or Ctrl -F or anything. You don't need to count the lines.
4. Type: "ay'k (i.e. Double Quotes, <reg name from a-z>, <y-yank or d-delete>, single quote, k
5. The above command copies those lines into register a.
6. If you do "ad'k , it will delete them from the current location and copies them into register a.
7. You can paste those lines wherever you want just as you print from registers, i.e. "ap

I use this a lot, since I don't need to count the number of lines.

-Kdr






VimTip 345: Visual Studio + vim Quickfix mode + cygwin + XFree86
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=345

I run gvim inside a cygwin XFree86 session running WindowMaker.  Because I'm inside cygwin-XFree86, I can't use the useful VisVim plugin to step through Visual Studio compiler errors.  To work around this limitation, I wrote a Bash/Perl script that munges nmake output into something that has cygwin compliant path and is parseable by the default quickfix errorformat setting .

Here's what to do:

1.  install the following from cygwin:

- perl
- cygutils
- bash

2.  Set up Visual Studio to support command line compiles.   Basically this involves adding paths to the PATH, INCLUDE, and LIB environment variables.  See vcvars32.bat in the Visual Studio VC98/bin directory for guidelines.

3.  Export a makefile for your dsp project file via the Visual Studio "Project|Export Makefile..."

4.  Create the cygwin shell script defined below.  Put the script in '/bin/dovcmake' 

---begin cut-----

#!/bin/bash
# This script takes output from
# Visual Studio's nmake and reformats
# it so that it can be parsed by 
# cygwin's vim default errorformat
# setting
nmake /F $1 2>&1 | perl -n -e \
	'	chomp; 
		if(/^([a-z]:[^(]+)\((\d+)\)(.+)$/i) { 
			$f = $1; $l = $2; $m = $3; 
			$f =~ s/\\/\//g; 
			$cyp = `cygpath -au $f`; \ 
			chomp $cyp; 
			print qq{"$cyp",$l:$m\n};} 
		elsif(/error/i) { 
			print qq{$_\n}; 
		}'

---end cut -----

5.  Add this map to your vimrc:

set makeprg=/bin/dovcmake
map <f7> :make <c-r>%<cr>

6.  Fire up cygwin vim and open the makefile from step 3.  If you hit F7, you'll automatically start a Visual Studio build and you'll be able to step through compiler errors via the :cp and :cn commands.







VimTip 346: Wrap text in HTML/XML tags after prompting for the tag name
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=346


Someone else posted this sometime ago on this mailing list, I have enhanced it slightly and made a tip out of it.
I thought it was pretty clever and very generic.

If you have a block of text and you want to wrap it in <TAG_NAME>...</TAG_NAME> then this function will prompt you for the tag name and wrap the text.

If there is no text VISUALLY selected, it will wrap the current word in the tag, otherwise it will wrap the visually selected text.

It will also strip off any leading spaces.
For the end tag, it will use the first word of the tag only.

Consider an ANT build file, which has tags like this:
<target name="init">
...
</target>

When prompted for the tag you would enter:
target name="init"

And it will wrap the text in:
<target name="init">
...
</target>


" Tag Select/Wrapper
" These mappings and TagSelection function will allow you to place " an XML tag around either the current word, or the current selected " text 
nmap <Leader>t viw<Leader>t 
vnoremap <Leader>t <Esc>:call TagSelection()<CR>

nmap <Leader>t viw<Leader>t
vnoremap <Leader>t <Esc>:call TagSelection()<CR>

function! TagSelection()
  let l:tag = input("Tag name? ")
  " exec "normal `>a</" . l:tag . ">\e"
  " Strip off all but the first work in the tag for the end tag
  exec "normal `>a</" . 
              \ substitute( l:tag, '[ \t"]*\(\<\w*\>\).*', '\1>\e', "" )
  exec "normal `<i" 
              \ substitute( l:tag, '[ \t"]*\(\<.*\)', '<\1>\e', "" )
endfunction







VimTip 347: Format paragraph without changing the cursor position
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=347

map <silent> <C-j> :let line=line(".")<CR>:let col=col(".")<CR>gqap:exec ":".line<CR>:exec "normal " . col . "\|"<CR>
imap <silent> <C-j> <Esc>:let line=line(".")<CR>:let col=col(".")<CR>gqap:exec ":".line<CR>:exec "normal " . col . "\|"<CR>a







VimTip 348: Quickly insert a single word
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=348

I've had something like this for a single character for some time, and this may be something that everyone is already doing, but it's really convenient for me.  These two mappings make it quick and easy to insert a word.

nmap <buffer> <silent> ,w :exec ":imap \<space\> \<space\>\<esc\>,BB"<cr>i
nmap <buffer> <silent> ,BB :exec ":iunmap \<space\>"<cr>

Given the sentence:

The quick fox.

To add the word "brown" you would put your curser on the f in fox and type ",w" (or whatever you decide is a good mapping).  Type the word brown.  As soon as you hit space you are out of insert mode.

If there's an easier way to do this, please feel free to comment.

Thanks.







VimTip 349: Format your xml document using xmllint
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=349

If you open an xml document that is either totally or partially unindented, you can use the GNU libxml2 libary's xmllint to reformat and align your document.  This is especially good if you want to save your xml documents using as little space as possible (which would be totally unindented).  Just add this under the autocmd section of your .vimrc file

au FileType xml exe ":silent 1,$!xmllint --format --recover - 2>/dev/null"

This instructs vim to take the entire contents of a *.xml file and pass it through xmllint, using the --format and --recover flags and silencing any errors that may occur.  This is generally a very effective process and will only mess up on very poorly typed (a large amout of incorrect syntax) xml documents.  Please note that xmllint only adds and removes structural space.  It does not remove space from regular text nodes (as doing so would be incorrect).






VimTip 350: when 'formatoptions' has o easily enter a non commented line: go/gO mappings
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=350

This is relevant when your 'formatoptions' has o.
From :h fo-table, "Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting 'o' or 'O' in Normal mode."
I like this behavior enough to keep the o option, however at times I want to NOT insert the comment chars, and although manually deleting the added chars is not hard I present these simple mappings that delete the added chars automatically.

(from my .vimrc)
nnoremap go o<esc>S
nnoremap gO O<esc>S

This makes go open a new line under the cursor and removes inserted chars, while gO opens a new line above the cursor and removes inserted chars.

Your mileage will vary of course (:
Happy VIMing!







VimTip 351: Using quickfix in a different way
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=351

I'm a software developer and I find vim's quickfix (:help quickfix) very helpful.
You can also use this while debugging your code, in a slightly different way...

Usually, you will have some print messages in your code, and after the program 
runs, you'll look at the output to see the execution trace (e.g which if-constructs
were taken, how many times did a while loop iterate.. ). If you precede these
statements with a <filename>:<linenumber>, then, the program output can be parsed
with a :cfile, and the execution trace becomes very simple.
For instance, in C++

   // fdebug is the pointer to the debug file called, debug.txt say.
   #define DEBUG_MESG( ) fprintf(fdebug, "%0s:%0d\n", __FILE__, __LINE__)

   ...
   
   function( )
   {
      ...
      if (something)
         DEBUG_MESG( );
      else
         DEBUG_MESG( );
      ...
   }

Open your code in vim and do a ":cfile debug.txt"






VimTip 352: disabling cabbrev
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=352

Have you ever been annoyed by an over-zealous cabbrev? A simple way to temporarily disable it is to set invpaste. Very convenient in combination with the pastetoggle key.






VimTip 353: Swap caps-lock and control keys using MS Windows Registry
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=353

This will allow you to use the caps-lock key as a control key. Makes using vim in win32 much nicer in my opinion.

Place the following text into a text file with the extension *.reg and update your registry by double-clicking the file:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00








VimTip 354: Find in files - recursively (NOT :grep!). Only for unix clones.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=354

You probably know about the grep command in vim (:help grep)
There is one limitation of this - you can't search for a pattern recursively in files (why doesn't grep have some kind of -R option for searching recursively? Have looked around enough at the man pages for that..). The script below does this. Cut-paste this in to your .vimrc/_vimrc. Type ":Fif" (without arguments) to see usage.

   " Start of script
   " Location where the temporary file (.fif.tmp) would be stored
   let g:Fif_tmp_dir = "/tmp"
   function! Fif_fun(...)
      if a:0 == 0
         " Print usage info and quit
         echo "Usage: Fif <pattern-to-be-searched> <file-pattern>. E.g:"
         echo "Fif struct *.c"
         echo "searches for the word struct in all the c files from the current directory"
         return
      endif
      if a:0 != 2
          echohl Error
          echo "Error! Wrong number of arguments. Type :Fif with no arguments to see usage"
          echohl None
          return
      endif
      let tmp_file = g:Fif_tmp_dir . "/.fif.tmp"
      execute "!touch " . tmp_file . " 2> /dev/null"
      if ! filewritable(tmp_file)
         echohl Error
         echo "No permissions to create " . tmp_file
         echo "Try setting the g:Fif_tmp_dir variable to the right value"
         echohl None
         return
      endif
      " Put quotes around the file pattern
      let com_string = '!find . -name "' . a:2 . '" '
      " Do NOT put quotes around the pattern to be searched - leave it to the user
      let com_string = com_string . '-exec grep -n ' . a:1 . ' /dev/null {} \; > ' . tmp_file
      execute com_string 
      if ! filereadable(tmp_file)
         echohl Error
         echo "Can't open " . tmp_file . " for reading"
         echohl None
         return
      endif
      execute "cfile " . tmp_file
      execute '!rm -f ' . tmp_file . ' 2> /dev/null'
   endfunction
   com -nargs=* Fif call Fif_fun(<f-args>)
   " End of script.

No vim magic here, just some shell util usage.
Tested on HPUX.
Should work on Windows with Cygwin. You'll have to
1. Remove those /dev/null's
2. Make sure that the Cygwin's find and grep utils are used, and not the windows ones
3. Change the default value of g:Fif_tmp_dir
4. Cygwin's grep differs from the version I have on HP. For forcing grep to print the filename, you'll have to give it a "-H" option, in addition to "-n"

Some more tinkering can be done with this.. for instance, if you want to search in all the text files, irrespective of the extention, you can consider doing something like this:

   " Find all files.
   let com_string = '!find . -type f -print '
   " Get the file type
   let com_string = com_string . '| xargs file '
   " Filter out the text files
   let com_string = com_string . "| awk '/text/ {print $1}' "
   " Some formatting to remove the trailing ':'
   let com_string = com_string . "| sed 's/://' "
   " grep for the pattern in all the files
   let com_string = com_string . '| xargs grep -n ' . a:1

Cheers!
Karthick.






VimTip 355: Comment Lines according to a given filetype
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=355

There is probably an easier way to do this, but, if I cannot find an easy solution for a given problem, I just device one that works for the meantime -- which usually becomes permanent :-) .

This function comments out lines according to file type. So if a file is .sh, it uses # to comment lines. And if a file is type .c it will start the comments with /* and end them with */.

Put this lines in your .vimrc file:
" -------- vimrc ---------
" comment out highlighted lines according to file type
" put a line like the following in your ~/.vim/filetype.vim file
" and remember to turn on filetype detection: filetype on
" au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.sh,*.tcl,*.php,*.pl let Comment="#"
" if the comment character for a given filetype happens to be @
" then use let Comment="\@" to avoid problems...
fun CommentLines() 
    "let Comment="#" " shell, tcl, php, perl
    exe ":s@^@".g:Comment."@g"
    exe ":s@$@".g:EndComment."@g"
endfun
    " map visual mode keycombo 'co' to this function
vmap co :call CommentLines()<CR>
" ------- end vimrc -------

Now create a ~/.vim/filetype.vim file if you don't have one and add things like these to it (remember to put a line
filetype on, in your vimrc file ... again if you don't already have one. Vim needs to be compiled with filetype detection
support for this to work. You have been warned.):

-------- filetype.vim ---------

if exists("did_load_filetypes")
    finish
endif

augroup filetypedetect

    au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.inc,*.ihtml,*.html,*.tpl,*.class set filetype=php | let Comment="<!-- " | let EndComment=" -->"

    au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.sh,*.pl,*.tcl let Comment="#" | let EndComment=""

    au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.js set filetype=html | let Comment="//" | let EndComment=""

    au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.cc,*.php,*.cxx let Comment="//" | let EndComment=""

    au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.c,*.h let Comment="/*" | let EndComment="*/"

augroup END

------ end filetype.vim -------

All set, now whenever you are editing a file of those you have defined in your filetype.vim script, you can just go into Visual mode, highlight what you want to comment out, and type "co". Simple.









VimTip 356: Quick yank and paste
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=356

Since I didn't want to interfere with the standard Vim mappings I removed all the <C-c>, <C-v>, etc. mappings found in the default vimrc. But quickly copy-pasting text is a must, so I added the following keymaps. This is very simple, but it works like a charm.

vmap <C-Space> "ay
nmap <C-Space> "aP
imap <C-Space> <C-o>"ap
nmap <C-c> "ayiw

Niels

My vimrc if you're interested: http://home.student.utwente.nl/n.h.m.aandebrugh/_vimrc






VimTip 357: Adding a console to gdbvim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=357


This tip shows how to enhance the gdbvim vimscript #84 by 
making the outputs from gdb appear in a "console buffer" 
inside vim.

"1.a) In gdbvim.vim, one needs to add the following two buffer 
"     manipulation functions:

"--------------------------------------------------------
" Buffer manipulation functions {{{1
"
" function! s:GdbFocusBuf(nameref)  {{{2
" move the focus to the buffer nameref -- create 
" it if it doesn't exist
" return the number of the currently focused buffer 
"
function! s:GdbFocusBuf(nameref)
  let l:oldnr = bufnr("%")
  let l:win_nu = bufwinnr(a:nameref)
  if l:win_nu > 0
    execute l:win_nu "wincmd w"
  else
    if bufexists(a:nameref)
      execute "sbuffer" a:nameref
    else
      execute "new" a:nameref
    endif
  endif
  return l:oldnr
endfunction

" function! s:GdbAppendBuf(nameref, stuff) {{{2
" append stuff to buffer nameref
" 
function! s:GdbAppendBuf(nameref, stuff)
   let l:oldnr = s:GdbFocusBuf(a:nameref)
   call append("$", a:stuff)
   execute "normal G\<End>"
   return l:oldnr
endfunction

"1.b) And modify the two source file management functions
"     to be as follows:

"--------------------------------------------------------
" Source file management functions {{{1
" function! Gdb_Bpt(id, file, linenum) {{{2
"
function! Gdb_Bpt(id, file, linenum)
        let s:nowfile = a:file
        let l:curnr = s:GdbFocusBuf(a:file)
        execute "sign unplace ". a:id
        execute "sign place " .  a:id ." name=breakpoint line=".a:linenum." file=".a:file
        execute a:linenum
endfunction

" function! Gdb_CurrFileLine(file, line) {{{2
"
function! Gdb_CurrFileLine(file, line)
        if a:file != 0
           let s:nowfile=a:file
        endif

        let l:curnr = s:GdbFocusBuf(s:nowfile)

        execute "silent! " . a:line . "foldopen"
        execute "sign unplace ". 1
        execute "sign place " .  1 ." name=current line=".a:line." file=".s:nowfile
        execute a:line
endf


"1.c) And add the following console function: 

"--------------------------------------------------------
" function! Gdb_Console(stuff, set_prompt) {{{2
"
function! Gdb_Console(stuff, set_prompt)

  let l:fooey = s:GdbAppendBuf("console", a:stuff)

  if a:set_prompt == 1
      " What needs to happen here is to enter command mode
      " with the partial command ":Gdb " typed out.
      " The following line shows what doesn't work 
      " call input(":Gdb ")   
  endif 
endfunction

"1.d) And while we are modifying gdbvim.vim, we could also
"     add a text section to the definitions of the signs:

"--------------------------------------------------------
sign define breakpoint linehl=DebugBreak    text=bb
sign define current    linehl=DebugStop     text=cc


#2) The subroutine worker in the perl script gdbvim needs to
#   be modified as indicated below.  The key points to note 
#   are the two calls the vim-script function Gdb_Console().

# this function processes the gdb output, prints it and sends vim commands
sub worker # {{{
{   
    vim_call('Gdb_interf_init(\"'.$PIPE.'\", \"'.$ENV{"PWD"}.'\")');
    print GDB_WTR "set prompt (gdb)\\n\n";
    while (<GDB_RDR>)
    {
        if (/^.*?gdb\)/) 
        {
            print RL_WTR "READ\n";
            chomp ; 
            print $_ . " "; 
            vim_call("Gdb_Console(\\\"$_\\\", 1)");
        }
        else
        {
            my $stuff = $_;
            if(
                  s/Breakpoint ([0-9]+) at 0x.*: file ([^,]+), line ([0-9]+)./Gdb_Bpt($1,\\\"$2\\\",$3)/ ||
                  s/Breakpoint ([0-9]+), 0x.*at ([^,]+):([0-9]+)/Gdb_CurrFileLine(\\\"$2\\\",$3)/ ||
                  s/^\s*0x.*\s+at\s+(\S+):([0-9]+)/Gdb_CurrFileLine(\\\"$1\\\",$2)/ ||
                  s/\032\032([^:]*):([0-9]+).*/Gdb_CurrFileLine(\\\"$1\\\", $2)/  || 
                  s/^\s*0x\S+\s*([0-9]+)\s+.*/Gdb_CurrFileLine(0, $1)/ 
              )
              {
                  chomp;
                  vim_call($_);
              } 
              print $stuff;
              chomp($stuff);
              # the next substitution is because I couldn't figure out how to 
              # pass (from perl) double quotes inside string arguments to 
              # vim-script functions
              $stuff =~ s/"/'/g; 
              vim_call("Gdb_Console(\\\"$stuff\\\", 0)");
        }
    }
    vim_call("Gdb_interf_close()");
    close GDB_RDR; close GDB_WTR;
}; # }}} 

That's all the modifications -- and now gdbvim will show 
the output of gdb inside a vim.  (Errors from gdb won't 
show up in the console but still go to the terminal.)

Happy gdbVimming!

Acknowledgment:
   I learnt about functions in vim-scripts by the process of tracking 
   down an annoying behavior in cvscommand.vim vimscript #90.  
   Also, the author of cvscommand.vim, Bob Hiestand, graciously 
   improved my earlier versions of the functions GdbFoucBuf and 
   GdbAppendBuf. 







VimTip 358: Get a random colorscheme on vim startup
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=358

This script picks a colorscheme randomly among all available schemes files
when vim starts up.  This is similar to vimtip #341, but differs in that it
is independent of other script liblaries, besides the randomness.

Copy & paste the lines below to somewhere appropriate in your .vimrc.

" Create the comma-separated list of colorscheme files
let s:colors = substitute(globpath(&runtimepath, 'colors/*.vim'), "\n", ',', 'g')
" Make backward slashes forward if necessary
if (has('dos16') || has('dos32') || has('win16') || has('win32') || has('os2')) && !&shellslash
  let s:colors = substitute(s:colors, '\', '/', 'g')
endif

if strlen(s:colors)
  " If there are two or more colorschemes
  if s:colors =~ ','
    let s:rnd = matchstr(localtime(), '..$') + 0
    let s:loop = 0
    " Rotate the list s:rnd times
    while s:loop < s:rnd
      let s:colors = substitute(s:colors, '^\([^,]\+\),\(.*\)$', '\2,\1', '')
      let s:loop = s:loop + 1
    endwhile
  endif
  " Obtain the filename of the first colorscheme in the list.  e.g.:
  "   c:/home/vimfiles/colors/foo.vim
  " Then, trim unecessary parts to get this:
  "   foo
  let s:color = substitute(matchstr(s:colors, '^[^,]\+'), '^.*/\(.*\)\.vim$', '\1', '')
  execute "colorscheme" s:color
endif
unlet! s:colors s:color s:rnd s:loop


Please be noted that adding this script might slightly slow down the startup
time of vim.  Enjoy!






VimTip 359: Download RedHat RPMS of the latest and greatest version of VIM.
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=359

You can now download RedHat RPMS of the latest and greatest version of VIM.
Here is the annoucement: http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=vim&m=103629270123503&w=2
Here is the download link: http://nirvani.org/software/vim/






VimTip 360: ':e <dir>' enter files and directories
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=360

You can directly enter files with ':e filename', but did you know you can 'enter' directories that way ?

e.g. ':e ..' opens a buffer window with the entries of the parent directory.
If you then double click on an entry the directory is opened in the same way (if it's a directory) 
or the file is opened for editing (if it's a file).

(Don't ask me, if it's normal vim behaviour or the effect of any script.)






VimTip 361: Use xdvi (or kdvi) in conjunction with gvim (or vim) and converse
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=361

source: the xdvi man page

For recent xdvi versions (>= 22.38), (or recent Unix/Linux versions), xdvi can
interact with any editor provided with a client-server mode. We explain 
here how to use xdvi in conjunction with vim (compiled with the client-server 
option) or gvim (mostly compiled with this option). I have tested that 
with Linux Mandrake 9.0. On that system, gvim is compiled with the 
client-server option and vim is not.

0-Check that your xdvi version provides the "source-special" functions, 
by typing 'xdvi -version' or 'man xdvi'

1-Configuration of the source file (file.tex)
Put the following line at the beginning of the latex file:
\usepackage[active]{srcltx}
or the following line at the beginning of the tex file
\include{srctex}

2-Configuration of xdvi
xdvi has to be called with the following options
xdvi -editor 'gvim --remote-wait +%l %f' file.dvi &
(or with 'xterm -e vim --remote-wait +%l %f' if vim has 
been compiled with the client-server option).

To make it easier to use you can define an environement 
variable XEDITOR to set the value of 'editor' or add 
the following line in your .Xdefaults
xdvi.editor: gvim --remote-wait +%l %f
Launch 'xrdb -load ~/.Xdefaults' to make sure that 
xdvi.editor is set to the good value.
If you have defined such a variable, xdvi will always be launched 
with the -editor option. To avoid this unsafe behavior, 
launch 'xdvi -safer'.

3-Conversely, if you call xdvi within gvim with the -sourceposition 
option, cursor is placed in the dvi file on the corresponding position.
Syntax is:
xdvi -sourceposition l:cfile.tex file.dvi
l is the line number, c is the column number
(Be carefull: there is no space between "c" (column number) and 
file.tex).
To make it easier to use, you can do the following
First create a file named for example "xdvi_source.vim"
with following lines
" This script calls xdvi source and puts cursor in xdvi viewer at 
" the position corresponding to the position in the source file
" 
:exec "silent !xdvi -sourceposition ".line(".").':'.col(".")."%".' '."%:r.dvi"

Then launch the following command within gvim editing the .tex 
source file. Pressing simultaneously <CTRL> and -> will open 
the dvi file at the right position:
:noremap <buffer> <C-Right> :so xdvi_source.vim<CR>







VimTip 362: matchit.vim and coldfusion (and perhaps others)
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=362

Hi VIMmites

I couldn't get any tags to match in Coldfusion files *.cfm either HTML Javascript or ColdFusion tags themselves <cfif ..> ... </cfif>

Much pain was gone thru before I realised that the Syntax File for ColdFusion
 (/syntax/cf.vim) was called cf and not cfm

Therefore in matchit.cfm I need to add CF in following line and NOT CFM

au FileType html,jsp,php,cf if !exists("b:match_words") |

zzapper






VimTip 363: Starting up Vim very fast expecially from a telnet session
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=363

when you telnet to a remote machine and fire Vim on that machine,
sometimes it takes a lot of time for Vim to start.
instead if you use
vim -X 
it will start vim almost instantaneously. This is because "-X" options 
tells vim not to connect to the local X server, which can save a lot of startup time.

Also 
vim -X --noplugin
will not load any plugins in $VIMRUNTIME/plugin directory, this will again speed up the
starting and is very useful especially when running vim from a Disk mounted over NFS.
Njoy






VimTip 364: Automatic file type detection with fully qualified ClearCase names
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=364

I am using the great plugin from Douglas Potts (vimscript #15).

When you load a specific ClearCase version of a file, vim cannot find the correct file type in the full name (ex. filename.c@@/main/foo/1). To improve that, you can create an autocommand in the filetype.vim file in your user runtime directory.

augroup filetypedetect
  au BufNewFile,BufRead */*@@*
    \ if expand("<afile>") =~ '@@' |
    \   exe "doau filetypedetect BufRead " . expand("<afile>:s?@@.*$??") |
    \ endif
augroup END

The test in the command is for compatibility with path containing '@@' sequence.






VimTip 365: Vim Book Online
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=365

New Riders has released Steve Oualline book Vi iMproved (VIM) under their Open Publication License (OPL).  View it at http://www.newriders.com/books/opl/ebooks/0735710015.html






VimTip 366: really basic RCS interaction from within vim
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=366


  I've looked all around and haven't found RCS functions built into vim (which surprises me, really), so I looked more and found some almost working RCS scripts for text-mode.  Key there is almost.  It's still a kludge, but it works without too much hassle.

   I've chosen F1 and F2, because I never use those keys for what they are intended.  I use :help for command reference, not for a tutorial style thing.  So, use some discretion.  Also, the write command could just as easily have been a :write!, but I decided against that in the case of files that weren't checked out.  You should check them out, first, and they should be writable.

map <F1>                :write %<CR>:!ci -l %<CR>:edit!<CR>
map <F2>                :!co -l %<CR>:edit!<CR>

  New RCS files work just fine with the first mapping.

  There would be some use to creating the RCS directory, if it's not already there, but I don't see an "if exists and is directory" function, right now.

  There's a good menu-driven rcs client for graphical vim, but I hate menus and graphical interfaces.






VimTip 367: What is this $VIMRUNTIME ?
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=367

$VIMRUNTIME points to a directory where most of the files needed by Vim are kept.
As the name suggests these files are needed during "run-time". Though they are not necessary for
Vim to run, but they help in adding extra functionality to the basic Vim.

Here is a brief overview of files and directories in $VIMRUNTIME.

bugreport.vim :- Use this file if you think you have discovered a bug in VIM. see "help bugreport"
colors :- Contains various clorschemes. see ":help :colorscheme"
compiler :- Contains compilation scripts for various languages. see ":help :compiler"
delmenu.vim :- Deletes all Menu's 
doc :- Contains Documentation :-) 
evim.vim :- script for easy vim. see :help evim"
filetype.vim :- Detects filetype of files based on their extensions. see "help filetype"
ftoff.vim :- SOurce this to disable ditection of filetypes.
ftplugin :- Contains plugins that are loaded based on the filetype.
ftplugin.vim :- Enables flietype plugins
ftplugof.vim :- Disables filetype plugins
gvimrc_example.vim :- The name says it all, right :-)
indent :- contains indentaion scripts for various languages
indent.vim :- Enables indentation based on filetype.
indoff.vim :- Disables indentation based on filetype.
keymap :-  Contains keymap files for various encodings. see ":help keymap"
lang :- Contains Message files in different language. see ":help language"
macros :- Contains variuos cool stuff. read "macros/README.txt"
menu.vim :- Default Menus  
mswin.vim :- sets options for Vim to behave like Windows.
optwin.vim :- commands to create option window.
plugin :- Contains plugins. All .vim files in this directory are automatically sourced.
scripts.vim :- helps detect filetype in Vim scripts.
syntax :- Contains Syntax defination files for various programming languages.see ":help syntax"
tools :- Some useful tools. like blink to blink the cursor in xterm.
tutor :- Contains tutor.vim. see ":help tutor"
vim32x32.xpm :- Vim Logo.
vimrc_example.vim :- again name says it all. 
~







VimTip 368: Use gvim in VS.Net
http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=368

This tip presumes you have both VS.Net (Developer Studio.Net) and gvim installed, and know where gvim is located on your system.

- Create a solution in VS.Net, any project type will do.
- In the solution explorer (View->Solution or Ctrl + R) you should see a list of files (click on the "Solution Explorer" tab if you do not see the file list).
- Right click on any of the files and choose "Open With...", this brings up the Open With dialog.
- Click on "Add..." this brings up the Add Program dialog.
- Click on "Browse..." and point the Browse dialog to your gvim location.
- You have now added gvim to the list of editors, you may also select gvim to be the default editor for that file type.

You may need to do this for all file types you wish to edit with gvim. And yes you still have VS.Net open the file in its own editor.
Of course if you want to reverse changes simply remove gvim from the list of editors and why would you want to do that? :)

Enjoy!