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1 *pattern.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2004 Sep 07
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4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
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6
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7 Patterns and search commands *pattern-searches*
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8
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9 The very basics can be found in section |03.9| of the user manual. A few more
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10 explanations are in chapter 27 |usr_27.txt|.
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11
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12 1. Search commands |search-commands|
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13 2. The definition of a pattern |search-pattern|
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14 3. Magic |/magic|
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15 4. Overview of pattern items |pattern-overview|
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16 5. Multi items |pattern-multi-items|
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17 6. Ordinary atoms |pattern-atoms|
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18 7. Ignoring case in a pattern |/ignorecase|
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19 8. Compare with Perl patterns |perl-patterns|
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20 9. Highlighting matches |match-highlight|
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21
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22 ==============================================================================
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23 1. Search commands *search-commands* *E486*
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24
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25 */*
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26 /{pattern}[/]<CR> Search forward for the [count]'th occurrence of
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27 {pattern} |exclusive|.
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28
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29 /{pattern}/{offset}<CR> Search forward for the [count]'th occurrence of
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30 {pattern} and go |{offset}| lines up or down.
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31 |linewise|.
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32
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33 */<CR>*
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34 /<CR> Search forward for the [count]'th latest used
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35 pattern |last-pattern| with latest used |{offset}|.
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36
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37 //{offset}<CR> Search forward for the [count]'th latest used
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38 pattern |last-pattern| with new |{offset}|. If
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39 {offset} is empty no offset is used.
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40
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41 *?*
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42 ?{pattern}[?]<CR> Search backward for the [count]'th previous
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43 occurrence of {pattern} |exclusive|.
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44
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45 ?{pattern}?{offset}<CR> Search backward for the [count]'th previous
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46 occurrence of {pattern} and go |{offset}| lines up or
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47 down |linewise|.
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48
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49 *?<CR>*
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50 ?<CR> Search backward for the [count]'th latest used
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51 pattern |last-pattern| with latest used |{offset}|.
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52
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53 ??{offset}<CR> Search backward for the [count]'th latest used
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54 pattern |last-pattern| with new |{offset}|. If
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55 {offset} is empty no offset is used.
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56
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57 *n*
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58 n Repeat the latest "/" or "?" [count] times.
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59 |last-pattern| {Vi: no count}
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60
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61 *N*
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62 N Repeat the latest "/" or "?" [count] times in
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63 opposite direction. |last-pattern| {Vi: no count}
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64
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65 *star* *E348* *E349*
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66 * Search forward for the [count]'th occurrence of the
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67 word nearest to the cursor. The word used for the
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68 search is the first of:
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69 1. the keyword under the cursor |'iskeyword'|
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70 2. the first keyword after the cursor, in the
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71 current line
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72 3. the non-blank word under the cursor
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73 4. the first non-blank word after the cursor,
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74 in the current line
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75 Only whole keywords are searched for, like with the
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76 command "/\<keyword\>". |exclusive| {not in Vi}
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77 'ignorecase' is used, 'smartcase' is not.
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78
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79 *#*
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80 # Same as "*", but search backward. The pound sign
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81 (character 163) also works. If the "#" key works as
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82 backspace, try using "stty erase <BS>" before starting
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83 Vim (<BS> is CTRL-H or a real backspace). {not in Vi}
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84
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85 *gstar*
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86 g* Like "*", but don't put "\<" and "\>" around the word.
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87 This makes the search also find matches that are not a
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88 whole word. {not in Vi}
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89
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90 *g#*
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91 g# Like "#", but don't put "\<" and "\>" around the word.
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92 This makes the search also find matches that are not a
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93 whole word. {not in Vi}
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94
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95 *gd*
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96 gd Goto local Declaration. When the cursor is on a local
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97 variable, this command will jump to its declaration.
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98 First Vim searches for the start of the current
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99 function, just like "[[". If it is not found the
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100 search stops in line 1. If it is found, Vim goes back
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101 until a blank line is found. From this position Vim
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102 searches for the keyword under the cursor, like with
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103 "*", but lines that look like a comment are ignored
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104 (see 'comments' option).
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105 Note that this is not guaranteed to work, Vim does not
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106 really check the syntax, it only searches for a match
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107 with the keyword. If included files also need to be
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108 searched use the commands listed in |include-search|.
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109 After this command |n| searches forward for the next
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110 match (not backward).
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111 {not in Vi}
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112
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113 *gD*
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114 gD Goto global Declaration. When the cursor is on a
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115 global variable that is defined in the file, this
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116 command will jump to its declaration. This works just
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117 like "gd", except that the search for the keyword
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118 always starts in line 1. {not in Vi}
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119
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120 *CTRL-C*
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121 CTRL-C Interrupt current (search) command. Use CTRL-Break on
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122 MS-DOS |dos-CTRL-Break|.
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123 In Normal mode, any pending command is aborted.
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124
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125 *:noh* *:nohlsearch*
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126 :noh[lsearch] Stop the highlighting for the 'hlsearch' option. It
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127 is automatically turned back on when using a search
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128 command, or setting the 'hlsearch' option.
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129 This command doesn't work in an autocommand, because
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130 the highlighting state is saved and restored when
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131 executing autocommands |autocmd-searchpat|.
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132
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133 While typing the search pattern the current match will be shown if the
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134 'incsearch' option is on. Remember that you still have to finish the search
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135 command with <CR> to actually position the cursor at the displayed match. Or
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136 use <Esc> to abandon the search.
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137
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138 All matches for the last used search pattern will be highlighted if you set
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139 the 'hlsearch' option. This can be suspended with the |:nohlsearch| command.
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140
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141 *search-offset* *{offset}*
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142 These commands search for the specified pattern. With "/" and "?" an
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143 additional offset may be given. There are two types of offsets: line offsets
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144 and character offsets. {the character offsets are not in Vi}
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145
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146 The offset gives the cursor position relative to the found match:
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147 [num] [num] lines downwards, in column 1
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148 +[num] [num] lines downwards, in column 1
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149 -[num] [num] lines upwards, in column 1
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150 e[+num] [num] characters to the right of the end of the match
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151 e[-num] [num] characters to the left of the end of the match
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152 s[+num] [num] characters to the right of the start of the match
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153 s[-num] [num] characters to the left of the start of the match
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154 b[+num] [num] identical to s[+num] above (mnemonic: begin)
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155 b[-num] [num] identical to s[-num] above (mnemonic: begin)
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156
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157 If a '-' or '+' is given but [num] is omitted, a count of one will be used.
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158 When including an offset with 'e', the search becomes inclusive (the
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159 character the cursor lands on is included in operations).
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160
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161 Examples:
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162
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163 pattern cursor position ~
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164 /test/+1 one line below "test", in column 1
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165 /test/e on the last t of "test"
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166 /test/s+2 on the 's' of "test"
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167 /test/b-3 three characters before "test"
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168
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169 If one of these commands is used after an operator, the characters between
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170 the cursor position before and after the search is affected. However, if a
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171 line offset is given, the whole lines between the two cursor positions are
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172 affected.
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173
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174 An example of how to search for matches with a pattern and change the match
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175 with another word: >
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176 /foo<CR> find "foo"
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177 c//e change until end of match
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178 bar<Esc> type replacement
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179 //<CR> go to start of next match
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180 c//e change until end of match
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181 beep<Esc> type another replacement
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182 etc.
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183 <
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184 *//;* *E386*
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185 A very special offset is ';' followed by another search command. For example: >
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186
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187 /test 1/;/test
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188 /test.*/+1;?ing?
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189
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190 The first one first finds the next occurrence of "test 1", and then the first
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191 occurrence of "test" after that.
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192
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193 This is like executing two search commands after each other, except that:
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194 - It can be used as a single motion command after an operator.
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195 - The direction for a following "n" or "N" command comes from the first
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196 search command.
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197 - When an error occurs the cursor is not moved at all.
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198
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199 *last-pattern*
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200 The last used pattern and offset are remembered. They can be used to repeat
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201 the search, possibly in another direction or with another count. Note that
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202 two patterns are remembered: One for 'normal' search commands and one for the
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203 substitute command ":s". Each time an empty pattern is given, the previously
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204 used pattern is used.
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205
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206 The 'magic' option sticks with the last used pattern. If you change 'magic',
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207 this will not change how the last used pattern will be interpreted.
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208 The 'ignorecase' option does not do this. When 'ignorecase' is changed, it
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209 will result in the pattern to match other text.
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210
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211 All matches for the last used search pattern will be highlighted if you set
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212 the 'hlsearch' option.
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213
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214 To clear the last used search pattern: >
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215 :let @/ = ""
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216 This will not set the pattern to an empty string, because that would match
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217 everywhere. The pattern is really cleared, like when starting Vim.
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218
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219 The search usual skips matches that don't move the cursor. Whether the next
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220 match is found at the next character or after the skipped match depends on the
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221 'c' flag in 'cpoptions'. See |cpo-c|.
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222 with 'c' flag: "/..." advances 1 to 3 characters
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223 without 'c' flag: "/..." advances 1 character
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224 The unpredictability with the 'c' flag is caused by starting the search in the
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225 first column, skipping matches until one is found past the cursor position.
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226
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227 In Vi the ":tag" command sets the last search pattern when the tag is searched
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228 for. In Vim this is not done, the previous search pattern is still remembered,
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229 unless the 't' flag is present in 'cpoptions'. The search pattern is always
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230 put in the search history.
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231
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232 If the 'wrapscan' option is on (which is the default), searches wrap around
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233 the end of the buffer. If 'wrapscan' is not set, the backward search stops
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234 at the beginning and the forward search stops at the end of the buffer. If
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235 'wrapscan' is set and the pattern was not found the error message "pattern
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236 not found" is given, and the cursor will not be moved. If 'wrapscan' is not
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237 set the message becomes "search hit BOTTOM without match" when searching
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238 forward, or "search hit TOP without match" when searching backward. If
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239 wrapscan is set and the search wraps around the end of the file the message
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240 "search hit TOP, continuing at BOTTOM" or "search hit BOTTOM, continuing at
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241 TOP" is given when searching backwards or forwards respectively. This can be
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242 switched off by setting the 's' flag in the 'shortmess' option. The highlight
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243 method 'w' is used for this message (default: standout).
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244
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245 *search-range*
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246 You cannot limit the search command "/" to a certain range of lines. A trick
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247 to do this anyway is to use the ":substitute" command with the 'c' flag.
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248 Example: >
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249 :.,300s/Pattern//gc
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250 This command will search from the cursor position until line 300 for
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251 "Pattern". At the match, you will be asked to type a character. Type 'q' to
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252 stop at this match, type 'n' to find the next match.
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253
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254 The "*", "#", "g*" and "g#" commands look for a word near the cursor in this
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255 order, the first one that is found is used:
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256 - The keyword currently under the cursor.
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257 - The first keyword to the right of the cursor, in the same line.
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258 - The WORD currently under the cursor.
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259 - The first WORD to the right of the cursor, in the same line.
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260 The keyword may only contain letters and characters in 'iskeyword'.
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261 The WORD may contain any non-blanks (<Tab>s and/or <Space>s).
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262 Note that if you type with ten fingers, the characters are easy to remember:
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263 the "#" is under your left hand middle finger (search to the left and up) and
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264 the "*" is under your right hand middle finger (search to the right and down).
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265 (this depends on your keyboard layout though).
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266
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267 ==============================================================================
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268 2. The definition of a pattern *search-pattern* *pattern* *[pattern]*
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269 *regular-expression* *regexp* *Pattern*
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270 *E76* *E361* *E363* *E383* *E476*
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271
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272 For starters, read chapter 27 of the user manual |usr_27.txt|.
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273
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274 */bar* */\bar* */pattern*
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275 1. A pattern is one or more branches, separated by "\|". It matches anything
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276 that matches one of the branches. Example: "foo\|beep" matches "foo" and
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277 matches "beep". If more than one branch matches, the first one is used.
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278
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279 pattern ::= branch
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280 or branch \| branch
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281 or branch \| branch \| branch
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282 etc.
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283
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284 */branch* */\&*
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285 2. A branch is one or more concats, separated by "\&". It matches the last
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286 concat, but only if all the preceding concats also match at the same
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287 position. Examples:
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288 "foobeep\&..." matches "foo" in "foobeep".
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289 ".*Peter\&.*Bob" matches in a line containing both "Peter" and "Bob"
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290
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291 branch ::= concat
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292 or concat \& concat
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293 or concat \& concat \& concat
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294 etc.
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295
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296 */concat*
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297 3. A concat is one or more pieces, concatenated. It matches a match for the
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298 first piece, followed by a match for the second piece, etc. Example:
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299 "f[0-9]b", first matches "f", then a digit and then "b".
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300
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301 concat ::= piece
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302 or piece piece
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303 or piece piece piece
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304 etc.
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305
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306 */piece*
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307 4. A piece is an atom, possibly followed by a multi, an indication of how many
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308 times the atom can be matched. Example: "a*" matches any sequence of "a"
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309 characters: "", "a", "aa", etc. See |/multi|.
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310
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311 piece ::= atom
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312 or atom multi
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313
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314 */atom*
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315 5. An atom can be one of a long list of items. Many atoms match one character
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316 in the text. It is often an ordinary character or a character class.
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317 Braces can be used to make a pattern into an atom. The "\z(\)" construct
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318 is only for syntax highlighting.
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319
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320 atom ::= ordinary-atom |/ordinary-atom|
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321 or \( pattern \) |/\(|
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322 or \%( pattern \) |/\%(|
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323 or \z( pattern \) |/\z(|
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324
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325
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326 ==============================================================================
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327 4. Overview of pattern items *pattern-overview*
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328
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329 Overview of multi items. */multi* *E61* *E62*
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330 More explanation and examples below, follow the links. *E64*
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331
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332 multi ~
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333 'magic' 'nomagic' matches of the preceding atom ~
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334 |/star| * \* 0 or more as many as possible
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335 |/\+| \+ \+ 1 or more as many as possible (*)
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336 |/\=| \= \= 0 or 1 as many as possible (*)
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337 |/\?| \? \? 0 or 1 as many as possible (*)
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338
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339 |/\{| \{n,m} \{n,m} n to m as many as possible (*)
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340 \{n} \{n} n exactly (*)
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341 \{n,} \{n,} at least n as many as possible (*)
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342 \{,m} \{,m} 0 to m as many as possible (*)
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343 \{} \{} 0 or more as many as possible (same as *) (*)
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344
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345 |/\{-| \{-n,m} \{-n,m} n to m as few as possible (*)
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346 \{-n} \{-n} n exactly (*)
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347 \{-n,} \{-n,} at least n as few as possible (*)
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348 \{-,m} \{-,m} 0 to m as few as possible (*)
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349 \{-} \{-} 0 or more as few as possible (*)
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350
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351 *E59*
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352 |/\@>| \@> \@> 1, like matching a whole pattern (*)
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353 |/\@=| \@= \@= nothing, requires a match |/zero-width| (*)
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354 |/\@!| \@! \@! nothing, requires NO match |/zero-width| (*)
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355 |/\@<=| \@<= \@<= nothing, requires a match behind |/zero-width| (*)
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356 |/\@<!| \@<! \@<! nothing, requires NO match behind |/zero-width| (*)
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357
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358 (*) {not in Vi}
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359
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360
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361 Overview of ordinary atoms. */ordinary-atom*
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362 More explanation and examples below, follow the links.
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363
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364 ordinary atom ~
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365 magic nomagic matches ~
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366 |/^| ^ ^ start-of-line (at start of pattern) |/zero-width|
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367 |/\^| \^ \^ literal '^'
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368 |/\_^| \_^ \_^ start-of-line (used anywhere) |/zero-width|
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369 |/$| $ $ end-of-line (at end of pattern) |/zero-width|
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370 |/\$| \$ \$ literal '$'
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371 |/\_$| \_$ \_$ end-of-line (used anywhere) |/zero-width|
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372 |/.| . \. any single character (not an end-of-line)
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373 |/\_.| \_. \_. any single character or end-of-line
|
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374 |/\<| \< \< beginning of a word |/zero-width|
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375 |/\>| \> \> end of a word |/zero-width|
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376 |/\zs| \zs \zs anything, sets start of match
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377 |/\ze| \ze \ze anything, sets end of match
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378 |/\%^| \%^ \%^ beginning of file |/zero-width| *E71*
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379 |/\%$| \%$ \%$ end of file |/zero-width|
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380 |/\%#| \%# \%# cursor position |/zero-width|
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381 |/\%l| \%23l \%23l in line 23 |/zero-width|
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382 |/\%c| \%23c \%23c in column 23 |/zero-width|
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383 |/\%v| \%23v \%23v in virtual column 23 |/zero-width|
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384
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20
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385 Character classes {not in Vi}: */character-classes*
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7
|
386 |/\i| \i \i identifier character (see 'isident' option)
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387 |/\I| \I \I like "\i", but excluding digits
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388 |/\k| \k \k keyword character (see 'iskeyword' option)
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389 |/\K| \K \K like "\k", but excluding digits
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390 |/\f| \f \f file name character (see 'isfname' option)
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391 |/\F| \F \F like "\f", but excluding digits
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392 |/\p| \p \p printable character (see 'isprint' option)
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393 |/\P| \P \P like "\p", but excluding digits
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394 |/\s| \s \s whitespace character: <Space> and <Tab>
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395 |/\S| \S \S non-whitespace character; opposite of \s
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396 |/\d| \d \d digit: [0-9]
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397 |/\D| \D \D non-digit: [^0-9]
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398 |/\x| \x \x hex digit: [0-9A-Fa-f]
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399 |/\X| \X \X non-hex digit: [^0-9A-Fa-f]
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400 |/\o| \o \o octal digit: [0-7]
|
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|
401 |/\O| \O \O non-octal digit: [^0-7]
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|
402 |/\w| \w \w word character: [0-9A-Za-z_]
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|
403 |/\W| \W \W non-word character: [^0-9A-Za-z_]
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|
|
404 |/\h| \h \h head of word character: [A-Za-z_]
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|
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405 |/\H| \H \H non-head of word character: [^A-Za-z_]
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|
|
406 |/\a| \a \a alphabetic character: [A-Za-z]
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|
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407 |/\A| \A \A non-alphabetic character: [^A-Za-z]
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|
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408 |/\l| \l \l lowercase character: [a-z]
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|
|
409 |/\L| \L \L non-lowercase character: [^a-z]
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410 |/\u| \u \u uppercase character: [A-Z]
|
|
|
411 |/\U| \U \U non-uppercase character [^A-Z]
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|
|
412 |/\_| \_x \_x where x is any of the characters above: character
|
|
|
413 class with end-of-line included
|
|
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414 (end of character classes)
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|
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415
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|
|
416 |/\e| \e \e <Esc>
|
|
|
417 |/\t| \t \t <Tab>
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|
|
418 |/\r| \r \r <CR>
|
|
|
419 |/\b| \b \b <BS>
|
|
|
420 |/\n| \n \n end-of-line
|
|
|
421 |/~| ~ \~ last given substitute string
|
|
|
422 |/\1| \1 \1 same string as matched by first \(\) {not in Vi}
|
|
|
423 |/\2| \2 \2 Like "\1", but uses second \(\)
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|
|
424 ...
|
|
|
425 |/\9| \9 \9 Like "\1", but uses ninth \(\)
|
|
|
426 *E68*
|
|
|
427 |/\z1| \z1 \z1 only for syntax highlighting, see |:syn-ext-match|
|
|
|
428 ...
|
|
|
429 |/\z1| \z9 \z9 only for syntax highlighting, see |:syn-ext-match|
|
|
|
430
|
|
|
431 x x a character with no special meaning matches itself
|
|
|
432
|
|
|
433 |/[]| [] \[] any character specified inside the []
|
|
24
|
434 |/\%[]| \%[] \%[] a sequence of optionally matched atoms
|
|
7
|
435
|
|
|
436 |/\c| \c \c ignore case
|
|
|
437 |/\C| \C \C match case
|
|
|
438 |/\m| \m \m 'magic' on for the following chars in the pattern
|
|
|
439 |/\M| \M \M 'magic' off for the following chars in the pattern
|
|
|
440 |/\v| \v \v the following chars in the pattern are "very magic"
|
|
|
441 |/\V| \V \V the following chars in the pattern are "very nomagic"
|
|
|
442 |/\Z| \Z \Z ignore differences in Unicode "combining characters".
|
|
|
443 Useful when searching voweled Hebrew or Arabic text.
|
|
|
444
|
|
24
|
445 |/\%d| \%d \%d match specified decimal character (eg \%d123
|
|
|
446 |/\%x| \%x \%x match specified hex character (eg \%x2a)
|
|
|
447 |/\%o| \%o \%o match specified octal character (eg \%o040)
|
|
|
448 |/\%u| \%u \%u match specified multibyte character (eg \%u20ac)
|
|
|
449 |/\%U| \%U \%U match specified large multibyte character (eg
|
|
|
450 \%U12345678)
|
|
7
|
451
|
|
|
452 Example matches ~
|
|
|
453 \<\I\i* or
|
|
|
454 \<\h\w*
|
|
|
455 \<[a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_]*
|
|
|
456 An identifier (e.g., in a C program).
|
|
|
457
|
|
|
458 \(\.$\|\. \) A period followed by <EOL> or a space.
|
|
|
459
|
|
|
460 [.!?][])"']*\($\|[ ]\) A search pattern that finds the end of a sentence,
|
|
|
461 with almost the same definition as the ")" command.
|
|
|
462
|
|
|
463 cat\Z Both "cat" and "càt" ("a" followed by 0x0300)
|
|
|
464 Does not match "cà t" (character 0x00e0), even
|
|
|
465 though it may look the same.
|
|
|
466
|
|
|
467
|
|
|
468 ==============================================================================
|
|
|
469 3. Magic */magic*
|
|
|
470
|
|
|
471 Some characters in the pattern are taken literally. They match with the same
|
|
|
472 character in the text. When preceded with a backslash however, these
|
|
|
473 characters get a special meaning.
|
|
|
474
|
|
|
475 Other characters have a special meaning without a backslash. They need to be
|
|
|
476 preceded with a backslash to match literally.
|
|
|
477
|
|
|
478 If a character is taken literally or not depends on the 'magic' option and the
|
|
|
479 items mentioned next.
|
|
|
480 */\m* */\M*
|
|
|
481 Use of "\m" makes the pattern after it be interpreted as if 'magic' is set,
|
|
|
482 ignoring the actual value of the 'magic' option.
|
|
|
483 Use of "\M" makes the pattern after it be interpreted as if 'nomagic' is used.
|
|
|
484 */\v* */\V*
|
|
|
485 Use of "\v" means that in the pattern after it all ASCII characters except
|
|
|
486 '0'-'9', 'a'-'z', 'A'-'Z' and '_' have a special meaning. "very magic"
|
|
|
487
|
|
|
488 Use of "\V" means that in the pattern after it only the backslash has a
|
|
|
489 special meaning. "very nomagic"
|
|
|
490
|
|
|
491 Examples:
|
|
|
492 after: \v \m \M \V matches ~
|
|
|
493 'magic' 'nomagic'
|
|
|
494 $ $ $ \$ matches end-of-line
|
|
|
495 . . \. \. matches any character
|
|
|
496 * * \* \* any number of the previous atom
|
|
|
497 () \(\) \(\) \(\) grouping into an atom
|
|
|
498 | \| \| \| separating alternatives
|
|
|
499 \a \a \a \a alphabetic character
|
|
|
500 \\ \\ \\ \\ literal backslash
|
|
|
501 \. \. . . literal dot
|
|
|
502 \{ { { { literal '{'
|
|
|
503 a a a a literal 'a'
|
|
|
504
|
|
|
505 {only Vim supports \m, \M, \v and \V}
|
|
|
506
|
|
|
507 It is recommended to always keep the 'magic' option at the default setting,
|
|
|
508 which is 'magic'. This avoids portability problems. To make a pattern immune
|
|
|
509 to the 'magic' option being set or not, put "\m" or "\M" at the start of the
|
|
|
510 pattern.
|
|
|
511
|
|
|
512
|
|
|
513 ==============================================================================
|
|
|
514 5. Multi items *pattern-multi-items*
|
|
|
515
|
|
|
516 An atom can be followed by an indication of how many times the atom can be
|
|
|
517 matched and in what way. This is called a multi. See |/multi| for an
|
|
|
518 overview.
|
|
|
519
|
|
|
520 It is not possible to use a multi that can match more than one time after an
|
|
|
521 atom that can match an empty string. That's because this could result in an
|
|
|
522 endless loop. If you try it, you will get this error message: >
|
|
|
523 *, \+ or \{ operand could be empty
|
|
|
524 <
|
|
|
525 */star* */\star* *E56*
|
|
|
526 * (use \* when 'magic' is not set)
|
|
|
527 Matches 0 or more of the preceding atom, as many as possible.
|
|
|
528 Example 'nomagic' matches ~
|
|
|
529 a* a\* "", "a", "aa", "aaa", etc.
|
|
|
530 .* \.\* anything, also an empty string, no end-of-line
|
|
|
531 \_.* \_.\* everything up to the end of the buffer
|
|
|
532 \_.*END \_.\*END everything up to and including the last "END"
|
|
|
533 in the buffer
|
|
|
534
|
|
|
535 Exception: When "*" is used at the start of the pattern or just after
|
|
|
536 "^" it matches the star character.
|
|
|
537
|
|
|
538 Be aware that repeating "\_." can match a lot of text and take a long
|
|
|
539 time. For example, "\_.*END" matches all text from the current
|
|
|
540 position to the last occurrence of "END" in the file. Since the "*"
|
|
|
541 will match as many as possible, this first skips over all lines until
|
|
|
542 the end of the file and then tries matching "END", backing up one
|
|
|
543 character at a time.
|
|
|
544
|
|
|
545 */\+* *E57*
|
|
|
546 \+ Matches 1 or more of the preceding atom, as many as possible. {not in
|
|
|
547 Vi}
|
|
|
548 Example matches ~
|
|
|
549 ^.\+$ any non-empty line
|
|
|
550 \s\+ white space of at least one character
|
|
|
551
|
|
|
552 */\=*
|
|
|
553 \= Matches 0 or 1 of the preceding atom, as many as possible. {not in Vi}
|
|
|
554 Example matches ~
|
|
|
555 foo\= "fo" and "foo"
|
|
|
556
|
|
|
557 */\?*
|
|
|
558 \? Just like \=. Cannot be used when searching backwards with the "?"
|
|
|
559 command. {not in Vi}
|
|
|
560
|
|
|
561 */\{* *E58* *E60* *E554*
|
|
|
562 \{n,m} Matches n to m of the preceding atom, as many as possible
|
|
|
563 \{n} Matches n of the preceding atom
|
|
|
564 \{n,} Matches at least n of the preceding atom, as many as possible
|
|
|
565 \{,m} Matches 0 to m of the preceding atom, as many as possible
|
|
|
566 \{} Matches 0 or more of the preceding atom, as many as possible (like *)
|
|
|
567 */\{-*
|
|
|
568 \{-n,m} matches n to m of the preceding atom, as few as possible
|
|
|
569 \{-n} matches n of the preceding atom
|
|
|
570 \{-n,} matches at least n of the preceding atom, as few as possible
|
|
|
571 \{-,m} matches 0 to m of the preceding atom, as few as possible
|
|
|
572 \{-} matches 0 or more of the preceding atom, as few as possible
|
|
|
573 {Vi does not have any of these}
|
|
|
574
|
|
|
575 n and m are positive decimal numbers
|
|
|
576
|
|
|
577 If a "-" appears immediately after the "{", then a shortest match
|
|
|
578 first algorithm is used (see example below). In particular, "\{-}" is
|
|
|
579 the same as "*" but uses the shortest match first algorithm. BUT: A
|
|
|
580 match that starts earlier is preferred over a shorter match: "a\{-}b"
|
|
|
581 matches "aaab" in "xaaab".
|
|
|
582
|
|
|
583 Example matches ~
|
|
|
584 ab\{2,3}c "abbc" or "abbbc"
|
|
|
585 a\{5} "aaaaa".
|
|
|
586 ab\{2,}c "abbc", "abbbc", "abbbbc", etc
|
|
|
587 ab\{,3}c "ac", "abc", "abbc" or "abbbc".
|
|
|
588 a[bc]\{3}d "abbbd", "abbcd", "acbcd", "acccd", etc.
|
|
|
589 a\(bc\)\{1,2}d "abcd" or "abcbcd"
|
|
|
590 a[bc]\{-}[cd] "abc" in "abcd"
|
|
|
591 a[bc]*[cd] "abcd" in "abcd"
|
|
|
592
|
|
|
593 The } may optionally be preceded with a backslash: \{n,m\}.
|
|
|
594
|
|
|
595 */\@=*
|
|
|
596 \@= Matches the preceding atom with zero width. {not in Vi}
|
|
|
597 Like "(?=pattern)" in Perl.
|
|
|
598 Example matches ~
|
|
|
599 foo\(bar\)\@= "foo" in "foobar"
|
|
|
600 foo\(bar\)\@=foo nothing
|
|
|
601 */zero-width*
|
|
|
602 When using "\@=" (or "^", "$", "\<", "\>") no characters are included
|
|
|
603 in the match. These items are only used to check if a match can be
|
|
|
604 made. This can be tricky, because a match with following items will
|
|
|
605 be done in the same position. The last example above will not match
|
|
|
606 "foobarfoo", because it tries match "foo" in the same position where
|
|
|
607 "bar" matched.
|
|
|
608
|
|
|
609 Note that using "\&" works the same as using "\@=": "foo\&.." is the
|
|
|
610 same as "\(foo\)\@=..". But using "\&" is easier, you don't need the
|
|
|
611 braces.
|
|
|
612
|
|
|
613
|
|
|
614 */\@!*
|
|
|
615 \@! Matches with zero width if the preceding atom does NOT match at the
|
|
|
616 current position. |/zero-width| {not in Vi}
|
|
|
617 Like '(?!pattern)" in Perl.
|
|
|
618 Example matches ~
|
|
|
619 foo\(bar\)\@! any "foo" not followed by "bar"
|
|
|
620 a.\{-}p\@! "a", "ap", "app", etc. not followed by a "p"
|
|
|
621 if \(\(then\)\@!.\)*$ "if " not followed by "then"
|
|
|
622
|
|
|
623 Using "\@!" is tricky, because there are many places where a pattern
|
|
|
624 does not match. "a.*p\@!" will match from an "a" to the end of the
|
|
|
625 line, because ".*" can match all characters in the line and the "p"
|
|
|
626 doesn't match at the end of the line. "a.\{-}p\@!" will match any
|
|
|
627 "a", "ap", "aap", etc. that isn't followed by a "p", because the "."
|
|
|
628 can match a "p" and "p\@!" doesn't match after that.
|
|
|
629
|
|
|
630 You can't use "\@!" to look for a non-match before the matching
|
|
|
631 position: "\(foo\)\@!bar" will match "bar" in "foobar", because at the
|
|
|
632 position where "bar" matches, "foo" does not match. To avoid matching
|
|
|
633 "foobar" you could use "\(foo\)\@!...bar", but that doesn't match a
|
|
|
634 bar at the start of a line. Use "\(foo\)\@<!bar".
|
|
|
635
|
|
|
636 */\@<=*
|
|
|
637 \@<= Matches with zero width if the preceding atom matches just before what
|
|
|
638 follows. |/zero-width| {not in Vi}
|
|
|
639 Like '(?<=pattern)" in Perl, but Vim allows non-fixed-width patterns.
|
|
|
640 Example matches ~
|
|
|
641 \(an\_s\+\)\@<=file "file" after "an" and white space or an
|
|
|
642 end-of-line
|
|
|
643 For speed it's often much better to avoid this multi. Try using "\zs"
|
|
|
644 instead |/\zs|. To match the same as the above example:
|
|
|
645 an\_s\+\zsfile
|
|
|
646
|
|
|
647 "\@<=" and "\@<!" check for matches just before what follows.
|
|
|
648 Theoretically these matches could start anywhere before this position.
|
|
|
649 But to limit the time needed, only the line where what follows matches
|
|
|
650 is searched, and one line before that (if there is one). This should
|
|
|
651 be sufficient to match most things and not be too slow.
|
|
|
652 The part of the pattern after "\@<=" and "\@<!" are checked for a
|
|
|
653 match first, thus things like "\1" don't work to reference \(\) inside
|
|
|
654 the preceding atom. It does work the other way around:
|
|
|
655 Example matches ~
|
|
|
656 \1\@<=,\([a-z]\+\) ",abc" in "abc,abc"
|
|
|
657
|
|
|
658 */\@<!*
|
|
|
659 \@<! Matches with zero width if the preceding atom does NOT match just
|
|
|
660 before what follows. Thus this matches if there is no position in the
|
|
|
661 current or previous line where the atom matches such that it ends just
|
|
|
662 before what follows. |/zero-width| {not in Vi}
|
|
|
663 Like '(?<!pattern)" in Perl, but Vim allows non-fixed-width patterns.
|
|
|
664 The match with the preceding atom is made to end just before the match
|
|
|
665 with what follows, thus an atom that ends in ".*" will work.
|
|
|
666 Warning: This can be slow (because many positions need to be checked
|
|
|
667 for a match).
|
|
|
668 Example matches ~
|
|
|
669 \(foo\)\@<!bar any "bar" that's not in "foobar"
|
|
|
670 \(\/\/.*\)\@\<!in "in" which is not after "//"
|
|
|
671
|
|
|
672 */\@>*
|
|
|
673 \@> Matches the preceding atom like matching a whole pattern. {not in Vi}
|
|
|
674 Like '(?>pattern)" in Perl.
|
|
|
675 Example matches ~
|
|
|
676 \(a*\)\@>a nothing (the "a*" takes all the "a"'s, there can't be
|
|
|
677 another one following)
|
|
|
678
|
|
|
679 This matches the preceding atom as if it was a pattern by itself. If
|
|
|
680 it doesn't match, there is no retry with shorter sub-matches or
|
|
|
681 anything. Observe this difference: "a*b" and "a*ab" both match
|
|
|
682 "aaab", but in the second case the "a*" matches only the first two
|
|
|
683 "a"s. "\(a*\)\@>ab" will not match "aaab", because the "a*" matches
|
|
|
684 the "aaa" (as many "a"s as possible), thus the "ab" can't match.
|
|
|
685
|
|
|
686
|
|
|
687 ==============================================================================
|
|
|
688 6. Ordinary atoms *pattern-atoms*
|
|
|
689
|
|
|
690 An ordinary atom can be:
|
|
|
691
|
|
|
692 */^*
|
|
|
693 ^ At beginning of pattern or after "\|", "\(", "\%(" or "\n": matches
|
|
|
694 start-of-line; at other positions, matches literal '^'. |/zero-width|
|
|
|
695 Example matches ~
|
|
|
696 ^beep( the start of the C function "beep" (probably).
|
|
|
697
|
|
|
698 */\^*
|
|
|
699 \^ Matches literal '^'. Can be used at any position in the pattern.
|
|
|
700
|
|
|
701 */\_^*
|
|
|
702 \_^ Matches start-of-line. |/zero-width| Can be used at any position in
|
|
|
703 the pattern.
|
|
|
704 Example matches ~
|
|
|
705 \_s*\_^foo white space and blank lines and then "foo" at
|
|
|
706 start-of-line
|
|
|
707
|
|
|
708 */$*
|
|
|
709 $ At end of pattern or in front of "\|" or "\)" ("|" or ")" after "\v"):
|
|
|
710 matches end-of-line <EOL>; at other positions, matches literal '$'.
|
|
|
711 |/zero-width|
|
|
|
712
|
|
|
713 */\$*
|
|
|
714 \$ Matches literal '$'. Can be used at any position in the pattern.
|
|
|
715
|
|
|
716 */\_$*
|
|
|
717 \_$ Matches end-of-line. |/zero-width| Can be used at any position in the
|
|
|
718 pattern. Note that "a\_$b" never matches, since "b" cannot match an
|
|
|
719 end-of-line. Use "a\nb" instead |/\n|.
|
|
|
720 Example matches ~
|
|
|
721 foo\_$\_s* "foo" at end-of-line and following white space and
|
|
|
722 blank lines
|
|
|
723
|
|
|
724 . (with 'nomagic': \.) */.* */\.*
|
|
|
725 Matches any single character, but not an end-of-line.
|
|
|
726
|
|
|
727 */\_.*
|
|
|
728 \_. Matches any single character or end-of-line.
|
|
|
729 Careful: "\_.*" matches all text to the end of the buffer!
|
|
|
730
|
|
|
731 */\<*
|
|
|
732 \< Matches the beginning of a word: The next char is the first char of a
|
|
|
733 word. The 'iskeyword' option specifies what is a word character.
|
|
|
734 |/zero-width|
|
|
|
735
|
|
|
736 */\>*
|
|
|
737 \> Matches the end of a word: The previous char is the last char of a
|
|
|
738 word. The 'iskeyword' option specifies what is a word character.
|
|
|
739 |/zero-width|
|
|
|
740
|
|
|
741 */\zs*
|
|
|
742 \zs Matches at any position, and sets the start of the match there: The
|
|
|
743 next char is the first char of the whole match. |/zero-width|
|
|
|
744 Example: >
|
|
|
745 /^\s*\zsif
|
|
|
746 < matches an "if" at the start of a line, ignoring white space.
|
|
|
747 Can be used multiple times, the last one encountered in a matching
|
|
|
748 branch is used. Example: >
|
|
|
749 /\(.\{-}\zsFab\)\{3}
|
|
|
750 < Finds the third occurrence of "Fab".
|
|
|
751 {not in Vi} {not available when compiled without the +syntax feature}
|
|
|
752 */\ze*
|
|
|
753 \ze Matches at any position, and sets the end of the match there: The
|
|
|
754 previous char is the last char of the whole match. |/zero-width|
|
|
|
755 Can be used multiple times, the last one encountered in a matching
|
|
|
756 branch is used.
|
|
|
757 Example: "end\ze\(if\|for\)" matches the "end" in "endif" and
|
|
|
758 "endfor".
|
|
|
759 {not in Vi} {not available when compiled without the +syntax feature}
|
|
|
760
|
|
|
761 */\%^* *start-of-file*
|
|
|
762 \%^ Matches start of the file. When matching with a string, matches the
|
|
|
763 start of the string. {not in Vi}
|
|
|
764 For example, to find the first "VIM" in a file: >
|
|
|
765 /\%^\_.\{-}\zsVIM
|
|
|
766 <
|
|
|
767 */\%$* *end-of-file*
|
|
|
768 \%$ Matches end of the file. When matching with a string, matches the
|
|
|
769 end of the string. {not in Vi}
|
|
|
770 Note that this does NOT find the last "VIM" in a file: >
|
|
|
771 /VIM\_.\{-}\%$
|
|
|
772 < It will find the next VIM, because the part after it will always
|
|
|
773 match. This one will find the last "VIM" in the file: >
|
|
|
774 /VIM\ze\(\(VIM\)\@!\_.\)*\%$
|
|
|
775 < This uses |/\@!| to ascertain that "VIM" does NOT match in any
|
|
|
776 position after the first "VIM".
|
|
|
777 Searching from the end of the file backwards is easier!
|
|
|
778
|
|
|
779 */\%#* *cursor-position*
|
|
|
780 \%# Matches with the cursor position. Only works when matching in a
|
|
|
781 buffer displayed in a window. {not in Vi}
|
|
|
782 WARNING: When the cursor is moved after the pattern was used, the
|
|
|
783 result becomes invalid. Vim doesn't automatically update the matches.
|
|
|
784 This is especially relevant for syntax highlighting and 'hlsearch'.
|
|
|
785 In other words: When the cursor moves the display isn't updated for
|
|
|
786 this change. An update is done for lines which are changed (the whole
|
|
|
787 line is updated) or when using the |CTRL-L| command (the whole screen
|
|
|
788 is updated). Example, to highlight the word under the cursor: >
|
|
|
789 /\k*\%#\k*
|
|
|
790 < When 'hlsearch' is set and you move the cursor around and make changes
|
|
|
791 this will clearly show when the match is updated or not.
|
|
|
792
|
|
|
793 */\%l* */\%>l* */\%<l*
|
|
|
794 \%23l Matches in a specific line.
|
|
|
795 \%<23l Matches above a specific line.
|
|
|
796 \%>23l Matches below a specific line.
|
|
|
797 These three can be used to match specific lines in a buffer. The "23"
|
|
|
798 can be any line number. The first line is 1. {not in Vi}
|
|
|
799 WARNING: When inserting or deleting lines Vim does not automatically
|
|
|
800 update the matches. This means Syntax highlighting quickly becomes
|
|
|
801 wrong.
|
|
|
802 Example, to highlight the line where the cursor currently is: >
|
|
|
803 :exe '/\%' . line(".") . 'l.*'
|
|
|
804 < When 'hlsearch' is set and you move the cursor around and make changes
|
|
|
805 this will clearly show when the match is updated or not.
|
|
|
806
|
|
|
807 */\%c* */\%>c* */\%<c*
|
|
|
808 \%23c Matches in a specific column.
|
|
|
809 \%<23c Matches before a specific column.
|
|
|
810 \%>23c Matches after a specific column.
|
|
|
811 These three can be used to match specific columns in a buffer or
|
|
|
812 string. The "23" can be any column number. The first column is 1.
|
|
|
813 Actually, the column is the byte number (thus it's not exactly right
|
|
|
814 for multi-byte characters). {not in Vi}
|
|
|
815 WARNING: When inserting or deleting text Vim does not automatically
|
|
|
816 update the matches. This means Syntax highlighting quickly becomes
|
|
|
817 wrong.
|
|
|
818 Example, to highlight the column where the cursor currently is: >
|
|
|
819 :exe '/\%' . col(".") . 'c'
|
|
|
820 < When 'hlsearch' is set and you move the cursor around and make changes
|
|
|
821 this will clearly show when the match is updated or not.
|
|
|
822 Example for matching a single byte in column 44: >
|
|
|
823 /\%>43c.\%<46c
|
|
|
824 < Note that "\%<46c" matches in column 45 when the "." matches a byte in
|
|
|
825 column 44.
|
|
|
826 */\%v* */\%>v* */\%<v*
|
|
|
827 \%23v Matches in a specific virtual column.
|
|
|
828 \%<23v Matches before a specific virtual column.
|
|
|
829 \%>23v Matches after a specific virtual column.
|
|
|
830 These three can be used to match specific virtual columns in a buffer
|
|
|
831 or string. When not matching with a buffer in a window, the option
|
|
|
832 values of the current window are used (e.g., 'tabstop').
|
|
|
833 The "23" can be any column number. The first column is 1.
|
|
|
834 Note that some virtual column positions will never match, because they
|
|
|
835 are halfway a Tab or other character that occupies more than one
|
|
|
836 screen character. {not in Vi}
|
|
|
837 WARNING: When inserting or deleting text Vim does not automatically
|
|
|
838 update the matches. This means Syntax highlighting quickly becomes
|
|
|
839 wrong.
|
|
|
840 Example, to highlight the all characters after virtual column 72: >
|
|
|
841 /\%>72v.*
|
|
|
842 < When 'hlsearch' is set and you move the cursor around and make changes
|
|
|
843 this will clearly show when the match is updated or not.
|
|
|
844 To match the text up to column 17: >
|
|
|
845 /.*\%17v
|
|
|
846 < Column 17 is not included, because that's where the "\%17v" matches,
|
|
|
847 and since this is a |/zero-width| match, column 17 isn't included in
|
|
|
848 the match. This does the same: >
|
|
|
849 /.*\%<18v
|
|
|
850 <
|
|
|
851
|
|
|
852 Character classes: {not in Vi}
|
|
|
853 \i identifier character (see 'isident' option) */\i*
|
|
|
854 \I like "\i", but excluding digits */\I*
|
|
|
855 \k keyword character (see 'iskeyword' option) */\k*
|
|
|
856 \K like "\k", but excluding digits */\K*
|
|
|
857 \f file name character (see 'isfname' option) */\f*
|
|
|
858 \F like "\f", but excluding digits */\F*
|
|
|
859 \p printable character (see 'isprint' option) */\p*
|
|
|
860 \P like "\p", but excluding digits */\P*
|
|
|
861
|
|
|
862 NOTE: the above also work for multi-byte characters. The ones below only
|
|
|
863 match ASCII characters, as indicated by the range.
|
|
|
864
|
|
|
865 *whitespace* *white-space*
|
|
|
866 \s whitespace character: <Space> and <Tab> */\s*
|
|
|
867 \S non-whitespace character; opposite of \s */\S*
|
|
|
868 \d digit: [0-9] */\d*
|
|
|
869 \D non-digit: [^0-9] */\D*
|
|
|
870 \x hex digit: [0-9A-Fa-f] */\x*
|
|
|
871 \X non-hex digit: [^0-9A-Fa-f] */\X*
|
|
|
872 \o octal digit: [0-7] */\o*
|
|
|
873 \O non-octal digit: [^0-7] */\O*
|
|
|
874 \w word character: [0-9A-Za-z_] */\w*
|
|
|
875 \W non-word character: [^0-9A-Za-z_] */\W*
|
|
|
876 \h head of word character: [A-Za-z_] */\h*
|
|
|
877 \H non-head of word character: [^A-Za-z_] */\H*
|
|
|
878 \a alphabetic character: [A-Za-z] */\a*
|
|
|
879 \A non-alphabetic character: [^A-Za-z] */\A*
|
|
|
880 \l lowercase character: [a-z] */\l*
|
|
|
881 \L non-lowercase character: [^a-z] */\L*
|
|
|
882 \u uppercase character: [A-Z] */\u*
|
|
|
883 \U non-uppercase character [^A-Z] */\U*
|
|
|
884
|
|
|
885 NOTE: Using the atom is faster than the [] form.
|
|
|
886
|
|
|
887 NOTE: 'ignorecase', "\c" and "\C" are not used by character classes.
|
|
|
888
|
|
|
889 */\_* *E63* */\_i* */\_I* */\_k* */\_K* */\_f* */\_F*
|
|
|
890 */\_p* */\_P* */\_s* */\_S* */\_d* */\_D* */\_x* */\_X*
|
|
|
891 */\_o* */\_O* */\_w* */\_W* */\_h* */\_H* */\_a* */\_A*
|
|
|
892 */\_l* */\_L* */\_u* */\_U*
|
|
|
893 \_x Where "x" is any of the characters above: The character class with
|
|
|
894 end-of-line added
|
|
|
895 (end of character classes)
|
|
|
896
|
|
|
897 \e matches <Esc> */\e*
|
|
|
898 \t matches <Tab> */\t*
|
|
|
899 \r matches <CR> */\r*
|
|
|
900 \b matches <BS> */\b*
|
|
|
901 \n matches an end-of-line */\n*
|
|
|
902 When matching in a string instead of buffer text a literal newline
|
|
|
903 character is matched.
|
|
|
904
|
|
|
905 ~ matches the last given substitute string */~* */\~*
|
|
|
906
|
|
|
907 \(\) A pattern enclosed by escaped parentheses. */\(* */\(\)* */\)*
|
|
|
908 E.g., "\(^a\)" matches 'a' at the start of a line. *E51* *E54* *E55*
|
|
|
909
|
|
|
910 \1 Matches the same string that was matched by */\1* *E65*
|
|
|
911 the first sub-expression in \( and \). {not in Vi}
|
|
|
912 Example: "\([a-z]\).\1" matches "ata", "ehe", "tot", etc.
|
|
|
913 \2 Like "\1", but uses second sub-expression, */\2*
|
|
|
914 ... */\3*
|
|
|
915 \9 Like "\1", but uses ninth sub-expression. */\9*
|
|
|
916 Note: The numbering of groups is done based on which "\(" comes first
|
|
|
917 in the pattern (going left to right), NOT based on what is matched
|
|
|
918 first.
|
|
|
919
|
|
|
920 \%(\) A pattern enclosed by escaped parentheses. */\%(\)* */\%(* *E53*
|
|
|
921 Just like \(\), but without counting it as a sub-expression. This
|
|
|
922 allows using more groups and it's a little bit faster.
|
|
|
923 {not in Vi}
|
|
|
924
|
|
|
925 x A single character, with no special meaning, matches itself
|
|
|
926
|
|
|
927 */\* */\\*
|
|
|
928 \x A backslash followed by a single character, with no special meaning,
|
|
|
929 is reserved for future expansions
|
|
|
930
|
|
|
931 [] (with 'nomagic': \[]) */[]* */\[]* */\_[]* */collection*
|
|
|
932 \_[]
|
|
|
933 A collection. This is a sequence of characters enclosed in brackets.
|
|
|
934 It matches any single character in the collection.
|
|
|
935 Example matches ~
|
|
|
936 [xyz] any 'x', 'y' or 'z'
|
|
|
937 [a-zA-Z]$ any alphabetic character at the end of a line
|
|
|
938 \c[a-z]$ same
|
|
|
939
|
|
|
940 With "\_" prepended the collection also includes the end-of-line.
|
|
|
941 The same can be done by including "\n" in the collection. The
|
|
|
942 end-of-line is also matched when the collection starts with "^"! Thus
|
|
|
943 "\_[^ab]" matches the end-of-line and any character but "a" and "b".
|
|
|
944 This makes it Vi compatible: Without the "\_" or "\n" the collection
|
|
|
945 does not match an end-of-line.
|
|
|
946
|
|
|
947 If the sequence begins with "^", it matches any single character NOT
|
|
|
948 in the collection: "[^xyz]" matches anything but 'x', 'y' and 'z'.
|
|
|
949 - If two characters in the sequence are separated by '-', this is
|
|
|
950 shorthand for the full list of ASCII characters between them. E.g.,
|
|
|
951 "[0-9]" matches any decimal digit.
|
|
|
952 - A character class expression is evaluated to the set of characters
|
|
|
953 belonging to that character class. The following character classes
|
|
|
954 are supported:
|
|
|
955 Name Contents ~
|
|
|
956 *[:alnum:]* [:alnum:] letters and digits
|
|
|
957 *[:alpha:]* [:alpha:] letters
|
|
|
958 *[:blank:]* [:blank:] space and tab characters
|
|
|
959 *[:cntrl:]* [:cntrl:] control characters
|
|
|
960 *[:digit:]* [:digit:] decimal digits
|
|
|
961 *[:graph:]* [:graph:] printable characters excluding space
|
|
|
962 *[:lower:]* [:lower:] lowercase letters (all letters when
|
|
|
963 'ignorecase' is used)
|
|
|
964 *[:print:]* [:print:] printable characters including space
|
|
|
965 *[:punct:]* [:punct:] punctuation characters
|
|
|
966 *[:space:]* [:space:] whitespace characters
|
|
|
967 *[:upper:]* [:upper:] uppercase letters (all letters when
|
|
|
968 'ignorecase' is used)
|
|
|
969 *[:xdigit:]* [:xdigit:] hexadecimal digits
|
|
|
970 *[:return:]* [:return:] the <CR> character
|
|
|
971 *[:tab:]* [:tab:] the <Tab> character
|
|
|
972 *[:escape:]* [:escape:] the <Esc> character
|
|
|
973 *[:backspace:]* [:backspace:] the <BS> character
|
|
|
974 The brackets in character class expressions are additional to the
|
|
|
975 brackets delimiting a collection. For example, the following is a
|
|
|
976 plausible pattern for a UNIX filename: "[-./[:alnum:]_~]\+" That is,
|
|
|
977 a list of at least one character, each of which is either '-', '.',
|
|
|
978 '/', alphabetic, numeric, '_' or '~'.
|
|
|
979 These items only work for 8-bit characters.
|
|
|
980 */\]*
|
|
|
981 - To include a literal ']', '^', '-' or '\' in the collection, put a
|
|
|
982 backslash before it: "[xyz\]]", "[\^xyz]", "[xy\-z]" and "[xyz\\]".
|
|
|
983 (Note: POSIX does not support the use of a backslash this way). For
|
|
|
984 ']' you can also make it the first character (following a possible
|
|
|
985 "^"): "[]xyz]" or "[^]xyz]" {not in Vi}.
|
|
|
986 For '-' you can also make it the first or last character: "[-xyz]",
|
|
|
987 "[^-xyz]" or "[xyz-]". For '\' you can also let it be followed by
|
|
|
988 any character that's not in "^]-\bertn". "[\xyz]" matches '\', 'x',
|
|
|
989 'y' and 'z'. It's better to use "\\" though, future expansions may
|
|
|
990 use other characters after '\'.
|
|
|
991 - The following translations are accepted when the 'l' flag is not
|
|
|
992 included in 'cpoptions' {not in Vi}:
|
|
|
993 \e <Esc>
|
|
|
994 \t <Tab>
|
|
|
995 \r <CR> (NOT end-of-line!)
|
|
|
996 \b <BS>
|
|
24
|
997 \d123 decimal number of character
|
|
|
998 \o40 octal number of character up to 0377
|
|
|
999 \x20 hexadecimal number of character up to 0xff
|
|
|
1000 \u20AC hex. number of multibyte character up to 0xffff
|
|
|
1001 \U1234 hex. number of multibyte character up to 0xffffffff
|
|
7
|
1002 NOTE: The other backslash codes mentioned above do not work inside
|
|
|
1003 []!
|
|
|
1004 - Matching with a collection can be slow, because each character in
|
|
|
1005 the text has to be compared with each character in the collection.
|
|
|
1006 Use one of the other atoms above when possible. Example: "\d" is
|
|
|
1007 much faster than "[0-9]" and matches the same characters.
|
|
|
1008
|
|
|
1009 */\%[]* *E69* *E70* *E369*
|
|
24
|
1010 \%[] A sequence of optionally matched atoms. This always matches.
|
|
7
|
1011 It matches as much of the list of atoms it contains as possible. Thus
|
|
|
1012 it stops at the first atom that doesn't match. For example: >
|
|
|
1013 /r\%[ead]
|
|
|
1014 < matches "r", "re", "rea" or "read". The longest that matches is used.
|
|
|
1015 To match the Ex command "function", where "fu" is required and
|
|
|
1016 "nction" is optional, this would work: >
|
|
|
1017 /\<fu\%[nction]\>
|
|
|
1018 < The end-of-word atom "\>" is used to avoid matching "fu" in "full".
|
|
|
1019 It gets more complicated when the atoms are not ordinary characters.
|
|
|
1020 You don't often have to use it, but it is possible. Example: >
|
|
|
1021 /\<r\%[[eo]ad]\>
|
|
|
1022 < Matches the words "r", "re", "ro", "rea", "roa", "read" and "road".
|
|
|
1023 {not available when compiled without the +syntax feature}
|
|
|
1024
|
|
24
|
1025 */\%d* */\%x* */\%o* */\%u* */\%U/* *E678*
|
|
|
1026
|
|
|
1027 \%d123 Matches the character specified with a decimal number. Must be
|
|
|
1028 followed by a non-digit.
|
|
|
1029 \%o40 Matches the character specified with an octal number up to 0377.
|
|
|
1030 Numbers below 040 must be followed by a non-octal digit or a non-digit.
|
|
|
1031 \%x2a Matches the character specified with up to two hexadecimal characters.
|
|
|
1032 \%u20AC Matches the character specified with up to four hexadecimal
|
|
|
1033 characters.
|
|
|
1034 \%U1234abcd Matches the character specified with up to eight hexadecimal
|
|
|
1035 characters.
|
|
7
|
1036
|
|
|
1037 ==============================================================================
|
|
|
1038 7. Ignoring case in a pattern */ignorecase*
|
|
|
1039
|
|
|
1040 If the 'ignorecase' option is on, the case of normal letters is ignored.
|
|
|
1041 'smartcase' can be set to ignore case when the pattern contains lowercase
|
|
|
1042 letters only.
|
|
|
1043 */\c* */\C*
|
|
|
1044 When "\c" appears anywhere in the pattern, the whole pattern is handled like
|
|
|
1045 'ignorecase' is on. The actual value of 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' is
|
|
|
1046 ignored. "\C" does the opposite: Force matching case for the whole pattern.
|
|
|
1047 {only Vim supports \c and \C}
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1048 Note that 'ignorecase', "\c" and "\C" are not used for the character classes.
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1049
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1050 Examples:
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1051 pattern 'ignorecase' 'smartcase' matches ~
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|
1052 foo off - foo
|
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|
1053 foo on - foo Foo FOO
|
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|
1054 Foo on off foo Foo FOO
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|
1055 Foo on on Foo
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|
1056 \cfoo - - foo Foo FOO
|
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|
1057 foo\C - - foo
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1058
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|
1059 */\Z*
|
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|
1060 When "\Z" appears anywhere in the pattern, composing characters are ignored.
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|
1061 Thus only the base characters need to match, the composing characters may be
|
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1062 different and the number of composing characters may differ. Only relevant
|
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1063 when 'encoding' is "utf-8".
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1064
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1065 Technical detail: *NL-used-for-Nul*
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|
1066 <Nul> characters in the file are stored as <NL> in memory. In the display
|
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|
1067 they are shown as "^@". The translation is done when reading and writing
|
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|
1068 files. To match a <Nul> with a search pattern you can just enter CTRL-@ or
|
|
|
1069 "CTRL-V 000". This is probably just what you expect. Internally the
|
|
|
1070 character is replaced with a <NL> in the search pattern. What is unusual is
|
|
|
1071 that typing CTRL-V CTRL-J also inserts a <NL>, thus also searches for a <Nul>
|
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|
1072 in the file. {Vi cannot handle <Nul> characters in the file at all}
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|
1073
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|
|
1074 *CR-used-for-NL*
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|
1075 When 'fileformat' is "mac", <NL> characters in the file are stored as <CR>
|
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|
1076 characters internally. In the display they are shown as "^M". Otherwise this
|
|
|
1077 works similar to the usage of <NL> for a <Nul>.
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1078
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|
1079 When working with expression evaluation, a <NL> character in the pattern
|
|
|
1080 matches a <NL> in the string. The use of "\n" (backslash n) to match a <NL>
|
|
|
1081 doesn't work there, it only works to match text in the buffer.
|
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|
1082
|
|
|
1083 *pattern-multi-byte*
|
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|
1084 Patterns will also work with multi-byte characters, mostly as you would
|
|
|
1085 expect. But invalid bytes may cause trouble, a pattern with an invalid byte
|
|
|
1086 will probably never match.
|
|
|
1087
|
|
|
1088 ==============================================================================
|
|
|
1089 8. Compare with Perl patterns *perl-patterns*
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|
1090
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|
|
1091 Vim's regexes are most similar to Perl's, in terms of what you can do. The
|
|
|
1092 difference between them is mostly just notation; here's a summary of where
|
|
|
1093 they differ:
|
|
|
1094
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|
|
1095 Capability in Vimspeak in Perlspeak ~
|
|
|
1096 ----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
1097 force case insensitivity \c (?i)
|
|
|
1098 force case sensitivity \C (?-i)
|
|
|
1099 backref-less grouping \%(atom) (?:atom)
|
|
|
1100 conservative quantifiers \{-n,m} *?, +?, ??, {}?
|
|
|
1101 0-width match atom\@= (?=atom)
|
|
|
1102 0-width non-match atom\@! (?!atom)
|
|
|
1103 0-width preceding match atom\@<= (?<=atom)
|
|
|
1104 0-width preceding non-match atom\@<! (?<!atom)
|
|
|
1105 match without retry atom\@> (?>atom)
|
|
|
1106
|
|
|
1107 Vim and Perl handle newline characters inside a string a bit differently:
|
|
|
1108
|
|
|
1109 In Perl, ^ and $ only match at the very beginning and end of the text,
|
|
|
1110 by default, but you can set the 'm' flag, which lets them match at
|
|
|
1111 embedded newlines as well. You can also set the 's' flag, which causes
|
|
|
1112 a . to match newlines as well. (Both these flags can be changed inside
|
|
|
1113 a pattern using the same syntax used for the i flag above, BTW.)
|
|
|
1114
|
|
|
1115 On the other hand, Vim's ^ and $ always match at embedded newlines, and
|
|
|
1116 you get two separate atoms, \%^ and \%$, which only match at the very
|
|
|
1117 start and end of the text, respectively. Vim solves the second problem
|
|
|
1118 by giving you the \_ "modifier": put it in front of a . or a character
|
|
|
1119 class, and they will match newlines as well.
|
|
|
1120
|
|
|
1121 Finally, these constructs are unique to Perl:
|
|
|
1122 - execution of arbitrary code in the regex: (?{perl code})
|
|
|
1123 - conditional expressions: (?(condition)true-expr|false-expr)
|
|
|
1124
|
|
|
1125 ...and these are unique to Vim:
|
|
|
1126 - changing the magic-ness of a pattern: \v \V \m \M
|
|
|
1127 (very useful for avoiding backslashitis)
|
|
|
1128 - sequence of optionally matching atoms: \%[atoms]
|
|
|
1129 - \& (which is to \| what "and" is to "or"; it forces several branches
|
|
|
1130 to match at one spot)
|
|
|
1131 - matching lines/columns by number: \%5l \%5c \%5v
|
|
|
1132 - limiting the "return value" of a regex: \zs \ze
|
|
|
1133
|
|
|
1134 ==============================================================================
|
|
|
1135 9. Highlighting matches *match-highlight*
|
|
|
1136
|
|
|
1137 *:mat* *:match*
|
|
|
1138 :mat[ch] {group} /{pattern}/
|
|
|
1139 Define a pattern to highlight in the current window. It will
|
|
|
1140 be highlighted with {group}. Example: >
|
|
|
1141 :highlight MyGroup ctermbg=green guibg=green
|
|
|
1142 :match MyGroup /TODO/
|
|
|
1143 < Instead of // any character can be used to mark the start and
|
|
|
1144 end of the {pattern}. Watch out for using special characters,
|
|
|
1145 such as '"' and '|'.
|
|
|
1146 {group} must exist at the moment this command is executed.
|
|
|
1147 The match overrides the 'hlsearch' highlighting.
|
|
|
1148 'ignorecase' does not apply, use |/\c| in the pattern to
|
|
|
1149 ignore case. Otherwise case is not ignored.
|
|
|
1150 Note that highlighting the last used search pattern with
|
|
|
1151 'hlsearch' is used in all windows, while the pattern defined
|
|
|
1152 with ":match" only exists in the current window. It is kept
|
|
|
1153 when switching to another buffer.
|
|
|
1154 Another example, which highlights all characters in virtual
|
|
|
1155 column 72 and more: >
|
|
|
1156 :highlight rightMargin term=bold ctermfg=blue guifg=blue
|
|
|
1157 :match rightMargin /.\%>72v/
|
|
|
1158 < To highlight all character that are in virtual column 7: >
|
|
|
1159 :highlight col8 ctermbg=grey guibg=grey
|
|
|
1160 :match col8 /\%<8v.\%>7v/
|
|
|
1161 < Note the use of two items to also match a character that
|
|
|
1162 occupies more than one virtual column, such as a TAB.
|
|
|
1163
|
|
|
1164 :mat[ch]
|
|
|
1165 :mat[ch] none
|
|
|
1166 Clear a previously defined match pattern.
|
|
|
1167
|
|
|
1168 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl:
|
