Current File : //usr/share/vim/vim91/doc/textprop.txt
*textprop.txt* For Vim version 9.1. Last change: 2023 Apr 23
VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
Displaying text with properties attached. *textprop* *text-properties*
1. Introduction |text-prop-intro|
2. Functions |text-prop-functions|
3. When text changes |text-prop-changes|
{not able to use text properties when the |+textprop| feature was
disabled at compile time}
==============================================================================
1. Introduction *text-prop-intro*
Text properties can be attached to text in a buffer. They will move with the
text: If lines are deleted or inserted the properties move with the text they
are attached to. Also when inserting/deleting text in the line before the
text property. And when inserting/deleting text inside the text property, it
will increase/decrease in size.
The main use for text properties is to highlight text. This can be seen as a
replacement for syntax highlighting. Instead of defining patterns to match
the text, the highlighting is set by a script, possibly using the output of an
external parser. This only needs to be done once, not every time when
redrawing the screen, thus can be much faster, after the initial cost of
attaching the text properties.
Text properties can also be used for other purposes to identify text. For
example, add a text property on a function name, so that a search can be
defined to jump to the next/previous function.
A text property is attached at a specific line and column, and has a specified
length. The property can span multiple lines.
A text property has these fields:
"id" a number to be used as desired
"type" the name of a property type
Property Types ~
*E971*
A text property normally has the name of a property type, which defines
how to highlight the text. The property type can have these entries:
"highlight" name of the highlight group to use
"combine" when omitted or TRUE the text property highlighting is
combined with any syntax highlighting; when FALSE the
text property highlighting replaces the syntax
highlighting
"priority" when properties overlap, the one with the highest
priority will be used.
"start_incl" when TRUE inserts at the start position will be
included in the text property
"end_incl" when TRUE inserts at the end position will be
included in the text property
Example ~
Suppose line 11 in a buffer has this text (excluding the indent):
The number 123 is smaller than 4567.
To highlight the numbers in this text: >
call prop_type_add('number', {'highlight': 'Constant'})
call prop_add(11, 12, {'length': 3, 'type': 'number'})
call prop_add(11, 32, {'length': 4, 'type': 'number'})
Try inserting or deleting lines above the text, you will see that the text
properties stick to the text, thus the line number is adjusted as needed.
Setting "start_incl" and "end_incl" is useful when white space surrounds the
text, e.g. for a function name. Using false is useful when the text starts
and/or ends with a specific character, such as the quote surrounding a string.
func FuncName(arg) ~
^^^^^^^^ property with start_incl and end_incl set
var = "text"; ~
^^^^^^ property with start_incl and end_incl not set
Nevertheless, when text is inserted or deleted the text may need to be parsed
and the text properties updated. But this can be done asynchronously.
Internal error *E967*
If you see E967, please report the bug. You can do this at Github:
https://github.com/vim/vim/issues/new
==============================================================================
2. Functions *text-prop-functions*
Manipulating text property types:
prop_type_add({name}, {props}) define a new property type
prop_type_change({name}, {props}) change an existing property type
prop_type_delete({name} [, {props}]) delete a property type
prop_type_get({name} [, {props}]) get property type values
prop_type_list([{props}]) get list of property types
Manipulating text properties:
prop_add({lnum}, {col}, {props}) add a text property
prop_add_list({props}, [{item}, ...])
add a text property at multiple
positions.
prop_clear({lnum} [, {lnum-end} [, {bufnr}]])
remove all text properties
prop_find({props} [, {direction}]) search for a text property
prop_list({lnum} [, {props}]) text properties in {lnum}
prop_remove({props} [, {lnum} [, {lnum-end}]])
remove a text property
*prop_add()* *E965*
prop_add({lnum}, {col}, {props})
Attach a text property at position {lnum}, {col}. {col} is
counted in bytes, use one for the first column.
If {lnum} is invalid an error is given. *E966*
If {col} is invalid an error is given. *E964*
{props} is a dictionary with these fields:
type name of the text property type
length length of text in bytes, can only be used
for a property that does not continue in
another line; can be zero
end_lnum line number for the end of text (inclusive)
end_col column just after the text; not used when
"length" is present; when {col} and "end_col"
are equal, and "end_lnum" is omitted or equal
to {lnum}, this is a zero-width text property
bufnr buffer to add the property to; when omitted
the current buffer is used
id user defined ID for the property; must be a
number, should be positive; when using "text"
then "id" must not be present and will be set
automatically to a negative number; otherwise
zero is used
*E1305*
text text to be displayed before {col}, or
above/below the line if {col} is zero; prepend
and/or append spaces for padding with
highlighting; cannot be used with "length",
"end_lnum" and "end_col"
See |virtual-text| for more information.
*E1294*
text_align when "text" is present and {col} is zero;
specifies where to display the text:
after after the end of the line
right right aligned in the window (unless
the text wraps to the next screen
line)
below in the next screen line
above just above the line
When omitted "after" is used. Only one
"right" property can fit in each line, if
there are two or more these will go in a
separate line (still right aligned).
text_padding_left *E1296*
used when "text" is present and {col} is zero;
padding between the end of the text line
(leftmost column for "above" and "below") and
the virtual text, not highlighted
text_wrap when "text" is present and {col} is zero,
specifies what happens if the text doesn't
fit:
wrap wrap the text to the next line
truncate truncate the text to make it fit
When omitted "truncate" is used.
Note that this applies to the individual text
property, the 'wrap' option sets the overall
behavior
All fields except "type" are optional.
It is an error when both "length" and "end_lnum" or "end_col"
are given. Either use "length" or "end_col" for a property
within one line, or use "end_lnum" and "end_col" for a
property that spans more than one line.
When neither "length" nor "end_col" are given the property
will be zero-width. That means it will move with the text, as
a kind of mark. One character will be highlighted, if the
type specifies highlighting.
The property can end exactly at the last character of the
text, or just after it. In the last case, if text is appended
to the line, the text property size will increase, also when
the property type does not have "end_incl" set.
"type" will first be looked up in the buffer the property is
added to. When not found, the global property types are used.
If not found an error is given.
*virtual-text*
When "text" is used and the column is non-zero then this text
will be displayed at the specified start location of the text
property. The text of the buffer line will be shifted to make
room. This is called "virtual text".
When the column is zero the virtual text will appear above,
after or below the buffer text. The "text_align" and
"text_wrap" arguments determine how it is displayed.
To separate the virtual text from the buffer text prepend
and/or append spaces to the "text" field or use the
"text_padding_left" value.
Make sure to use a highlight that makes clear to the user that
this is virtual text, otherwise it will be very confusing that
the text cannot be edited. When using "above" you need to
make clear this text belongs to the text line below it, when
using "below" you need to make sure it belongs to the text
line above it.
The text will be displayed but it is not part of the actual
buffer line, the cursor cannot be placed on it. A mouse click
in the text will move the cursor to the first character after
the text, or the last character of the line.
Any Tab and other control character in the text will be
changed to a space (Rationale: otherwise the size of the text
is difficult to compute).
A negative "id" will be chosen and is returned.
Before text properties with text were supported it was
possible to use a negative "id", even though this was very
rare. Now that negative "id"s are reserved for text
properties with text an error is given when using a negative
"id". When a text property with text already exists using a
negative "id" results in *E1293* . If a negative "id" was
used and later a text property with text is added results in
*E1339* .
Can also be used as a |method|: >
GetLnum()->prop_add(col, props)
<
*prop_add_list()*
prop_add_list({props}, [{item}, ...])
Similar to prop_add(), but attaches a text property at
multiple positions in a buffer.
{props} is a dictionary with these fields:
bufnr buffer to add the property to; when omitted
the current buffer is used
id user defined ID for the property; must be a
number; when omitted zero is used
type name of the text property type
All fields except "type" are optional.
The second argument is a List of items, where each {item} is a
list that specifies the starting and ending position of the
text: [{lnum}, {col}, {end-lnum}, {end-col}]
or: [{lnum}, {col}, {end-lnum}, {end-col}, {id}]
The first two items {lnum} and {col} specify the starting
position of the text where the property will be attached.
The next two items {end-lnum} and {end-col} specify the
position just after the text.
An optional fifth item {id} can be used to give a different ID
to a property. When omitted the ID from {props} is used,
falling back to zero if none are present.
It is not possible to add a text property with a "text" field
here.
Example: >
call prop_add_list(#{type: 'MyProp', id: 2},
\ [[1, 4, 1, 7],
\ [1, 15, 1, 20],
\ [2, 30, 3, 30]]
<
Can also be used as a |method|: >
GetProp()->prop_add_list([[1, 1, 1, 2], [1, 4, 1, 8]])
prop_clear({lnum} [, {lnum-end} [, {props}]]) *prop_clear()*
Remove all text properties from line {lnum}.
When {lnum-end} is given, remove all text properties from line
{lnum} to {lnum-end} (inclusive).
When {props} contains a "bufnr" item use this buffer,
otherwise use the current buffer.
Can also be used as a |method|: >
GetLnum()->prop_clear()
<
*prop_find()*
prop_find({props} [, {direction}])
Search for a text property as specified with {props}:
id property with this ID
type property with this type name
both "id" and "type" must both match
bufnr buffer to search in; when present a
start position with "lnum" and "col"
must be given; when omitted the
current buffer is used
lnum start in this line (when omitted start
at the cursor)
col start at this column (when omitted
and "lnum" is given: use column 1,
otherwise start at the cursor)
skipstart do not look for a match at the start
position
A property matches when either "id" or "type" matches.
{direction} can be "f" for forward and "b" for backward. When
omitted forward search is performed.
If a match is found then a Dict is returned with the entries
as with prop_list(), and additionally an "lnum" entry.
If no match is found then an empty Dict is returned.
prop_list({lnum} [, {props}]) *prop_list()*
Returns a List with all the text properties in line {lnum}.
The following optional items are supported in {props}:
bufnr use this buffer instead of the current buffer
end_lnum return text properties in all the lines
between {lnum} and {end_lnum} (inclusive).
A negative value is used as an offset from the
last buffer line; -1 refers to the last buffer
line.
types List of property type names. Return only text
properties that match one of the type names.
ids List of property identifiers. Return only text
properties with one of these identifiers.
The properties are ordered by starting column and priority.
Each property is a Dict with these entries:
lnum starting line number. Present only when
returning text properties between {lnum} and
{end_lnum}.
col starting column
length length in bytes, one more if line break is
included
id property ID
text text to be displayed before {col}. Only
present for |virtual-text| properties.
text_align alignment property of |virtual-text|.
text_padding_left
left padding used for virtual text.
text_wrap specifies whether |virtual-text| is wrapped.
type name of the property type, omitted if
the type was deleted
type_bufnr buffer number for which this type was defined;
0 if the type is global
start when TRUE property starts in this line
end when TRUE property ends in this line
When "start" is zero the property started in a previous line,
the current one is a continuation.
When "end" is zero the property continues in the next line.
The line break after this line is included.
Returns an empty list on error.
Examples:
" get text properties placed in line 5
echo prop_list(5)
" get text properties placed in line 20 in buffer 4
echo prop_list(20, {'bufnr': 4})
" get all the text properties between line 1 and 20
echo prop_list(1, {'end_lnum': 20})
" get all the text properties of type 'myprop'
echo prop_list(1, {'types': ['myprop'],
\ 'end_lnum': -1})
" get all the text properties of type 'prop1' or 'prop2'
echo prop_list(1, {'types': ['prop1', 'prop2'],
\ 'end_lnum': -1})
" get all the text properties with ID 8
echo prop_list(1, {'ids': [8], 'end_lnum': line('$')})
" get all the text properties with ID 10 and 20
echo prop_list(1, {'ids': [10, 20], 'end_lnum': -1})
" get text properties with type 'myprop' and ID 100
" in buffer 4.
echo prop_list(1, {'bufnr': 4, 'types': ['myprop'],
\ 'ids': [100], 'end_lnum': -1})
Can also be used as a |method|: >
GetLnum()->prop_list()
<
*prop_remove()* *E968* *E860*
prop_remove({props} [, {lnum} [, {lnum-end}]])
Remove a matching text property from line {lnum}. When
{lnum-end} is given, remove matching text properties from line
{lnum} to {lnum-end} (inclusive).
When {lnum} is omitted remove matching text properties from
all lines (this requires going over all lines, thus will be a
bit slow for a buffer with many lines).
{props} is a dictionary with these fields:
id remove text properties with this ID
type remove text properties with this type name
types remove text properties with type names in this
List
both "id" and "type"/"types" must both match
bufnr use this buffer instead of the current one
all when TRUE remove all matching text properties,
not just the first one
Only one of "type" and "types" may be supplied. *E1295*
A property matches when either "id" or one of the supplied
types matches.
If buffer "bufnr" does not exist you get an error message.
If buffer "bufnr" is not loaded then nothing happens.
Returns the number of properties that were removed.
Can also be used as a |method|: >
GetProps()->prop_remove()
prop_type_add({name}, {props}) *prop_type_add()* *E969* *E970*
Add a text property type {name}. If a property type with this
name already exists an error is given. Nothing is returned.
{props} is a dictionary with these optional fields:
bufnr define the property only for this buffer; this
avoids name collisions and automatically
clears the property types when the buffer is
deleted.
highlight name of highlight group to use
priority when a character has multiple text
properties the one with the highest priority
will be used; negative values can be used, the
default priority is zero
combine when omitted or TRUE combine the highlight
with any syntax highlight; when FALSE syntax
highlight will not be used
override when TRUE the highlight overrides any other,
including 'cursorline' and Visual
start_incl when TRUE inserts at the start position will
be included in the text property
end_incl when TRUE inserts at the end position will be
included in the text property
Can also be used as a |method|: >
GetPropName()->prop_type_add(props)
prop_type_change({name}, {props}) *prop_type_change()*
Change properties of an existing text property type. If a
property with this name does not exist an error is given.
The {props} argument is just like |prop_type_add()|.
Can also be used as a |method|: >
GetPropName()->prop_type_change(props)
prop_type_delete({name} [, {props}]) *prop_type_delete()*
Remove the text property type {name}. When text properties
using the type {name} are still in place, they will not have
an effect and can no longer be removed by name.
{props} can contain a "bufnr" item. When it is given, delete
a property type from this buffer instead of from the global
property types.
When text property type {name} is not found there is no error.
Can also be used as a |method|: >
GetPropName()->prop_type_delete()
prop_type_get({name} [, {props}]) *prop_type_get()*
Returns the properties of property type {name}. This is a
dictionary with the same fields as was given to
prop_type_add().
When the property type {name} does not exist, an empty
dictionary is returned.
{props} can contain a "bufnr" item. When it is given, use
this buffer instead of the global property types.
Can also be used as a |method|: >
GetPropName()->prop_type_get()
prop_type_list([{props}]) *prop_type_list()*
Returns a list with all property type names.
{props} can contain a "bufnr" item. When it is given, use
this buffer instead of the global property types.
==============================================================================
3. When text changes *text-prop-changes*
Vim will do its best to keep the text properties on the text where it was
attached. When inserting or deleting text the properties after the change
will move accordingly.
When text is deleted and a text property no longer includes any text, it is
deleted. However, a text property that was defined as zero-width will remain,
unless the whole line is deleted.
*E275*
When a buffer is unloaded, all the text properties are gone. There is no way
to store the properties in a file. You can only re-create them. When a
buffer is hidden the text is preserved and so are the text properties. It is
not possible to add text properties to an unloaded buffer.
When using replace mode, the text properties stay on the same character
positions, even though the characters themselves change.
To update text properties after the text was changed, install a callback with
`listener_add()`. E.g, if your plugin does spell checking, you can have the
callback update spelling mistakes in the changed text. Vim will move the
properties below the changed text, so that they still highlight the same text,
thus you don't need to update these.
Text property columns are not updated or copied: ~
- When setting the line with |setline()| or through an interface, such as Lua,
Tcl or Python. Vim does not know what text got inserted or deleted.
- With a command like `:move`, which takes a line of text out of context.
vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl:
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