path: root/runtime/doc/quickfix.txt

*quickfix.txt*  For Vim version 7.0aa.  Last change: 2005 Jul 27


		  VIM REFERENCE MANUAL    by Bram Moolenaar


This subject is introduced in section |30.1| of the user manual.

1. Using QuickFix commands		|quickfix|
2. The error window			|quickfix-window|
3. Using more than one list of errors	|quickfix-error-lists|
4. Using :make				|:make_makeprg|
5. Using :grep				|grep|
6. Selecting a compiler			|compiler-select|
7. The error format			|error-file-format|
8. The directory stack			|quickfix-directory-stack|
9. Specific error file formats		|errorformats|

{Vi does not have any of these commands}

The quickfix commands are not available when the |+quickfix| feature was
disabled at compile time.

=============================================================================
1. Using QuickFix commands			*quickfix* *Quickfix* *E42*

Vim has a special mode to speedup the edit-compile-edit cycle.  This is
inspired by the quickfix option of the Manx's Aztec C compiler on the Amiga.
The idea is to save the error messages from the compiler in a file and use Vim
to jump to the errors one by one.  You can examine each problem and fix it,
without having to remember all the error messages.

In Vim the quickfix commands are used more generally to find a list of
positions in files.  For example, |:vimgrep| finds pattern matches.  You can
use the positions in a script with the |getqflist()| function.  Thus you can
do a lot more than the edit/compile/fix cycle!

If you are using Manx's Aztec C compiler on the Amiga look here for how to use
it with Vim: |quickfix-manx|.  If you are using another compiler you should
save the error messages in a file and start Vim with "vim -q filename".  An
easy way to do this is with the |:make| command (see below).  The
'errorformat' option should be set to match the error messages from your
compiler (see |errorformat| below).

The following quickfix commands can be used:

							*:cc*
:cc[!] [nr]		Display error [nr].  If [nr] is omitted, the same
			error is displayed again.  Without [!] this doesn't
			work when jumping to another buffer, the current buffer
			has been changed, there is the only window for the
			buffer and both 'hidden' and 'autowrite' are off.
			When jumping to another buffer with [!] any changes to
			the current buffer are lost, unless 'hidden' is set or
			there is another window for this buffer.
			The 'switchbuf' settings are respected when jumping
			to a buffer.

							*:cn* *:cnext* *E553*
:[count]cn[ext][!]	Display the [count] next error in the list that
			includes a file name.  If there are no file names at
			all, go to the [count] next error.  See |:cc| for
			[!] and 'switchbuf'.

:[count]cN[ext][!]			*:cp* *:cprevious* *:cN* *:cNext*
:[count]cp[revious][!]	Display the [count] previous error in the list that
			includes a file name.  If there are no file names at
			all, go to the [count] previous error.  See |:cc| for
			[!] and 'switchbuf'.

							*:cnf* *:cnfile*
:[count]cnf[ile][!]	Display the first error in the [count] next file in
			the list that includes a file name.  If there are no
			file names at all or if there is no next file, go to
			the [count] next error.  See |:cc| for [!] and
			'switchbuf'.

:[count]cNf[ile][!]			*:cpf* *:cpfile* *:cNf* *:cNfile*
:[count]cpf[ile][!]	Display the last error in the [count] previous file in
			the list that includes a file name.  If there are no
			file names at all or if there is no next file, go to
			the [count] previous error.  See |:cc| for [!] and
			'switchbuf'.

							*:crewind* *:cr*
:cr[ewind][!] [nr]	Display error [nr].  If [nr] is omitted, the FIRST
			error is displayed.  See |:cc|.

							*:cfirst* *:cfir*
:cfir[st][!] [nr]	Same as ":crewind".

							*:clast* *:cla*
:cla[st][!] [nr]	Display error [nr].  If [nr] is omitted, the LAST
			error is displayed.  See |:cc|.

							*:cq* *:cquit*
:cq[uit]		Quit Vim with an error code, so that the compiler
			will not compile the same file again.

							*:cf* *:cfile*
:cf[ile][!] [errorfile]	Read the error file and jump to the first error.
			This is done automatically when Vim is started with
			the -q option.  You can use this command when you
			keep Vim running while compiling.  If you give the
			name of the errorfile, the 'errorfile' option will
			be set to [errorfile].  See |:cc| for [!].

							*:cg* *:cgetfile*
:cg[etfile][!] [errorfile]
			Read the error file.  Just like ":cfile" but don't
			jump to the first error.

							*:cad* *:caddfile*
:cad[dfile] [errorfile]	Read the error file and add the errors from the
			errorfile to the current quickfix list. If a quickfix
			list is not present, then a new list is created.

						*:cb* *:cbuffer* *E681*
:cb[uffer] [bufnr]	Read the error list from the current buffer.
			When [bufnr] is given it must be the number of a
			loaded buffer.  That buffer will then be used instead
			of the current buffer.
			A range can be specified for the lines to be used.
			Otherwise all lines in the buffer are used.

							*:cex* *:cexpr*
:cex[pr][!] {expr}	Create a quickfix list using the result of {expr}.
			If {expr} is a String, then each new-line terminated
			line in the String is processed using 'errorformat'
			and the result is added to the quickfix list.
			If {expr} is a List, then each String item in the list
			is processed and added to the quickfix list.
			Non String items in the List are ignored. See |:cc|
			for [!].
			Examples: >
				:cexpr system('grep -n xyz *')
				:cexpr getline(1, '$')
<
							*:cl* *:clist*
:cl[ist] [from] [, [to]]
			List all errors that are valid |quickfix-valid|.
			If numbers [from] and/or [to] are given, the respective
			range of errors is listed.  A negative number counts
			from the last error backwards, -1 being the last error.
			The 'switchbuf' settings are respected when jumping
			to a buffer.

:cl[ist]! [from] [, [to]]
			List all errors.

If you insert or delete lines, mostly the correct error location is still
found because hidden marks are used.  Sometimes, when the mark has been
deleted for some reason, the message "line changed" is shown to warn you that
the error location may not be correct.  If you quit Vim and start again the
marks are lost and the error locations may not be correct anymore.

If vim is built with |+autocmd| support, two autocommands are available for
running commands before and after a quickfix command (':make', ':grep' and so
on) is executed. See |QuickFixCmdPre| and |QuickFixCmdPost| for details.

=============================================================================
2. The error window					*quickfix-window*

							*:cope* *:copen*
:cope[n] [height]	Open a window to show the current list of errors.
			When [height] is given, the window becomes that high
			(if there is room).  Otherwise the window is made ten
			lines high.
			The window will contain a special buffer, with
			'buftype' equal to "quickfix".  Don't change this!
			If there already is a quickfix window, it will be made
			the current window.  It is not possible to open a
			second quickfix window.

							*:ccl* *:cclose*
:ccl[ose]		Close the quickfix window.

							*:cw* *:cwindow*
:cw[indow] [height]	Open the quickfix window when there are recognized
			errors.  If the window is already open and there are
			no recognized errors, close the window.


Normally the quickfix window is at the bottom of the screen.  If there are
vertical splits, it's at the bottom of the rightmost column of windows.  To
make it always occupy the full width: >
	:botright cwindow
You can move the window around with |window-moving| commands.
For example, to move it to the top: CTRL-W K
The 'winfixheight' option will be set, which means that the window will mostly
keep its height, ignoring 'winheight' and 'equalalways'.  You can change the
height manually (e.g., by dragging the status line above it with the mouse).

In the quickfix window, each line is one error.  The line number is equal to
the error number.  You can use ":.cc" to jump to the error under the cursor.
Hitting the <Enter> key or double-clicking the mouse on a line has the same
effect.  The file containing the error is opened in the window above the
quickfix window.  If there already is a window for that file, it is used
instead.  If the buffer in the used window has changed, and the error is in
another file, jumping to the error will fail.  You will first have to make
sure the window contains a buffer which can be abandoned.
					*CTRL-W_<Enter>* *CTRL-W_<CR>*
You can use CTRL-W <Enter> to open a new window and jump to the error there.

When the quickfix window has been filled, two autocommand events are
triggered.  First the 'filetype' option is set to "qf", which triggers the
FileType event.  Then the BufReadPost event is triggered.  This can be used to
perform some action on the listed errors.  Example: >
	au BufReadPost quickfix  setlocal nomodifiable
		\ | silent g/^/s//\=line(".")." "/
		\ | setlocal modifiable
This prepends the line number to each line.  Note the use of "\=" in the
substitute string of the ":s" command, which is used to evaluate an
expression.

Note: Making changes in the quickfix window has no effect on the list of
errors.  'modifiable' is off to avoid making changes.  If you delete or insert
lines anyway, the relation between the text and the error number is messed up.
If you really want to do this, you could write the contents of the quickfix
window to a file and use ":cfile" to have it parsed and used as the new error
list.

=============================================================================
3. Using more than one list of errors			*quickfix-error-lists*

So far has been assumed that there is only one list of errors.  Actually the
ten last used lists are remembered.  When starting a new list, the previous
ones are automatically kept.  Two commands can be used to access older error
lists.  They set one of the existing error lists as the current one.

						*:colder* *:col* *E380*
:col[der] [count]	Go to older error list.  When [count] is given, do
			this [count] times.  When already at the oldest error
			list, an error message is given.

						*:cnewer* *:cnew* *E381*
:cnew[er] [count]	Go to newer error list.  When [count] is given, do
			this [count] times.  When already at the newest error
			list, an error message is given.

When adding a new error list, it becomes the current list.

When ":colder" has been used and ":make" or ":grep" is used to add a new error
list, one newer list is overwritten.  This is especially useful if you are
browsing with ":grep" |grep|.  If you want to keep the more recent error
lists, use ":cnewer 99" first.

=============================================================================
4. Using :make						*:make_makeprg*

							*:mak* *:make*
:mak[e][!] [arguments]	1. If vim was built with |+autocmd|, all relevant
			   |QuickFixCmdPre| autocommands are executed.
			2. If the 'autowrite' option is on, write any changed
			   buffers
			3. An errorfile name is made from 'makeef'.  If
			   'makeef' doesn't contain "##", and a file with this
			   name already exists, it is deleted.
			4. The program given with the 'makeprg' option is
			   started (default "make") with the optional
			   [arguments] and the output is saved in the
			   errorfile (for Unix it is also echoed on the
			   screen).
			5. The errorfile is read using 'errorformat'.
			6. If [!] is not given the first error is jumped to.
			7. The errorfile is deleted.
			8. If vim was built with |+autocmd|, all relevant
			   |QuickFixCmdPost| autocommands are executed.
			9. You can now move through the errors with commands
			   like |:cnext| and |:cprevious|, see above.
			This command does not accept a comment, any "
			characters are considered part of the arguments.

The ":make" command executes the command given with the 'makeprg' option.
This is done by passing the command to the shell given with the 'shell'
option.  This works almost like typing

	":!{makeprg} [arguments] {shellpipe} {errorfile}".

{makeprg} is the string given with the 'makeprg' option.  Any command can be
used, not just "make".  Characters '%' and '#' are expanded as usual on a
command-line.  You can use "%<" to insert the current file name without
extension, or "#<" to insert the alternate file name without extension, for
example: >
   :set makeprg=make\ #<.o

[arguments] is anything that is typed after ":make".
{shellpipe} is the 'shellpipe' option.
{errorfile} is the 'makeef' option, with ## replaced to make it unique.

The placeholder "$*" can be used for the argument list in {makeprog} if the
command needs some additional characters after its arguments.  The $* is
replaced then by all arguments.  Example: >
   :set makeprg=latex\ \\\\nonstopmode\ \\\\input\\{$*}
or simpler >
   :let &mp = 'latex \\nonstopmode \\input\{$*}'
"$*" can be given multiple times, for example: >
   :set makeprg=gcc\ -o\ $*\ $*

The 'shellpipe' option defaults to ">" for the Amiga, MS-DOS and Win32.  This
means that the output of the compiler is saved in a file and not shown on the
screen directly.  For Unix "| tee" is used.  The compiler output is shown on
the screen and saved in a file the same time.  Depending on the shell used
"|& tee" or "2>&1| tee" is the default, so stderr output will be included.

If 'shellpipe' is empty, the {errorfile} part will be omitted.  This is useful
for compilers that write to an errorfile themselves (e.g., Manx's Amiga C).

==============================================================================
5. Using :vimgrep and :grep				*grep* *lid*

Vim has two ways to find matches for a pattern: Internal and external.  The
advantage of the internal grep is that it works on all systems and uses the
powerful Vim search patterns.  An external grep program can be used when the
Vim grep does not do what you want.

The internal method will be slower, because files are read into memory.  The
advantages are:
- Line separators and encoding are automatically recognized, as if a file is
  being edited.
- Uses Vim search patterns.  Multi-line patterns can be used.
- When plugins are enabled: compressed and remote files can be searched.
	|gzip| |netrw|
- When 'hidden' is set the files are kept loaded, thus repeating a search is
  much faster.  Uses a lot of memory though!


5.1 using Vim's internal grep

					*:vim* *:vimgrep* *E682* *E683*
:vim[grep][!] /{pattern}/[g][j] {file} ...
			Search for {pattern} in the files {file} ... and set
			the error list to the matches.
			Without the 'g' flag each line is added only once.
			With 'g' every match is added.

			{pattern} is a Vim search pattern.  Instead of
			enclosing it in / any non-ID character (see
			|'isident'|) can be used, so long as it does not
			appear in {pattern}.
			'ignorecase' applies.  To overrule it put |/\c| in the
			pattern to ignore case or |/\C| to match case.
			'smartcase' is not used.

			Without the 'j' flag Vim jumps to the first match.
			With 'j' only the quickfix list is updated.
			With the [!] any changes in the current buffer are
			abandoned.

			Every second or so the searched file name is displayed
			to give you an idea of the progress made.
			Examples: >
				:vimgrep /an error/ *.c
				:vimgrep /\<FileName\>/ *.h include/*
				:vimgrep /myfunc/ **/*.c
<			For the use of "**" see |starstar-wildcard|.

:vim[grep][!] {pattern} {file} ...
			Like above, but instead of enclosing the pattern in a
			non-ID character use a white-separated pattern.  The
			pattern must start with an ID character.
			Example: >
				:vimgrep Error *.c
<
						*:vimgrepa* *:vimgrepadd*
:vimgrepa[dd][!] /{pattern}/[g][j] {file} ...
:vimgrepa[dd][!] {pattern} {file} ...
			Just like ":vimgrep", but instead of making a new list
			of errors the matches are appended to the current
			list.


5.2 External grep

Vim can interface with "grep" and grep-like programs (such as the GNU
id-utils) in a similar way to its compiler integration (see |:make| above).

[Unix trivia: The name for the Unix "grep" command comes from ":g/re/p", where
"re" stands for Regular Expression.]

							    *:gr* *:grep*
:gr[ep][!] [arguments]	Just like ":make", but use 'grepprg' instead of
			'makeprg' and 'grepformat' instead of 'errorformat'.
			When 'grepprg' is "internal" this works like
			|:vimgrep|.  Note that the pattern needs to be
			enclosed in separator characters then.
							*:grepa* *:grepadd*
:grepa[dd][!] [arguments]
			Just like ":grep", but instead of making a new list of
			errors the matches are appended to the current list.
			Example: >
				:grep nothing %
				:bufdo grepadd! something %
<			The first command makes a new error list which is
			empty.  The second command executes "grepadd" for each
			listed buffer.  Note the use of ! to avoid that
			":grepadd" jumps to the first error, which is not
			allowed with |:bufdo|.

5.3 Setting up external grep

If you have a standard "grep" program installed, the :grep command may work
well with the defaults.  The syntax is very similar to the standard command: >

	:grep foo *.c

Will search all files with the .c extension for the substring "foo".  The
arguments to :grep are passed straight to the "grep" program, so you can use
whatever options your "grep" supports.

By default, :grep invokes grep with the -n option (show file and line
numbers).  You can change this with the 'grepprg' option.  You will need to set
'gre