141 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
141 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
README for the Vim source code
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Here are a few hints for finding your way around the source code. This
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doesn't make it less complex than it is, but it gets you started.
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You might also want to read ":help development".
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JUMPING AROUND
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First of all, use ":make tags" to generate a tags file, so that you can use
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the ":tag" command to jump around the source code.
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To jump to a function or variable definition, move the cursor on the name and
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use the CTRL-] command. Use CTRL-T or CTRL-O to jump back.
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To jump to a file, move the cursor on its name and use the "gf" command.
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Most code can be found in a file with an obvious name (incomplete list):
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buffer.c manipulating buffers (loaded files)
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diff.c diff mode (vimdiff)
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eval.c expression evaluation
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fileio.c reading and writing files
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fold.c folding
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getchar.c getting characters and key mapping
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mark.c marks
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memfile.c storing lines for buffers in a swapfile
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memline.c storing lines for buffers in memory
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menu.c menus
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message.c (error) messages
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mbyte.c multy-byte character handling
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ops.c handling operators ("d", "y", "p")
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option.c options
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quickfix.c quickfix commands (":make", ":cn")
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screen.c updating the windows
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search.c pattern searching
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tag.c tags
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term.c terminal handling, termcap codes
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undo.c undo and redo
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window.c handling split windows
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IMPORTANT VARIABLES
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The current mode is stored in "State". The values it can have are NORMAL,
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INSERT, CMDLINE, and a few others.
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The current window is "curwin". The current buffer is "curbuf". These point
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to structures with the cursor position in the window, option values, the file
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name, etc. These are defined in structs.h.
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All the global variables are declared in globals.h.
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THE MAIN LOOP
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This is conveniently called main_loop(). It updates a few things and then
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calls normal_cmd() to process a command. This returns when the command is
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finished.
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The basic idea is that Vim waits for the user to type a character and
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processes it until another character is needed. Thus there are several places
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where Vim waits for a character to be typed. The vgetc() function is used for
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this. It also handles mapping.
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Updating the screen is mostly postponed until a command or a sequence of
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commands has finished. The work is done by update_screen(), which calls
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win_update() for every window, which calls win_line() for every line.
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See the start of screen.c for more explanations.
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COMMAND-LINE MODE
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When typing a ":", normal_cmd() will call getcmdline() to obtain a line with
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an Ex command. getcmdline() contains a loop that will handle each typed
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character. It returns when hitting <CR> or <Esc> or some other character that
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ends the command line mode.
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EX COMMANDS
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Ex commands are handled by the function do_cmdline(). It does the generic
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parsing of the ":" command line and calls do_one_cmd() for each separate
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command. It also takes care of while loops.
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do_one_cmd() parses the range and generic arguments and puts them in the
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exarg_t and passes it to the function that handles the command.
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The ":" commands are listed in ex_cmds.h. The third entry of each item is the
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name of the function that handles the command. The last entry are the flags
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that are used for the command.
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NORMAL MODE COMMANDS
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The Normal mode commands are handled by the normal_cmd() function. It also
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handles the optional count and an extra character for some commands. These
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are passed in a cmdarg_t to the function that handles the command.
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There is a table nv_cmds in normal.c which lists the first character of every
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command. The second entry of each item is the name of the function that
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handles the command.
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INSERT MODE COMMANDS
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When doing an "i" or "a" command, normal_cmd() will call the edit() function.
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It contains a loop that waits for the next character and handles it. It
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returns when leaving Insert mode.
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OPTIONS
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There is a list with all option names in option.c, called options[].
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THE GUI
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Most of the GUI code is implemented like it was a clever terminal. Typing a
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character, moving a scrollbar, clicking the mouse, etc. are all translated
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into events which are written in the input buffer. These are read by the
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main code, just like reading from a terminal. The code for this is scattered
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through gui.c. For example: gui_send_mouse_event() for a mouse click and
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gui_menu_cb() for a menu action. Key hits are handled by the system-specific
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GUI code, which calls add_to_input_buf() to send the key code.
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Updating the GUI window is done by writing codes in the output buffer, just
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like writing to a terminal. When the buffer gets full or is flushed,
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gui_write() will parse the codes and draw the appropriate items. Finally the
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system-specific GUI code will be called to do the work.
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DEBUGGING THE GUI
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Remember to prevent that gvim forks and the debugger thinks Vim has exited,
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add the "-f" argument. In gdb: "run -f -g".
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When stepping through display updating code, the focus event is triggerred
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when going from the debugger to Vim and back. To avoid this, recompile with
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some code in gui_focus_change() disabled.
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