1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
2 <?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="dactyl://content/help.xsl"?>
4 <!DOCTYPE document SYSTEM "dactyl://cache/modes.dtd">
8 title="&dactyl.appName; Key Mappings"
10 xmlns:dactyl="&xmlns.dactyl;"
11 xmlns:html="&xmlns.html;">
13 <h1 tag="keyboard-shortcuts">Keyboard shortcuts and commands</h1>
17 &dactyl.appName; provides a number of commands to change the
18 behavior of key presses. This can mean anything from
19 automatically substituting one key for another or automatically
20 replacing one typed word for another, to launching a dialog or
24 <h2 tag="key-mapping mapping map macro">Key mapping</h2>
27 Key mappings are the most basic means &dactyl.appName; provides
28 for altering the actions of key presses. Each key mapping is
29 associated with a mode, such as <link topic="insert-mode">Insert</link>,
30 <link>Normal</link>, or
31 <link topic="command-line-mode">Command Line</link>, and only
32 has effect when that mode is active. Although each mode has a
33 full suite of internal mappings, they may be easily augmented,
34 altered, or removed with the <ex>:map</ex> command and its
35 variants. These commands, in essence, allow the user to quickly
36 substitute one sequence of key presses for another.
40 <code><ex>:map <k name="F2" link="false"/></ex> <ex>:styletoggle</ex> <em>-name</em> <k name="A-Tab" link="c_<Tab>"/></code>
43 causes “<tt><ex>:styletoggle</ex> <em>-name</em> <k name="A-Tab" link="c_<Tab"/></tt>” to be typed out
44 whenever <k name="F2" link="false"/> is pressed, providing a way to toggle
45 a tab-completed named user style.
49 You can also map keys to <link topic="ex-scripts">Ex</link> or
50 <link topic=":js">JavaScript</link> commands, see the
51 <link topic="map-examples">examples</link>.
55 Standard key mapping commands are provided for the five most
60 <dt>n</dt> <dd>Normal mode: When browsing normally</dd>
61 <dt>v</dt> <dd>Visual mode: When selecting text with the cursor keys</dd>
62 <dt>i</dt> <dd>Insert mode: When interacting with text fields on a website</dd>
63 <dt>t</dt> <dd>Text Edit mode: When editing text fields in Vim-like Normal mode</dd>
64 <dt>c</dt> <dd>Command Line mode: When typing into the &dactyl.appName; command line</dd>
65 <dt>o</dt> <dd>Operator mode: When moving the cursor</dd>
69 The ordinary <ex>:map</ex> command adds mappings for Normal and Visual
70 mode. In order to map key bindings in a different mode, any of the mapping
71 commands may be prefixed with one of the above letters. For instance,
72 <ex>:imap</ex> creates a new key mapping in Insert mode, while
73 <ex>:cunmap</ex> removes a key mapping from Command Line mode. Other modes
74 can be specified using the <em>-modes</em> option described below.
78 It is important to note that mappings are <em>not</em>
79 automatically saved between sessions. In order to preserve them,
80 they must either be added to your <tt><t>&dactyl.name;rc</t></tt> or
81 saved via the <ex>:mk&dactyl.name;rc</ex> command.
85 The following tree represents all of the modes understood by
86 dactyl. Mappings for a mode also apply to its children and
87 descendants. So a mapping in the Base mode, for instance, is
88 also active in Normal and Ex mode.
93 <h3 tag=":map-commands">Map commands</h3>
97 <spec>:map <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
98 <tags>:nm :nmap</tags>
99 <spec>:nm<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
100 <tags>:vm :vmap</tags>
101 <spec>:vm<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
102 <tags>:im :imap</tags>
103 <spec>:im<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
104 <tags>:tm :tmap</tags>
105 <spec>:tm<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
106 <tags>:cm :cmap</tags>
107 <spec>:cm<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
110 Map the <t>key-sequence</t> <a>lhs</a> to <a>rhs</a> for
111 the applicable mode(s). The keys of <a>rhs</a> respect
112 user-defined mappings, so the following will result in
115 <code><ex>:map a b</ex>
116 <ex>:map b a</ex></code>
118 In order to avoid this shortcoming, the <ex>:noremap</ex> command
119 or the <em>-builtin</em> option may be used.
124 <p tag=":map-overview">
125 Below is an overview of which modes each map command applies to:
128 <dl dt="width: 20em;">
129 <dt>:map :unmap</dt> <dd>Normal and Visual modes</dd>
130 <dt>:nmap :nunmap</dt> <dd>Normal mode</dd>
131 <dt>:vmap :vunmap</dt> <dd>Visual mode</dd>
132 <dt>:imap :iunmap</dt> <dd>Insert mode</dd>
133 <dt>:tmap :tunmap</dt> <dd>Text Edit mode</dd>
134 <dt>:cmap :cunmap</dt> <dd>Command Line mode</dd>
138 The <em>-modes</em> option, described below, provides a more flexible way
139 to specify the applicable modes.
142 <h3 tag=":map-options">Map options</h3>
144 Any of the map commands may be given the following options:
147 <dl dt="width: 12em;">
150 <dt>-arg</dt> <dd>Accept an argument after the requisite key press. Sets the <tt>arg</tt> parameter to the result. (short name <em>-a</em>)</dd>
151 <dt>-builtin</dt> <dd>Execute this mapping as if there were no user-defined mappings. (short name <em>-b</em>)</dd>
152 <dt>-count</dt> <dd>Accept a count before the requisite key press. Sets the <tt>count</tt> parameter to the result. (short name <em>-c</em>)</dd>
153 <dt>-description</dt> <dd>A description of this mapping. (short name <em>-d</em>)</dd>
154 <dt>-ex</dt> <dd>Execute <a>rhs</a> as an Ex command rather than keys. (short name <em>-e</em>)</dd>
155 <dt>-group=<a>group</a></dt> <dd>Add this command to the given <t>group</t> (short name <em>-g</em>). When listing commands this limits the output to the specified group.</dd>
156 <dt>-javascript</dt> <dd>Execute <a>rhs</a> as JavaScript rather than keys. (short names <em>-js</em>, <em>-j</em>)</dd>
157 <dt>-literal=<a>n</a></dt> <dd>Parse the <a>n</a>th argument without specially processing any quote or meta characters. (short name <em>-l</em>)</dd>
158 <dt>-modes=<a>modes</a></dt> <dd>Create this mapping in the given modes. (short names <em>-mode</em>, <em>-m</em>)</dd>
159 <dt>-nopersist</dt> <dd>Do not save this mapping to an auto-generated rc file. (short name <em>-n</em>)</dd>
160 <dt>-silent</dt> <dd>Do not echo any generated keys to the command line. (short name <em>-s</em>, also <em><silent></em> for Vim compatibility)</dd>
164 <tags>:no :noremap</tags>
165 <spec>:no<oa>remap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
166 <tags>:nno :nnoremap</tags>
167 <spec>:nno<oa>remap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
168 <tags>:vno :vnoremap</tags>
169 <spec>:vno<oa>remap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
170 <tags>:ino :inoremap</tags>
171 <spec>:ino<oa>remap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
172 <tags>:tno :tnoremap</tags>
173 <spec>:tno<oa>remap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
174 <tags>:cno :cnoremap</tags>
175 <spec>:cno<oa>remap</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
177 <deprecated>These aliases are deprecated. The <em>-builtin</em> flag
178 should be used in their stead.</deprecated>
180 Map the <t>key-sequence</t> <a>lhs</a> to <a>rhs</a> for
181 the applicable mode(s). The keys in <a>rhs</a> do not
182 respect user-defined key mappings, so the following
183 effectively reverses the default meanings of the keys
184 <k>d</k> and <k>D</k>
186 <code><ex>:noremap d D</ex>
187 <ex>:noremap D d</ex></code>
192 <spec>:unmap <a>lhs</a></spec>
193 <tags>:unm :unmap</tags>
195 <spec>:nun<oa>map</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
196 <tags>:nun :nunmap</tags>
197 <spec>:nun<oa>map</oa>!</spec>
198 <spec>:vun<oa>map</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
199 <tags>:vun :vunmap</tags>
200 <spec>:vun<oa>map</oa>!</spec>
201 <spec>:iu<oa>nmap</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
202 <tags>:iu :iunmap</tags>
203 <spec>:iu<oa>nmap</oa>!</spec>
204 <spec>:tu<oa>nmap</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
205 <tags>:tu :tunmap</tags>
206 <spec>:tu<oa>nmap</oa>!</spec>
207 <spec>:cu<oa>nmap</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
208 <tags>:cu :cunmap</tags>
209 <spec>:cu<oa>nmap</oa>!</spec>
211 <p>Remove the mapping of <a>lhs</a> (or all mappings if <oa>!</oa> is
212 given) for the applicable mode(s).</p>
218 <spec>:nm<oa>ap</oa></spec>
219 <spec>:vm<oa>ap</oa></spec>
220 <spec>:im<oa>ap</oa></spec>
221 <spec>:tm<oa>ap</oa></spec>
222 <spec>:cm<oa>ap</oa></spec>
225 List all mappings for the applicable mode(s). Mappings are
226 partitioned into <t>groups</t>.
233 <spec>:map <a>lhs</a></spec>
235 <spec>:nm<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
237 <spec>:vm<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
239 <spec>:im<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
241 <spec>:tm<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
243 <spec>:cm<oa>ap</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
245 <p>List all mappings starting with <a>lhs</a> for the applicable mode(s).</p>
249 <h3 tag=":map-timeout map-timeout">Mapping timeout</h3>
251 When &dactyl.appName; receives a key event that has a separate binding and
252 at the same time is part of a key chain, values of the <o>timeout</o> and
253 <o>timeoutlen</o> options are used to decide what to do. See the
254 documentation of those options for more information.
257 <h3 tag="key-notation key-sequence">Key sequences</h3>
260 Most keys in key sequences are represented simply by the
261 character that you see on the screen when you type them.
262 However, as a number of these characters have special meanings,
263 and a number of keys have no visual representation, a special
264 notation is required.
269 The first argument to the <ex>:map</ex> commands must be
270 <link topic="quoting">quoted</link> if it contains spaces,
271 quotation marks or back-slashes. A space may additionally be
272 typed as <k name="Space"/>.
275 As special key names start with the <em><</em> character,
276 a literal < must be typed as <k name="lt" link="false"/>.
279 <k name="Left"/>, <k name="Right"/>, <k name="Up"/>,
280 and <k name="Down"/> represent the standard arrow keys.
283 <k name="CapsLock" link="false"/>, <k name="NumLock" link="false"/>, <k name="Insert"/>
284 <k name="Del" link="false"/>, <k name="Tab"/>, <k name="PageUp"/>,
285 <k name="PageDown"/>, and <k name="Esc"/> work as
289 <k name="Return" link="false"/> or <k name="CR"/> represent the carriage
292 <li><k name="BS" link="false"/> represents the backspace key.</li>
293 <li><k name="F1"/> through <k name="F12" link="false"/> work as expected.</li>
295 <k name="K0" link="false"/> through <k name="K9" link="false"/> represent keys on the
299 <k name="Uxxxx" link="false"/>, where <em>xxxx</em> is any 4 hexadecimal
300 digits, represents the character at that Unicode codepoint.
301 For instance, <k name="U263a" link="false"/> represents ☺.
306 In order to represent key presses using the Control, Alt, Meta,
307 or Shift keys, the following prefixes may be used,
311 <li><k name="C-␣" link="false"/>: The control or ctrl key.</li>
312 <li><k name="A-␣" link="false"/>: The alt key.</li>
313 <li><k name="M-␣" link="false"/>: The meta key, windows key, or command key.</li>
314 <li><k name="⌘-␣" link="false"/>: Same as <k name="M-␣" link="false"/>.</li>
315 <li><k name="S-␣" link="false"/>: The shift key.</li>
319 These prefixes can be combined however you see fit.
323 Within angle brackets all alphabetic characters are read as lowercase.
324 Uppercase characters can only be specified with the <em>S-</em> modifier.
328 The following key sequences are interpreted as described:
331 <dl dt="width: 10em;">
332 <dt><k link="false">xc</k></dt>
333 <dd>Press the ‘X’ key followed by the ‘C’ key.</dd>
335 <dt><k name="C-x" link="false">c</k></dt>
337 Press the ‘X’ key while holding the ‘Control’ key, followed
341 <dt><k name="C-2" link="false"/></dt>
342 <dd>Type ‘2’ while holding the ‘Control’ key.</dd>
344 <dt><k name="C-@" link="false"/></dt>
345 <dd>Press the ‘@’ key while holding the ‘Control’ key.</dd>
347 <dt><k name="S-Space" link="false"/></dt>
348 <dd>Press the space bar while holding the ‘Shift’ key.</dd>
350 <dt><k name="C-A-j" link="false"/></dt>
351 <dd>Press the ‘J’ key while holding both the ‘Control’ and ‘Alt’ keys.</dd>
353 <dt><k name="C-A-J" link="false"/></dt>
354 <dd>Exactly the same as above.</dd>
356 <dt><k name="C-A-S-j" link="false"/></dt>
357 <dd>Press the ‘J’ key while holding all of ‘Control’, ‘Alt’, and ‘Shift’ keys.</dd>
360 <h3 tag=":map-special-chars">Special characters</h3>
363 <tags><![CDATA[<Nop>]]></tags>
365 <spec><![CDATA[<Nop>]]></spec>
368 Do nothing. This pseudo-key is useful for disabling a
369 specific builtin mapping. For example,
370 <ex>:map <k name="C-n"/> <k name="Nop"/></ex> will prevent <k name="C-n"/>
377 <tags><![CDATA['mapleader' <Leader>]]></tags>
379 <spec><![CDATA[<Leader>]]></spec>
382 An arbitrary and meaningless key that some people seem
383 attached to. The <k>\</k> key will, by default, emit
384 this pseudo-key so that it can be used at the start of
385 other mappings. Note, however, that there is nothing
386 special about it and any key can be mapped to emit any
387 other arbitrary pseudo-key in the same way.
390 <code><ex>:map , <k name="Leader"/></ex>
391 <ex>:map ; <k name="AwesomestLeaderEver"/></ex>
393 <ex>:map <k name="Leader"/>k <key>-js</key> doStuff()</ex>
394 <ex>:map <k name="AwesomestLeaderEver"/>k <key>-js</key> doOtherReallyNiftyStuff()</ex></code>
397 Needless to say this behavior is considered childish and
404 <tags><![CDATA[<Pass>]]></tags>
405 <spec><![CDATA[<Pass>]]></spec>
406 <description short="true">
408 Pass the events consumed by the last executed mapping through to &dactyl.host;.
414 <tags><![CDATA[<CR> map_return]]></tags>
416 <spec><![CDATA[<CR>]]></spec>
419 Expand to a line terminator in a key mapping. An Ex command in the <a>rhs</a> of a
420 mapping requires a line terminator after it so that it is executed when the
421 mapping is expanded. <k name="CR"/> should be used for this purpose.
426 <h3 tag="map-examples">Mapping examples</h3>
428 <p>Make <k name="A-n" link="false"/> do the same as <k name="Down" link="false"/> in input <t>modes</t>:</p>
430 <code><ex>:map</ex> <em>-b</em> <em>-m</em> input <k name="A-n" link="false"/> <k name="Down" link="false"/></code>
432 <p>Toggle the tab line with <k name="A-t" link="false"/>:</p>
434 <code><ex>:map</ex> <em>-ex</em> <k name="A-t" link="false"/> <se opt="showtabline" op="!="><str delim="">always</str>,<str delim="">never</str></se></code>
436 <p>Make <k name="A-i" link="false"/> toggle image display:</p>
438 <code><ex>:map</ex> <k name="A-i" link="false"/> <em>-js</em> <<<em>EOF</em>
439 let (pref = <str>permissions.default.image</str>)
440 prefs.set(pref, prefs.get(pref) == 1 ? 2 : 1);
441 tabs.reload(config.browser.mCurrentTab);
445 <h2 tag="bypassing-&dactyl.name;">Bypassing &dactyl.appName;</h2>
447 &dactyl.appName; overrides nearly all &dactyl.host; keys in order to
448 make browsing more pleasant for Vim users. On the occasions when you
449 want to bypass &dactyl.appName;'s key handling and pass keys directly to
450 &dactyl.host; or to a web page, you have several options:
453 <tags><![CDATA[<pass-next-key-builtin> <A-b>]]></tags>
454 <spec><![CDATA[<A-b>]]></spec>
457 Process the next key as a builtin mapping, ignoring any user defined
458 mappings and <o>passkeys</o> settings.
464 <tags><![CDATA[send-key <pass-next-key> <C-v>]]></tags>
465 <spec><![CDATA[<C-v>]]></spec>
468 Pass the next key press directly to &dactyl.host;.
474 <tags><![CDATA[pass-through <pass-all-keys> <C-z>]]></tags>
475 <spec><![CDATA[<C-z>]]></spec>
478 Pass all keys except for <k name="Esc"/> directly to
479 &dactyl.host;. When <k name="Esc"/> is pressed,
480 resume normal key handling. This is especially useful
481 for web sites which make heavy use of key bindings.
487 See also <o>passkeys</o> and <o>passunknown</o> for ways to permanently pass
488 all or particular keys under certain conditions.
491 <h2 tag="abbreviations">Abbreviations</h2>
494 In addition to basic mappings, &dactyl.appName; can also
495 automatically replace whole words after they've been typed.
496 These shortcuts are known as abbreviations, and are most often
497 useful for correcting spelling of commonly mistyped words, as
498 well as shortening the typing of oft-typed but long words or
499 phrases. There are three basic types of abbreviations, defined
500 by the types of characters they contain,
504 <li>‘full-id’ abbreviations consist entirely of keyword characters (e.g., ‘teh’, ‘msoft’).</li>
505 <li>‘end-id’ abbreviations end in keyword character but otherwise contains all non-keyword characters (e.g., ‘'i’).</li>
506 <li>‘non-id’ abbreviations end in a non-keyword character but otherwise contains any non-whitespace character (e.g., ‘def'’).</li>
507 <li>Strings which fit none of the above patterns can not be defined as abbreviations (e.g., ‘a'b’ and ‘a b’).</li>
511 For the purposes of abbreviations, keyword characters include
512 all non-whitespace characters except for single or double
513 quotation marks. Abbreviations are expanded as soon as any
514 non-keyword character, or the key <k name="C-]" mode="c"/>, is typed.
518 <tags>:ab :abbreviate</tags>
519 <spec>:ab<oa>breviate</oa> <oa>-group=<a>group</a></oa> <oa>-js</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
520 <spec>:ab<oa>breviate</oa> <oa>-group=<a>group</a></oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
521 <spec>:ab<oa>breviate</oa> <oa>-group=<a>group</a></oa></spec>
524 Abbreviate <a>lhs</a> to <a>rhs</a>. If only <a>lhs</a>
525 is given, list all abbreviations that start with
526 <a>lhs</a>. If no arguments are given, list all
531 If the <em>-javascript</em> (short names <em>-js</em>,
532 <em>-j</em>) option is given, <a>lhs</a> is expanded to
533 the value <em>return</em>ed by the JavaScript code
534 <a>rhs</a>. The code is evaluated with the variable
535 <em>editor</em> set to the editable element that the
536 abbreviation is currently being expanded in. The code
537 should <em>not</em> make any changes to the contents of
542 If <a>group</a> is specified then abbreviations are created or
543 listed for the given <t>group</t>.
549 <tags>:ca :cabbreviate</tags>
550 <spec>:ca<oa>bbreviate</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
551 <spec>:ca<oa>bbreviate</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
552 <spec>:ca<oa>bbreviate</oa></spec>
555 Abbreviate a key sequence for Command Line mode. Same as
556 <ex>:ab<oa>breviate</oa></ex>, but for &mode.command-line; mode
563 <tags>:ia :iabbreviate</tags>
564 <spec>:ia<oa>bbreviate</oa> <a>lhs</a> <a>rhs</a></spec>
565 <spec>:ia<oa>bbreviate</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
566 <spec>:ia<oa>bbreviate</oa></spec>
569 Abbreviate a key sequence for Insert mode. Same as
570 <ex>:ab<oa>breviate</oa></ex>, but for Insert mode only.
576 <tags>:una :unabbreviate</tags>
577 <spec>:una<oa>bbreviate</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
578 <spec>:una<oa>bbreviate</oa>!</spec>
580 <p>Remove an abbreviation. With <oa>!</oa>, remove all abbreviations.</p>
585 <tags>:cuna :cunabbreviate</tags>
586 <spec>:cuna<oa>bbreviate</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
587 <spec>:cuna<oa>bbreviate</oa>!</spec>
590 Remove abbreviation(s) for Command Line mode. Same as
591 <ex>:una<oa>bbreviate</oa></ex>, but for &mode.command-line; mode
598 <tags>:iuna :iunabbreviate</tags>
599 <spec>:iuna<oa>bbreviate</oa> <a>lhs</a></spec>
600 <spec>:iuna<oa>bbreviate</oa>!</spec>
603 Remove abbreviation(s) for Insert mode. Same as
604 <ex>:una<oa>bbreviate</oa></ex> but for Insert mode
610 <h2 tag="user-commands">User-defined commands</h2>
613 Defining new commands is perhaps the most straightforward way of
614 repeating commonly used actions. User-defined commands may be
615 entered from the command line or scripts exactly like standard
616 commands, and may similarly accept arguments, options, counts,
617 and <oa>!</oa>s, as well as provide command-line completion.
618 These commands may be defined as either ordinary,
619 macro-interpolated Ex commands, or otherwise as plain
620 JavaScript statements.
624 <tags>:com :command</tags>
625 <spec>:com<oa>mand</oa></spec>
626 <description short="true">
627 <p>List all user-defined commands.</p>
632 <spec>:com<oa>mand</oa> <oa>cmd</oa></spec>
635 List all user-defined commands that start with <oa>cmd</oa>. Commands
636 are partitioned into <t>groups</t>.
642 <spec>:com<oa>mand</oa><oa>!</oa> <oa><a>options</a>…</oa> <a>cmd</a> <a>rep</a></spec>
645 Define a new user command. The name of the command is
646 <a>cmd</a> and its replacement text is <a>rep</a>. If a
647 command with this name already exists, an error is
648 reported unless <oa>!</oa> is specified, in which case
649 the command is redefined. Unlike Vim, the command may
650 start with a lowercase letter. <a>cmd</a> may also be multiple
651 alternative command names separated by commas.
655 The new command is usually defined by a string to be
656 executed as an Ex command. In this case, before
657 execution, strings of the form
658 <hl key="HelpKey"><<a>var</a>></hl> are interpolated
659 as described below, in order to insert arguments,
660 options, and the like. If the <em>-javascript</em> (short
661 name <em>-js</em>) flag is present, the command is
662 executed as JavaScript, and the arguments are present as
663 variables in its scope instead, and no interpolation is
668 The command's behavior can be altered by providing
669 options when the command is defined.
672 <h3 tag=":command-group">Grouping</h3>
675 The <em>-group</em> flag (short name: <em>-g</em>) can be used to
676 assign this command to a specific <t>group</t>. When listing
677 commands this limits the output to the specified group.
680 <h3 tag="E175 E176 :command-nargs">Argument handling</h3>
683 By default, user commands accept no arguments. This can be changed by specifying
684 the <em>-nargs</em> option.
687 <p>The valid values are:</p>
690 <dt>-nargs=0</dt><dd>No arguments are allowed (default)</dd>
691 <dt>-nargs=1</dt><dd>One argument is allowed</dd>
692 <dt>-nargs=*</dt><dd>Zero or more arguments are allowed</dd>
693 <dt>-nargs=?</dt><dd>Zero or one argument is allowed</dd>
694 <dt>-nargs=+</dt><dd>One or more arguments are allowed</dd>
697 <h3 tag="E180 E181 :command-complete">Argument completion</h3>
700 Completion for arguments to user-defined commands is not available by default.
701 Completion can be enabled by specifying one of the following arguments to the
702 <em>-complete</em> option when defining the command.
705 <dl tag=":command-complete-arg-list"/>
707 <h3 tag="E467 E468 :command-completion-custom">Custom completion</h3>
710 Custom completion can be provided by specifying the
711 <str>custom,<a>thing</a></str> argument to <em>-complete</em>. If
712 <a>thing</a> evaluates to a function (i.e., it is a variable holding
713 a function value, or a string containing the definition itself), it
714 is called with two arguments: a completion context, and an object
715 describing the command's arguments. It should set the context's
716 <tt>completions</tt> property to the list of completion results.
717 Other influential properties include <tt>title</tt>, <tt>sort</tt>,
718 <tt>anchored</tt>, and <tt>filters</tt>, which are documented in the
719 <link topic="resource://dactyl/completion.jsm"
720 line="17" dactyl:command="buffer.viewSource">source code</link>.
724 <em>completions</em> is a two-dimensional array of the form:
725 <tt>[[val1, description1], [val2, description2], …]</tt>
729 Otherwise <a>thing</a> should evaluate to an array of the same form
730 as the <tt>completions</tt> property of the context object.
735 <code><ex>:command foo -nargs=? -complete custom,<str delim="'">
736 \ function (context) context.completions = [["val1", "description1"], ["val2", "description2"]]</str>
737 \ <ex>:echo</ex> <str>Useless </str> + <em><q-args></em></ex>
739 <ex>:command foo -nargs=?
740 \ -complete custom,<str delim="'">[["val1", "description1"], ["val2", "description2"]]</str>
741 \ <ex>:echo</ex> <str>Same as above but simpler </str> + <em><q-args></em></ex></code>
744 <h3 tag="E177 E178 :command-count">Count handling</h3>
747 By default, user commands do not accept a count. Use the <em>-count</em> option if
748 you'd like to have a count passed to your user command. This will then be
749 available for expansion as <count> in the replacement.
752 <h3 tag=":command-bang">Special cases</h3>
755 By default, a user command does not have a special version, i.e. a version
756 executed with the ! modifier. Providing the <em>-bang</em> option will enable this
757 and <bang> will be available in the replacement.
760 <h3 tag=":command-description">Command description</h3>
763 The command's description text can be set with <em>-description</em>. Otherwise it will
764 default to "User-defined command".
767 <h3 tag=":command-replacement-text">Replacement text</h3>
770 The replacement text <a>rep</a> is scanned for <t>macro-string</t>s and these are
771 replaced with values from the user-entered command line. The resulting string
772 is then executed as an Ex command.
776 In addition to the standard parameters listed in
777 <t>macro-string</t>, the following parameters are available:
781 <dt><args></dt> <dd>The command arguments exactly as supplied</dd>
782 <dt><count></dt><dd>Any supplied count, e.g. 5</dd>
783 <dt><bang></dt> <dd>! if the command was executed with the ! modifier</dd>
789 <tags>:delc :delcommand</tags>
790 <spec>:delc<oa>ommand</oa> <a>cmd</a></spec>
791 <spec>:delc<oa>ommand</oa>!</spec>
793 <p>Delete the user-defined command <a>cmd</a>. With <oa>!</oa>, delete
794 all user commands.</p>
798 <h3 tag="command-examples">Command examples</h3>
800 <p>A command to search via DuckDuckGo:</p>
802 <code><ex>:command</ex> <em>-nargs</em>=* <str delim="">ddg</str> open ddg <args></code>
805 A command to search for contents of the current selection using a
806 tab-completed search engine in the current or a new tab (depending on how
807 much you bang on the keyboard):
810 <code><ex>:com!</ex> <str delim="">search-selection</str>,<str delim="">ss</str> <em>-bang</em> <em>-nargs</em>=? <em>-complete</em> search
811 \ <em>-js</em> commands.execute((bang ? <str>open </str> : <str>tabopen </str>)
812 \ + args + <str> </str> + buffer.currentWord)</code>
816 <!-- vim:se sts=4 sw=4 et: -->