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Taglist manual
*taglist.txt* Plugin for browsing source code
Author: Yegappan Lakshmanan (yegappan AT yahoo DOT com)
For Vim version 6.0 and above
Last change: 2013 Feburary 26
1. Overview |taglist-intro|
2. Taglist on the internet |taglist-internet|
3. Requirements |taglist-requirements|
4. Installation |taglist-install|
5. Usage |taglist-using|
6. Options |taglist-options|
7. Commands |taglist-commands|
8. Global functions |taglist-functions|
9. Extending |taglist-extend|
10. FAQ |taglist-faq|
11. License |taglist-license|
12. Todo |taglist-todo|
*taglist-intro*
1. Overview
The "Tag List" plugin is a source code browser plugin for Vim. This plugin
allows you to efficiently browse through source code files for different
programming languages. The "Tag List" plugin provides the following features:
* Displays the tags (functions, classes, structures, variables, etc.)
defined in a file in a vertically or horizontally split Vim window.
* In GUI Vim, optionally displays the tags in the Tags drop-down menu and
in the popup menu.
* Automatically updates the taglist window as you switch between
files/buffers. As you open new files, the tags defined in the new files
are added to the existing file list and the tags defined in all the
files are displayed grouped by the filename.
* When a tag name is selected from the taglist window, positions the
cursor at the definition of the tag in the source file.
* Automatically highlights the current tag name.
* Groups the tags by their type and displays them in a foldable tree.
* Can display the prototype and scope of a tag.
* Can optionally display the tag prototype instead of the tag name in the
taglist window.
* The tag list can be sorted either by name or by chronological order.
* Supports the following language files: Assembly, ASP, Awk, Beta, C,
C++, C#, Cobol, Eiffel, Erlang, Fortran, HTML, Java, Javascript, Lisp,
Lua, Make, Pascal, Perl, PHP, Python, Rexx, Ruby, Scheme, Shell, Slang,
SML, Sql, TCL, Verilog, Vim and Yacc.
* Can be easily extended to support new languages. Support for
existing languages can be modified easily.
* Provides functions to display the current tag name in the Vim status
line or the window title bar.
* The list of tags and files in the taglist can be saved and
restored across Vim sessions.
* Provides commands to get the name and prototype of the current tag.
* Runs in both console/terminal and GUI versions of Vim.
* Works with the winmanager plugin. Using the winmanager plugin, you
can use Vim plugins like the file explorer, buffer explorer and the
taglist plugin at the same time like an IDE.
* Can be used in both Unix and MS-Windows systems.
*taglist-internet*
2. Taglist on the internet
The home page of the taglist plugin is at:
http://vim-taglist.sourceforge.net/
You can subscribe to the taglist mailing list to post your questions or
suggestions for improvement or to send bug reports. Visit the following page
for subscribing to the mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/taglist
*taglist-requirements*
3. Requirements
The taglist plugin requires the following:
* Vim version 6.0 and above
* Exuberant ctags 5.0 and above
The taglist plugin will work on all the platforms where the exuberant ctags
utility and Vim are supported (this includes MS-Windows and Unix based
systems).
The taglist plugin relies on the exuberant ctags utility to dynamically
generate the tag listing. The exuberant ctags utility must be installed in
your system to use this plugin. The exuberant ctags utility is shipped with
most of the Linux distributions. You can download the exuberant ctags utility
from
http://ctags.sourceforge.net
The taglist plugin doesn't use or create a tags file and there is no need to
create a tags file to use this plugin. The taglist plugin will not work with
the GNU ctags or the Unix ctags utility.
This plugin relies on the Vim "filetype" detection mechanism to determine the
type of the current file. You have to turn on the Vim filetype detection by
adding the following line to your .vimrc file:
filetype on
The taglist plugin will not work if you run Vim in the restricted mode (using
the -Z command-line argument).
The taglist plugin uses the Vim system() function to invoke the exuberant
ctags utility. If Vim is compiled without the system() function then you
cannot use the taglist plugin. Some of the Linux distributions (Suse) compile
Vim without the system() function for security reasons.
*taglist-install*
4. Installation
1. Download the taglist.zip file and unzip the files to the $HOME/.vim or the
$HOME/vimfiles or the $VIM/vimfiles directory. After this step, you should
have the following two files (the directory structure should be preserved):
plugin/taglist.vim - main taglist plugin file
doc/taglist.txt - documentation (help) file
Refer to the |add-plugin|and |'runtimepath'| Vim help pages for more
details about installing Vim plugins.
2. Change to the $HOME/.vim/doc or $HOME/vimfiles/doc or $VIM/vimfiles/doc
directory, start Vim and run the ":helptags ." command to process the
taglist help file. Without this step, you cannot jump to the taglist help
topics.
3. If the exuberant ctags utility is not present in one of the directories in
the PATH environment variable, then set the 'Tlist_Ctags_Cmd' variable to
point to the location of the exuberant ctags utility (not to the directory)
in the .vimrc file.
4. If you are running a terminal/console version of Vim and the terminal
doesn't support changing the window width then set the
'Tlist_Inc_Winwidth' variable to 0 in the .vimrc file.
5. Restart Vim.
6. You can now use the ":TlistToggle" command to open/close the taglist
window. You can use the ":help taglist" command to get more information
about using the taglist plugin.
To uninstall the taglist plugin, remove the plugin/taglist.vim and
doc/taglist.txt files from the $HOME/.vim or $HOME/vimfiles directory.
*taglist-using*
5. Usage
The taglist plugin can be used in several different ways.
1. You can keep the taglist window open during the entire editing session. On
opening the taglist window, the tags defined in all the files in the Vim
buffer list will be displayed in the taglist window. As you edit files, the
tags defined in them will be added to the taglist window. You can select a
tag from the taglist window and jump to it. The current tag will be
highlighted in the taglist window. You can close the taglist window when
you no longer need the window.
2. You can configure the taglist plugin to process the tags defined in all the
edited files always. In this configuration, even if the taglist window is
closed and the taglist menu is not displayed, the taglist plugin will
processes the tags defined in newly edited files. You can then open the
taglist window only when you need to select a tag and then automatically
close the taglist window after selecting the tag.
3. You can configure the taglist plugin to display only the tags defined in
the current file in the taglist window. By default, the taglist plugin
displays the tags defined in all the files in the Vim buffer list. As you
switch between files, the taglist window will be refreshed to display only
the tags defined in the current file.
4. In GUI Vim, you can use the Tags pull-down and popup menu created by the
taglist plugin to display the tags defined in the current file and select a
tag to jump to it. You can use the menu without opening the taglist window.
By default, the Tags menu is disabled.
5. You can configure the taglist plugin to display the name of the current tag
in the Vim window status line or in the Vim window title bar. For this to
work without the taglist window or menu, you need to configure the taglist
plugin to process the tags defined in a file always.
6. You can save the tags defined in multiple files to a taglist session file
and load it when needed. You can also configure the taglist plugin to not
update the taglist window when editing new files. You can then manually add
files to the taglist window.
Opening the taglist window
You can open the taglist window using the ":TlistOpen" or the ":TlistToggle"
commands. The ":TlistOpen" command opens the taglist window and jumps to it.
The ":TlistToggle" command opens or closes (toggle) the taglist window and the
cursor remains in the current window. If the 'Tlist_GainFocus_On_ToggleOpen'
variable is set to 1, then the ":TlistToggle" command opens the taglist window
and moves the cursor to the taglist window.
You can map a key to invoke these commands. For example, the following command
creates a normal mode mapping for the <F8> key to toggle the taglist window.
nnoremap <silent> <F8> :TlistToggle<CR>
Add the above mapping to your ~/.vimrc or $HOME/_vimrc file.
To automatically open the taglist window on Vim startup, set the
'Tlist_Auto_Open' variable to 1.
You can also open the taglist window on startup using the following command
line:
$ vim +TlistOpen
Closing the taglist window
You can close the taglist window from the taglist window by pressing 'q' or
using the Vim ":q" command. You can also use any of the Vim window commands to
close the taglist window. Invoking the ":TlistToggle" command when the taglist
window is opened, closes the taglist window. You can also use the
":TlistClose" command to close the taglist window.
To automatically close the taglist window when a tag or file is selected, you
can set the 'Tlist_Close_On_Select' variable to 1. To exit Vim when only the
taglist window is present, set the 'Tlist_Exit_OnlyWindow' variable to 1.
Jumping to a tag or a file
You can select a tag in the taglist window either by pressing the <Enter> key
or by double clicking the tag name using the mouse. To jump to a tag on a
single mouse click set the 'Tlist_Use_SingleClick' variable to 1.
If the selected file is already opened in a window, then the cursor is moved
to that window. If the file is not currently opened in a window then the file
is opened in the window used by the taglist plugin to show the previously
selected file. If there are no usable windows, then the file is opened in a
new window. The file is not opened in special windows like the quickfix
window, preview window and windows containing buffer with the 'buftype' option
set.
To jump to the tag in a new window, press the 'o' key. To open the file in the
previous window (Ctrl-W_p) use the 'P' key. You can press the 'p' key to jump
to the tag but still keep the cursor in the taglist window (preview).
To open the selected file in a tab, use the 't' key. If the file is already
present in a tab then the cursor is moved to that tab otherwise the file is
opened in a new tab. To jump to a tag in a new tab press Ctrl-t. The taglist
window is automatically opened in the newly created tab.
Instead of jumping to a tag, you can open a file by pressing the <Enter> key
or by double clicking the file name using the mouse.
In the taglist window, you can use the [[ or <Backspace> key to jump to the
beginning of the previous file. You can use the ]] or <Tab> key to jump to the
beginning of the next file. When you reach the first or last file, the search
wraps around and the jumps to the next/previous file.
Highlighting the current tag
The taglist plugin automatically highlights the name of the current tag in the
taglist window. The Vim |CursorHold| autocmd event is used for this. If the
current tag name is not visible in the taglist window, then the taglist window
contents are scrolled to make that tag name visible. You can also use the
":TlistHighlightTag" command to force the highlighting of the current tag.
The tag name is highlighted if no activity is performed for |'updatetime'|
milliseconds. The default value for this Vim option is 4 seconds. To avoid
unexpected problems, you should not set the |'updatetime'| option to a very
low value.
To disable the automatic highlighting of the current tag name in the taglist
window, set the 'Tlist_Auto_Highlight_Tag' variable to zero.
When entering a Vim buffer/window, the taglist plugin automatically highlights
the current tag in that buffer/window. If you like to disable the automatic
highlighting of the current tag when entering a buffer, set the
'Tlist_Highlight_Tag_On_BufEnter' variable to zero.
Adding files to the taglist
When the taglist window is opened, all the files in the Vim buffer list are
processed and the supported files are added to the taglist. When you edit a
file in Vim, the taglist plugin automatically processes this file and adds it
to the taglist. If you close the taglist window, the tag information in the
taglist is retained.
To process files even when the taglist window is not open, set the
'Tlist_Process_File_Always' variable to 1.
You can manually add multiple files to the taglist without opening them using
the ":TlistAddFiles" and the ":TlistAddFilesRecursive" commands.
For example, to add all the C files in the /my/project/dir directory to the
taglist, you can use the following command:
:TlistAddFiles /my/project/dir/*.c
Note that when adding several files with a large number of tags or a large
number of files, it will take several seconds to several minutes for the
taglist plugin to process all the files. You should not interrupt the taglist
plugin by pressing <CTRL-C>.
You can recursively add multiple files from a directory tree using the
":TlistAddFilesRecursive" command:
:TlistAddFilesRecursive /my/project/dir *.c
This command takes two arguments. The first argument specifies the directory
from which to recursively add the files. The second optional argument
specifies the wildcard matching pattern for selecting the files to add. The
default pattern is * and all the files are added.
Displaying tags for only one file
The taglist window displays the tags for all the files in the Vim buffer list
and all the manually added files. To display the tags for only the current
active buffer, set the 'Tlist_Show_One_File' variable to 1.
Removing files from the taglist
You can remove a file from the taglist window, by pressing the 'd' key when the
cursor is on one of the tags listed for the file in the taglist window. The
removed file will no longer be displayed in the taglist window in the current
Vim session. To again display the tags for the file, open the file in a Vim
window and then use the ":TlistUpdate" command or use ":TlistAddFiles" command
to add the file to the taglist.
When a buffer is removed from the Vim buffer list using the ":bdelete" or the
":bwipeout" command, the taglist is updated to remove the stored information
for this buffer.
Updating the tags displayed for a file
The taglist plugin keeps track of the modification time of a file. When the
modification time changes (the file is modified), the taglist plugin
automatically updates the tags listed for that file. The modification time of
a file is checked when you enter a window containing that file or when you
load that file.
You can also update or refresh the tags displayed for a file by pressing the
"u" key in the taglist window. If an existing file is modified, after the file
is saved, the taglist plugin automatically updates the tags displayed for the
file.
You can also use the ":TlistUpdate" command to update the tags for the current
buffer after you made some changes to it. You should save the modified buffer
before you update the taglist window. Otherwise the listed tags will not
include the new tags created in the buffer.
If you have deleted the tags displayed for a file in the taglist window using
the 'd' key, you can again display the tags for that file using the
":TlistUpdate" command.
Controlling the taglist updates
To disable the automatic processing of new files or modified files, you can
set the 'Tlist_Auto_Update' variable to zero. When this variable is set to
zero, the taglist is updated only when you use the ":TlistUpdate" command or
the ":TlistAddFiles" or the ":TlistAddFilesRecursive" commands. You can use
this option to control which files are added to the taglist.
You can use the ":TlistLock" command to lock the taglist contents. After this
command is executed, new files are not automatically added to the taglist.
When the taglist is locked, you can use the ":TlistUpdate" command to add the
current file or the ":TlistAddFiles" or ":TlistAddFilesRecursive" commands to
add new files to the taglist. To unlock the taglist, use the ":TlistUnlock"
command.
Displaying the tag prototype
To display the prototype of the tag under the cursor in the taglist window,
press the space bar. If you place the cursor on a tag name in the taglist
window, then the tag prototype is displayed at the Vim status line after
|'updatetime'| milliseconds. The default value for the |'updatetime'| Vim
option is 4 seconds.
You can get the name and prototype of a tag without opening the taglist window
and the taglist menu using the ":TlistShowTag" and the ":TlistShowPrototype"
commands. These commands will work only if the current file is already present
in the taglist. To use these commands without opening the taglist window, set
the 'Tlist_Process_File_Always' variable to 1.
You can use the ":TlistShowTag" command to display the name of the tag at or
before the specified line number in the specified file. If the file name and
line number are not supplied, then this command will display the name of the
current tag. For example,
:TlistShowTag
:TlistShowTag myfile.java 100
You can use the ":TlistShowPrototype" command to display the prototype of the
tag at or before the specified line number in the specified file. If the file
name and the line number are not supplied, then this command will display the
prototype of the current tag. For example,
:TlistShowPrototype
:TlistShowPrototype myfile.c 50
In the taglist window, when the mouse is moved over a tag name, the tag
prototype is displayed in a balloon. This works only in GUI versions where
balloon evaluation is supported.
Taglist window contents
The taglist window contains the tags defined in various files in the taglist
grouped by the filename and by the tag type (variable, function, class, etc.).
For tags with scope information (like class members, structures inside
structures, etc.), the scope information is displayed in square brackets "[]"
after the tag name.
The contents of the taglist buffer/window are managed by the taglist plugin.
The |'filetype'| for the taglist buffer is set to 'taglist'. The Vim
|'modifiable'| option is turned off for the taglist buffer. You should not
manually edit the taglist buffer, by setting the |'modifiable'| flag. If you
manually edit the taglist buffer contents, then the taglist plugin will be out
of sync with the taglist buffer contents and the plugin will no longer work
correctly. To redisplay the taglist buffer contents again, close the taglist
window and reopen it.
Opening and closing the tag and file tree
In the taglist window, the tag names are displayed as a foldable tree using
the Vim folding support. You can collapse the tree using the '-' key or using
the Vim |zc| fold command. You can open the tree using the '+' key or using
the Vim |zo| fold command. You can open all the folds using the '*' key or
using the Vim |zR| fold command. You can also use the mouse to open/close the
folds. You can close all the folds using the '=' key. You should not manually
create or delete the folds in the taglist window.
To automatically close the fold for the inactive files/buffers and open only
the fold for the current buffer in the taglist window, set the
'Tlist_File_Fold_Auto_Close' variable to 1.
Sorting the tags for a file
The tags displayed in the taglist window can be sorted either by their name or
by their chronological order. The default sorting method is by the order in
which the tags appear in a file. You can change the default sort method by
setting the 'Tlist_Sort_Type' variable to either "name" or "order". You can
sort the tags by their name by pressing the "s" key in the taglist window. You
can again sort the tags by their chronological order using the "s" key. Each
file in the taglist window can be sorted using different order.
Zooming in and out of the taglist window
You can press the 'x' key in the taglist window to maximize the taglist
window width/height. The window will be maximized to the maximum possible
width/height without closing the other existing windows. You can again press
'x' to restore the taglist window to the default width/height.
*taglist-session*
Taglist Session
A taglist session refers to the group of files and their tags stored in the
taglist in a Vim session.
You can save and restore a taglist session (and all the displayed tags) using
the ":TlistSessionSave" and ":TlistSessionLoad" commands.
To save the information about the tags and files in the taglist to a file, use
the ":TlistSessionSave" command and specify the filename:
:TlistSessionSave <file name>
To load a saved taglist session, use the ":TlistSessionLoad" command:
:TlistSessionLoad <file name>
When you load a taglist session file, the tags stored in the file will be
added to the tags already stored in the taglist.
The taglist session feature can be used to save the tags for large files or a
group of frequently used files (like a project). By using the taglist session
file, you can minimize the amount to time it takes to load/refresh the taglist
for multiple files.
You can create more than one taglist session file for multiple groups of
files.
Displaying the tag name in the Vim status line or the window title bar
You can use the Tlist_Get_Tagname_By_Line() function provided by the taglist
plugin to display the current tag name in the Vim status line or the window
title bar. Similarly, you can use the Tlist_Get_Tag_Prototype_By_Line()
function to display the current tag prototype in the Vim status line or the
window title bar.
For example, the following command can be used to display the current tag name
in the status line:
:set statusline=%<%f%=%([%{Tlist_Get_Tagname_By_Line()}]%)
The following command can be used to display the current tag name in the
window title bar:
:set title titlestring=%<%f\ %([%{Tlist_Get_Tagname_By_Line()}]%)
Note that the current tag name can be displayed only after the file is
processed by the taglist plugin. For this, you have to either set the
'Tlist_Process_File_Always' variable to 1 or open the taglist window or use
the taglist menu. For more information about configuring the Vim status line,
refer to the documentation for the Vim |'statusline'| option.
Changing the taglist window highlighting
The following Vim highlight groups are defined and used to highlight the
various entities in the taglist window:
TagListTagName - Used for tag names
TagListTagScope - Used for tag scope
TagListTitle - Used for tag titles
TagListComment - Used for comments
TagListFileName - Used for filenames
By default, these highlight groups are linked to the standard Vim highlight
groups. If you want to change the colors used for these highlight groups,
prefix the highlight group name with 'My' and define it in your .vimrc or
.gvimrc file: MyTagListTagName, MyTagListTagScope, MyTagListTitle,
MyTagListComment and MyTagListFileName. For example, to change the colors
used for tag names, you can use the following command:
:highlight MyTagListTagName guifg=blue ctermfg=blue
Controlling the taglist window
To use a horizontally split taglist window, instead of a vertically split
window, set the 'Tlist_Use_Horiz_Window' variable to 1.
To use a vertically split taglist window on the rightmost side of the Vim
window, set the 'Tlist_Use_Right_Window' variable to 1.
You can specify the width of the vertically split taglist window, by setting
the 'Tlist_WinWidth' variable. You can specify the height of the horizontally
split taglist window, by setting the 'Tlist_WinHeight' variable.
When opening a vertically split taglist window, the Vim window width is
increased to accommodate the new taglist window. When the taglist window is
closed, the Vim window is reduced. To disable this, set the
'Tlist_Inc_Winwidth' variable to zero.
To reduce the number of empty lines in the taglist window, set the
'Tlist_Compact_Format' variable to 1.
To not display the Vim fold column in the taglist window, set the
'Tlist_Enable_Fold_Column' variable to zero.
To display the tag prototypes instead of the tag names in the taglist window,
set the 'Tlist_Display_Prototype' variable to 1.
To not display the scope of the tags next to the tag names, set the
'Tlist_Display_Tag_Scope' variable to zero.
*taglist-keys*
Taglist window key list
The following table lists the description of the keys that can be used
in the taglist window.
Key Description
<CR> Jump to the location where the tag under cursor is
defined.
o Jump to the location where the tag under cursor is
defined in a new window.
P Jump to the tag in the previous (Ctrl-W_p) window.
p Display the tag definition in the file window and
keep the cursor in the taglist window itself.
t Jump to the tag in a new tab. If the file is already
opened in a tab, move to that tab.
Ctrl-t Jump to the tag in a new tab.
<Space> Display the prototype of the tag under the cursor.
For file names, display the full path to the file,
file type and the number of tags. For tag types, display the
tag type and the number of tags.
u Update the tags listed in the taglist window
s Change the sort order of the tags (by name or by order)
d Remove the tags for the file under the cursor
x Zoom-in or Zoom-out the taglist window
+ Open a fold
- Close a fold
* Open all folds
= Close all folds
[[ Jump to the beginning of the previous file
<Backspace> Jump to the beginning of the previous file
]] Jump to the beginning of the next file
<Tab> Jump to the beginning of the next file
q Close the taglist window
<F1> Display help
The above keys will work in both the normal mode and the insert mode.
*taglist-menu*
Taglist menu
When using GUI Vim, the taglist plugin can display the tags defined in the
current file in the drop-down menu and the popup menu. By default, this
feature is turned off. To turn on this feature, set the 'Tlist_Show_Menu'
variable to 1.
You can jump to a tag by selecting the tag name from the menu. You can use the
taglist menu independent of the taglist window i.e. you don't need to open the
taglist window to get the taglist menu.
When you switch between files/buffers, the taglist menu is automatically
updated to display the tags defined in the current file/buffer.
The tags are grouped by their type (variables, functions, classes, methods,
etc.) and displayed as a separate sub-menu for each type. If all the tags
defined in a file are of the same type (e.g. functions), then the sub-menu is
not used.
If the number of items in a tag type submenu exceeds the value specified by
the 'Tlist_Max_Submenu_Items' variable, then the submenu will be split into
multiple submenus. The default setting for 'Tlist_Max_Submenu_Items' is 25.
The first and last tag names in the submenu are used to form the submenu name.
The menu items are prefixed by alpha-numeric characters for easy selection by
keyboard.
If the popup menu support is enabled (the |'mousemodel'| option contains
"popup"), then the tags menu is added to the popup menu. You can access
the popup menu by right clicking on the GUI window.
You can regenerate the tags menu by selecting the 'Tags->Refresh menu' entry.
You can sort the tags listed in the menu either by name or by order by
selecting the 'Tags->Sort menu by->Name/Order' menu entry.
You can tear-off the Tags menu and keep it on the side of the Vim window
for quickly locating the tags.
Using the taglist plugin with the winmanager plugin
You can use the taglist plugin with the winmanager plugin. This will allow you
to use the file explorer, buffer explorer and the taglist plugin at the same
time in different windows. To use the taglist plugin with the winmanager
plugin, set 'TagList' in the 'winManagerWindowLayout' variable. For example,
to use the file explorer plugin and the taglist plugin at the same time, use
the following setting:
let winManagerWindowLayout = 'FileExplorer|TagList'
Getting help
If you have installed the taglist help file (this file), then you can use the
Vim ":help taglist-<keyword>" command to get help on the various taglist
topics.
You can press the <F1> key in the taglist window to display the help
information about using the taglist window. If you again press the <F1> key,
the help information is removed from the taglist window.
*taglist-debug*
Debugging the taglist plugin
You can use the ":TlistDebug" command to enable logging of the debug messages
from the taglist plugin. To display the logged debug messages, you can use the
":TlistMessages" command. To disable the logging of the debug messages, use
the ":TlistUndebug" command.
You can specify a file name to the ":TlistDebug" command to log the debug
messages to a file. Otherwise, the debug messages are stored in a script-local
variable. In the later case, to minimize memory usage, only the last 3000
characters from the debug messages are stored.
*taglist-options*
6. Options
A number of Vim variables control the behavior of the taglist plugin. These
variables are initialized to a default value. By changing these variables you
can change the behavior of the taglist plugin. You need to change these
settings only if you want to change the behavior of the taglist plugin. You
should use the |:let| command in your .vimrc file to change the setting of any
of these variables.
The configurable taglist variables are listed below. For a detailed
description of these variables refer to the text below this table.
|'Tlist_Auto_Highlight_Tag'| Automatically highlight the current tag in the
taglist.
|'Tlist_Auto_Open'| Open the taglist window when Vim starts.
|'Tlist_Auto_Update'| Automatically update the taglist to include
newly edited files.
|'Tlist_Close_On_Select'| Close the taglist window when a file or tag is
selected.
|'Tlist_Compact_Format'| Remove extra information and blank lines from
the taglist window.
|'Tlist_Ctags_Cmd'| Specifies the path to the ctags utility.
|'Tlist_Display_Prototype'| Show prototypes and not tags in the taglist
window.
|'Tlist_Display_Tag_Scope'| Show tag scope next to the tag name.
|'Tlist_Enable_Fold_Column'| Show the fold indicator column in the taglist
window.
|'Tlist_Exit_OnlyWindow'| Close Vim if the taglist is the only window.
|'Tlist_File_Fold_Auto_Close'| Close tag folds for inactive buffers.
|'Tlist_GainFocus_On_ToggleOpen'|
Jump to taglist window on open.
|'Tlist_Highlight_Tag_On_BufEnter'|
On entering a buffer, automatically highlight
the current tag.
|'Tlist_Inc_Winwidth'| Increase the Vim window width to accommodate
the taglist window.
|'Tlist_Max_Submenu_Items'| Maximum number of items in a tags sub-menu.
|'Tlist_Max_Tag_Length'| Maximum tag length used in a tag menu entry.
|'Tlist_Process_File_Always'| Process files even when the taglist window is
closed.
|'Tlist_Show_Menu'| Display the tags menu.
|'Tlist_Show_One_File'| Show tags for the current buffer only.
|'Tlist_Sort_Type'| Sort method used for arranging the tags.
|'Tlist_Use_Horiz_Window'| Use a horizontally split window for the
taglist window.
|'Tlist_Use_Right_Window'| Place the taglist window on the right side.
|'Tlist_Use_SingleClick'| Single click on a tag jumps to it.
|'Tlist_WinHeight'| Horizontally split taglist window height.
|'Tlist_WinWidth'| Vertically split taglist window width.
*'Tlist_Auto_Highlight_Tag'*
Tlist_Auto_Highlight_Tag
The taglist plugin will automatically highlight the current tag in the taglist
window. If you want to disable this, then you can set the
'Tlist_Auto_Highlight_Tag' variable to zero. Note that even though the current
tag highlighting is disabled, the tags for a new file will still be added to
the taglist window.
let Tlist_Auto_Highlight_Tag = 0
With the above variable set to 1, you can use the ":TlistHighlightTag" command
to highlight the current tag.
*'Tlist_Auto_Open'*
Tlist_Auto_Open
To automatically open the taglist window, when you start Vim, you can set the
'Tlist_Auto_Open' variable to 1. By default, this variable is set to zero and
the taglist window will not be opened automatically on Vim startup.
let Tlist_Auto_Open = 1
The taglist window is opened only when a supported type of file is opened on
Vim startup. For example, if you open text files, then the taglist window will
not be opened.
*'Tlist_Auto_Update'*
Tlist_Auto_Update
When a new file is edited, the tags defined in the file are automatically
processed and added to the taglist. To stop adding new files to the taglist,
set the 'Tlist_Auto_Update' variable to zero. By default, this variable is set
to 1.
let Tlist_Auto_Update = 0
With the above variable set to 1, you can use the ":TlistUpdate" command to
add the tags defined in the current file to the taglist.
*'Tlist_Close_On_Select'*
Tlist_Close_On_Select
If you want to close the taglist window when a file or tag is selected, then
set the 'Tlist_Close_On_Select' variable to 1. By default, this variable is
set zero and when you select a tag or file from the taglist window, the window
is not closed.
let Tlist_Close_On_Select = 1
*'Tlist_Compact_Format'*
Tlist_Compact_Format
By default, empty lines are used to separate different tag types displayed for
a file and the tags displayed for different files in the taglist window. If
you want to display as many tags as possible in the taglist window, you can
set the 'Tlist_Compact_Format' variable to 1 to get a compact display.
let Tlist_Compact_Format = 1
*'Tlist_Ctags_Cmd'*
Tlist_Ctags_Cmd
The 'Tlist_Ctags_Cmd' variable specifies the location (path) of the exuberant
ctags utility. If exuberant ctags is present in any one of the directories in
the PATH environment variable, then there is no need to set this variable.
The exuberant ctags tool can be installed under different names. When the
taglist plugin starts up, if the 'Tlist_Ctags_Cmd' variable is not set, it
checks for the names exuberant-ctags, exctags, ctags, ctags.exe and tags in
the PATH environment variable. If any one of the named executable is found,
then the Tlist_Ctags_Cmd variable is set to that name.
If exuberant ctags is not present in one of the directories specified in the
PATH environment variable, then set this variable to point to the location of
the ctags utility in your system. Note that this variable should point to the
fully qualified exuberant ctags location and NOT to the directory in which
exuberant ctags is installed. If the exuberant ctags tool is not found in
either PATH or in the specified location, then the taglist plugin will not be
loaded. Examples:
let Tlist_Ctags_Cmd = 'd:\tools\ctags.exe'
let Tlist_Ctags_Cmd = '/usr/local/bin/ctags'
On Microsoft Windows, if ctags.exe is installed in a directory with space
characters in the name (e.g. C:\Program Files\ctags\ctags.exe), then you need
to set the Tlist_Ctags_Cmd variable like this:
let Tlist_Ctags_Cmd = '"C:\Program Files\ctags\ctags.exe"'
*'Tlist_Display_Prototype'*
Tlist_Display_Prototype
By default, only the tag name will be displayed in the taglist window. If you
like to see tag prototypes instead of names, set the 'Tlist_Display_Prototype'
variable to 1. By default, this variable is set to zero and only tag names
will be displayed.
let Tlist_Display_Prototype = 1
*'Tlist_Display_Tag_Scope'*
Tlist_Display_Tag_Scope
By default, the scope of a tag (like a C++ class) will be displayed in
square brackets next to the tag name. If you don't want the tag scopes
to be displayed, then set the 'Tlist_Display_Tag_Scope' to zero. By default,
this variable is set to 1 and the tag scopes will be displayed.
let Tlist_Display_Tag_Scope = 0
*'Tlist_Enable_Fold_Column'*
Tlist_Enable_Fold_Column
By default, the Vim fold column is enabled and displayed in the taglist
window. If you wish to disable this (for example, when you are working with a
narrow Vim window or terminal), you can set the 'Tlist_Enable_Fold_Column'
variable to zero.
let Tlist_Enable_Fold_Column = 1
*'Tlist_Exit_OnlyWindow'*
Tlist_Exit_OnlyWindow
If you want to exit Vim if only the taglist window is currently opened, then
set the 'Tlist_Exit_OnlyWindow' variable to 1. By default, this variable is
set to zero and the Vim instance will not be closed if only the taglist window
is present.
let Tlist_Exit_OnlyWindow = 1
*'Tlist_File_Fold_Auto_Close'*
Tlist_File_Fold_Auto_Close
By default, the tags tree displayed in the taglist window for all the files is
opened. You can close/fold the tags tree for the files manually. To
automatically close the tags tree for inactive files, you can set the
'Tlist_File_Fold_Auto_Close' variable to 1. When this variable is set to 1,
the tags tree for the current buffer is automatically opened and for all the
other buffers is closed.
let Tlist_File_Fold_Auto_Close = 1
*'Tlist_GainFocus_On_ToggleOpen'*
Tlist_GainFocus_On_ToggleOpen
When the taglist window is opened using the ':TlistToggle' command, this
option controls whether the cursor is moved to the taglist window or remains
in the current window. By default, this option is set to 0 and the cursor
remains in the current window. When this variable is set to 1, the cursor
moves to the taglist window after opening the taglist window.
let Tlist_GainFocus_On_ToggleOpen = 1
*'Tlist_Highlight_Tag_On_BufEnter'*
Tlist_Highlight_Tag_On_BufEnter
When you enter a Vim buffer/window, the current tag in that buffer/window is
automatically highlighted in the taglist window. If the current tag name is
not visible in the taglist window, then the taglist window contents are
scrolled to make that tag name visible. If you like to disable the automatic
highlighting of the current tag when entering a buffer, you can set the
'Tlist_Highlight_Tag_On_BufEnter' variable to zero. The default setting for
this variable is 1.
let Tlist_Highlight_Tag_On_BufEnter = 0
*'Tlist_Inc_Winwidth'*
Tlist_Inc_Winwidth
By default, when the width of the window is less than 100 and a new taglist
window is opened vertically, then the window width is increased by the value
set in the 'Tlist_WinWidth' variable to accommodate the new window. The value
of this variable is used only if you are using a vertically split taglist
window.
If your terminal doesn't support changing the window width from Vim (older
version of xterm running in a Unix system) or if you see any weird problems in
the screen due to the change in the window width or if you prefer not to
adjust the window width then set the 'Tlist_Inc_Winwidth' variable to zero.
If you are using GNU Screen, you may want to set this variable to zero.
CAUTION: If you are using the MS-Windows version of Vim in a MS-DOS command
window then you must set this variable to zero, otherwise the system may hang
due to a Vim limitation (explained in :help win32-problems)
let Tlist_Inc_Winwidth = 0
*'Tlist_Max_Submenu_Items'*
Tlist_Max_Submenu_Items
If a file contains too many tags of a particular type (function, variable,
class, etc.), greater than that specified by the 'Tlist_Max_Submenu_Items'
variable, then the menu for that tag type will be split into multiple
sub-menus. The default setting for the 'Tlist_Max_Submenu_Items' variable is
25. This can be changed by setting the 'Tlist_Max_Submenu_Items' variable:
let Tlist_Max_Submenu_Items = 20
The name of the submenu is formed using the names of the first and the last
tag entries in that submenu.
*'Tlist_Max_Tag_Length'*
Tlist_Max_Tag_Length
Only the first 'Tlist_Max_Tag_Length' characters from the tag names will be
used to form the tag type submenu name. The default value for this variable is
10. Change the 'Tlist_Max_Tag_Length' setting if you want to include more or
less characters:
let Tlist_Max_Tag_Length = 10
*'Tlist_Process_File_Always'*
Tlist_Process_File_Always
By default, the taglist plugin will generate and process the tags defined in
the newly opened files only when the taglist window is opened or when the
taglist menu is enabled. When the taglist window is closed, the taglist plugin
will stop processing the tags for newly opened files.
You can set the 'Tlist_Process_File_Always' variable to 1 to generate the list
of tags for new files even when the taglist window is closed and the taglist
menu is disabled.
let Tlist_Process_File_Always = 1
To use the ":TlistShowTag" and the ":TlistShowPrototype" commands without the
taglist window and the taglist menu, you should set this variable to 1.
*'Tlist_Show_Menu'*
Tlist_Show_Menu
When using GUI Vim, you can display the tags defined in the current file in a
menu named "Tags". By default, this feature is turned off. To turn on this
feature, set the 'Tlist_Show_Menu' variable to 1:
let Tlist_Show_Menu = 1
*'Tlist_Show_One_File'*
Tlist_Show_One_File
By default, the taglist plugin will display the tags defined in all the loaded
buffers in the taglist window. If you prefer to display the tags defined only
in the current buffer, then you can set the 'Tlist_Show_One_File' to 1. When
this variable is set to 1, as you switch between buffers, the taglist window
will be refreshed to display the tags for the current buffer and the tags for
the previous buffer will be removed.
let Tlist_Show_One_File = 1
*'Tlist_Sort_Type'*
Tlist_Sort_Type
The 'Tlist_Sort_Type' variable specifies the sort order for the tags in the
taglist window. The tags can be sorted either alphabetically by their name or
by the order of their appearance in the file (chronological order). By
default, the tag names will be listed by the order in which they are defined
in the file. You can change the sort type (from name to order or from order to
name) by pressing the "s" key in the taglist window. You can also change the
default sort order by setting 'Tlist_Sort_Type' to "name" or "order":
let Tlist_Sort_Type = "name"
*'Tlist_Use_Horiz_Window'*
Tlist_Use_Horiz_Window
Be default, the tag names are displayed in a vertically split window. If you
prefer a horizontally split window, then set the 'Tlist_Use_Horiz_Window'
variable to 1. If you are running MS-Windows version of Vim in a MS-DOS
command window, then you should use a horizontally split window instead of a
vertically split window. Also, if you are using an older version of xterm in a
Unix system that doesn't support changing the xterm window width, you should
use a horizontally split window.
let Tlist_Use_Horiz_Window = 1
*'Tlist_Use_Right_Window'*
Tlist_Use_Right_Window
By default, the vertically split taglist window will appear on the left hand
side. If you prefer to open the window on the right hand side, you can set the
'Tlist_Use_Right_Window' variable to 1:
let Tlist_Use_Right_Window = 1
*'Tlist_Use_SingleClick'*
Tlist_Use_SingleClick
By default, when you double click on the tag name using the left mouse
button, the cursor will be positioned at the definition of the tag. You
can set the 'Tlist_Use_SingleClick' variable to 1 to jump to a tag when
you single click on the tag name using the mouse. By default this variable
is set to zero.
let Tlist_Use_SingleClick = 1
Due to a bug in Vim, if you set 'Tlist_Use_SingleClick' to 1 and try to resize
the taglist window using the mouse, then Vim will crash. This problem is fixed
in Vim 6.3 and above. In the meantime, instead of resizing the taglist window
using the mouse, you can use normal Vim window resizing commands to resize the
taglist window.
*'Tlist_WinHeight'*
Tlist_WinHeight
The default height of the horizontally split taglist window is 10. This can be
changed by modifying the 'Tlist_WinHeight' variable:
let Tlist_WinHeight = 20
The |'winfixheight'| option is set for the taglist window, to maintain the
height of the taglist window, when new Vim windows are opened and existing
windows are closed.
*'Tlist_WinWidth'*
Tlist_WinWidth
The default width of the vertically split taglist window is 30. This can be
changed by modifying the 'Tlist_WinWidth' variable:
let Tlist_WinWidth = 20
Note that the value of the |'winwidth'| option setting determines the minimum
width of the current window. If you set the 'Tlist_WinWidth' variable to a
value less than that of the |'winwidth'| option setting, then Vim will use the
value of the |'winwidth'| option.
When new Vim windows are opened and existing windows are closed, the taglist
plugin will try to maintain the width of the taglist window to the size
specified by the 'Tlist_WinWidth' variable.
*taglist-commands*
7. Commands
The taglist plugin provides the following ex-mode commands:
|:TlistAddFiles| Add multiple files to the taglist.
|:TlistAddFilesRecursive|
Add files recursively to the taglist.
|:TlistClose| Close the taglist window.
|:TlistDebug| Start logging of taglist debug messages.
|:TlistLock| Stop adding new files to the taglist.
|:TlistMessages| Display the logged taglist plugin debug messages.
|:TlistOpen| Open and jump to the taglist window.
|:TlistSessionSave| Save the information about files and tags in the
taglist to a session file.
|:TlistSessionLoad| Load the information about files and tags stored
in a session file to taglist.
|:TlistShowPrototype| Display the prototype of the tag at or before the
specified line number.
|:TlistShowTag| Display the name of the tag defined at or before the
specified line number.
|:TlistHighlightTag| Highlight the current tag in the taglist window.
|:TlistToggle| Open or close (toggle) the taglist window.
|:TlistUndebug| Stop logging of taglist debug messages.
|:TlistUnlock| Start adding new files to the taglist.
|:TlistUpdate| Update the tags for the current buffer.
*:TlistAddFiles*
:TlistAddFiles {file(s)} [file(s) ...]
Add one or more specified files to the taglist. You can
specify multiple filenames using wildcards. To specify a
file name with space character, you should escape the space
character with a backslash.
Examples:
:TlistAddFiles *.c *.cpp
:TlistAddFiles file1.html file2.html
If you specify a large number of files, then it will take some
time for the taglist plugin to process all of them. The
specified files will not be edited in a Vim window and will
not be added to the Vim buffer list.
*:TlistAddFilesRecursive*
:TlistAddFilesRecursive {directory} [ {pattern} ]
Add files matching {pattern} recursively from the specified
{directory} to the taglist. If {pattern} is not specified,
then '*' is assumed. To specify the current directory, use "."
for {directory}. To specify a directory name with space
character, you should escape the space character with a
backslash.
Examples:
:TlistAddFilesRecursive myproject *.java
:TlistAddFilesRecursive smallproject
If large number of files are present in the specified
directory tree, then it will take some time for the taglist
plugin to process all of them.
*:TlistClose*
:TlistClose Close the taglist window. This command can be used from any
one of the Vim windows.
*:TlistDebug*
:TlistDebug [filename]
Start logging of debug messages from the taglist plugin.
If {filename} is specified, then the debug messages are stored
in the specified file. Otherwise, the debug messages are
stored in a script local variable. If the file {filename} is
already present, then it is overwritten.
*:TlistLock*
:TlistLock
Lock the taglist and don't process new files. After this
command is executed, newly edited files will not be added to
the taglist.
*:TlistMessages*
:TlistMessages
Display the logged debug messages from the taglist plugin
in a window. This command works only when logging to a
script-local variable.
*:TlistOpen*
:TlistOpen Open and jump to the taglist window. Creates the taglist
window, if the window is not opened currently. After executing
this command, the cursor is moved to the taglist window. When
the taglist window is opened for the first time, all the files
in the buffer list are processed and the tags defined in them
are displayed in the taglist window.
*:TlistSessionSave*
:TlistSessionSave {filename}
Saves the information about files and tags in the taglist to
the specified file. This command can be used to save and
restore the taglist contents across Vim sessions.
*:TlistSessionLoad*
:TlistSessionLoad {filename}
Load the information about files and tags stored in the
specified session file to the taglist.
*:TlistShowPrototype*
:TlistShowPrototype [filename] [linenumber]
Display the prototype of the tag at or before the specified
line number. If the file name and the line number are not
specified, then the current file name and line number are
used. A tag spans multiple lines starting from the line where
it is defined to the line before the next tag. This command
displays the prototype for the tag for any line number in this
range.
*:TlistShowTag*
:TlistShowTag [filename] [linenumber]
Display the name of the tag defined at or before the specified
line number. If the file name and the line number are not
specified, then the current file name and line number are
used. A tag spans multiple lines starting from the line where
it is defined to the line before the next tag. This command
displays the tag name for any line number in this range.
*:TlistHighlightTag*
:TlistHighlightTag
Highlight the current tag in the taglist window. By default,
the taglist plugin periodically updates the taglist window to
highlight the current tag. This command can be used to force
the taglist plugin to highlight the current tag.
*:TlistToggle*
:TlistToggle Open or close (toggle) the taglist window. Opens the taglist
window, if the window is not opened currently. Closes the
taglist window, if the taglist window is already opened. When
the taglist window is opened for the first time, all the files
in the buffer list are processed and the tags are displayed in
the taglist window. After executing this command, the cursor
is not moved from the current window to the taglist window.
*:TlistUndebug*
:TlistUndebug
Stop logging of debug messages from the taglist plugin.
*:TlistUnlock*
:TlistUnlock
Unlock the taglist and start processing newly edited files.
*:TlistUpdate*
:TlistUpdate Update the tags information for the current buffer. This
command can be used to re-process the current file/buffer and
get the tags information. As the taglist plugin uses the file
saved in the disk (instead of the file displayed in a Vim
buffer), you should save a modified buffer before you update
the taglist. Otherwise the listed tags will not include the
new tags created in the buffer. You can use this command even
when the taglist window is not opened.
*taglist-functions*
8. Global functions
The taglist plugin provides several global functions that can be used from
other Vim plugins to interact with the taglist plugin. These functions are
described below.
|Tlist_Get_Filenames()| Return filenames in the taglist
|Tlist_Update_File_Tags()| Update the tags for the specified file
|Tlist_Get_Tag_Prototype_By_Line()| Return the prototype of the tag at or
before the specified line number in the
specified file.
|Tlist_Get_Tagname_By_Line()| Return the name of the tag at or
before the specified line number in
the specified file.
|Tlist_Set_App()| Set the name of the application
controlling the taglist window.
*Tlist_Get_Filenames()*
Tlist_Get_Filenames()
Returns a list of filenames in the taglist. Each filename is
separated by a newline (\n) character. If the taglist is empty
an empty string is returned.
*Tlist_Update_File_Tags()*
Tlist_Update_File_Tags({filename}, {filetype})
Update the tags for the file {filename}. The second argument
specifies the Vim filetype for the file. If the taglist plugin
has not processed the file previously, then the exuberant
ctags tool is invoked to generate the tags for the file.
*Tlist_Get_Tag_Prototype_By_Line()*
Tlist_Get_Tag_Prototype_By_Line([{filename}, {linenumber}])
Return the prototype of the tag at or before the specified
line number in the specified file. If the filename and line
number are not specified, then the current buffer name and the
current line number are used.
*Tlist_Get_Tagname_By_Line()*
Tlist_Get_Tagname_By_Line([{filename}, {linenumber}])
Return the name of the tag at or before the specified line
number in the specified file. If the filename and line number
are not specified, then the current buffer name and the
current line number are used.
*Tlist_Set_App()*
Tlist_Set_App({appname})
Set the name of the plugin that controls the taglist plugin
window and buffer. This can be used to integrate the taglist
plugin with other Vim plugins.
For example, the winmanager plugin and the Cream package use
this function and specify the appname as "winmanager" and
"cream" respectively.
By default, the taglist plugin is a stand-alone plugin and
controls the taglist window and buffer. If the taglist window
is controlled by an external plugin, then the appname should
be set appropriately.
*taglist-extend*
9. Extending
The taglist plugin supports all the languages supported by the exuberant ctags
tool, which includes the following languages: Assembly, ASP, Awk, Beta, C,
C++, C#, Cobol, Eiffel, Erlang, Fortran, HTML, Java, Javascript, Lisp, Lua,
Make, Pascal, Perl, PHP, Python, Rexx, Ruby, Scheme, Shell, Slang, SML, Sql,
TCL, Verilog, Vim and Yacc.
You can extend the taglist plugin to add support for new languages and also
modify the support for the above listed languages.
You should NOT make modifications to the taglist plugin script file to add
support for new languages. You will lose these changes when you upgrade to the
next version of the taglist plugin. Instead you should follow the below
described instructions to extend the taglist plugin.
You can extend the taglist plugin by setting variables in the .vimrc or _vimrc
file. The name of these variables depends on the language name and is
described below.
Modifying support for an existing language
To modify the support for an already supported language, you have to set the
tlist_xxx_settings variable in the ~/.vimrc or $HOME/_vimrc file. Replace xxx
with the Vim filetype name for the language file. For example, to modify the
support for the perl language files, you have to set the tlist_perl_settings
variable. To modify the support for java files, you have to set the
tlist_java_settings variable.
To determine the filetype name used by Vim for a file, use the following
command in the buffer containing the file:
:set filetype
The above command will display the Vim filetype for the current buffer.
The format of the value set in the tlist_xxx_settings variable is
<language_name>;flag1:name1;flag2:name2;flag3:name3
The different fields in the value are separated by the ';' character.
The first field 'language_name' is the name used by exuberant ctags to refer
to this language file. This name can be different from the file type name used
by Vim. For example, for C++, the language name used by ctags is 'c++' but the
filetype name used by Vim is 'cpp'. To get the list of language names
supported by exuberant ctags, use the following command:
$ ctags --list-maps=all
The remaining fields follow the format "flag:name". The sub-field 'flag' is
the language specific flag used by exuberant ctags to generate the
corresponding tags. For example, for the C language, to list only the
functions, the 'f' flag is used. To get the list of flags supported by
exuberant ctags for the various languages use the following command:
$ ctags --list-kinds=all
The sub-field 'name' specifies the title text to use for displaying the tags
of a particular type. For example, 'name' can be set to 'functions'. This
field can be set to any text string name.
For example, to list only the classes and functions defined in a C++ language
file, add the following line to your .vimrc file:
let tlist_cpp_settings = 'c++;c:class;f:function'
In the above setting, 'cpp' is the Vim filetype name and 'c++' is the name
used by the exuberant ctags tool. 'c' and 'f' are the flags passed to
exuberant ctags to list C++ classes and functions and 'class' is the title
used for the class tags and 'function' is the title used for the function tags
in the taglist window.
For example, to display only functions defined in a C file and to use "My
Functions" as the title for the function tags, use
let tlist_c_settings = 'c;f:My Functions'
When you set the tlist_xxx_settings variable, you will override the default
setting used by the taglist plugin for the 'xxx' language. You cannot add to
the default options used by the taglist plugin for a particular file type. To
add to the options used by the taglist plugin for a language, copy the option
values from the taglist plugin file to your .vimrc file and modify it.
Adding support for a new language
If you want to add support for a new language to the taglist plugin, you need
to first extend the exuberant ctags tool. For more information about extending
exuberant ctags, visit the following page:
http://ctags.sourceforge.net/EXTENDING.html
To add support for a new language, set the tlist_xxx_settings variable in the
~/.vimrc file appropriately as described above. Replace 'xxx' in the variable
name with the Vim filetype name for the new language.
For example, to extend the taglist plugin to support the latex language, you
can use the following line (assuming, you have already extended exuberant
ctags to support the latex language):
let tlist_tex_settings='latex;b:bibitem;c:command;l:label'
With the above line, when you edit files of filetype "tex" in Vim, the taglist
plugin will invoke the exuberant ctags tool passing the "latex" filetype and
the flags b, c and l to generate the tags. The text heading 'bibitem',
'command' and 'label' will be used in the taglist window for the tags which
are generated for the flags b, c and l respectively.
*taglist-faq*
10. Frequently Asked Questions
Q. The taglist plugin doesn't work. The taglist window is empty and the tags
defined in a file are not displayed.
A. Are you using Vim version 6.0 and above? The taglist plugin relies on the
features supported by Vim version 6.0 and above. You can use the following
command to get the Vim version:
$ vim --version
Are you using exuberant ctags version 5.0 and above? The taglist plugin
relies on the features supported by exuberant ctags and will not work with
GNU ctags or the Unix ctags utility. You can use the following command to
determine whether the ctags installed in your system is exuberant ctags:
$ ctags --version
Is exuberant ctags present in one of the directories in your PATH? If not,
you need to set the Tlist_Ctags_Cmd variable to point to the location of
exuberant ctags. Use the following Vim command to verify that this is setup
correctly:
:echo system(Tlist_Ctags_Cmd . ' --version')
The above command should display the version information for exuberant
ctags.
Did you turn on the Vim filetype detection? The taglist plugin relies on
the filetype detected by Vim and passes the filetype to the exuberant ctags
utility to parse the tags. Check the output of the following Vim command:
:filetype
The output of the above command should contain "filetype detection:ON".
To turn on the filetype detection, add the following line to the .vimrc or
_vimrc file:
filetype on
Is your version of Vim compiled with the support for the system() function?
The following Vim command should display 1:
:echo exists('*system')
In some Linux distributions (particularly Suse Linux), the default Vim
installation is built without the support for the system() function. The
taglist plugin uses the system() function to invoke the exuberant ctags
utility. You need to rebuild Vim after enabling the support for the
system() function. If you use the default build options, the system()
function will be supported.
Do you have the |'shellslash'| option set? You can try disabling the
|'shellslash'| option. When the taglist plugin invokes the exuberant ctags
utility with the path to the file, if the incorrect slashes are used, then
you will see errors.
Check the shell related Vim options values using the following command:
:set shell? shellcmdflag? shellpipe?
:set shellquote? shellredir? shellxquote?
If these options are set in your .vimrc or _vimrc file, try removing those
lines.
Are you using a Unix shell in a MS-Windows environment? For example,
the Unix shell from the MKS-toolkit. Do you have the SHELL environment
set to point to this shell? You can try resetting the SHELL environment
variable.
If you are using a Unix shell on MS-Windows, you should try to use
exuberant ctags that is compiled for Unix-like environments so that
exuberant ctags will understand path names with forward slash characters.
Is your filetype supported by the exuberant ctags utility? The file types
supported by the exuberant ctags utility are listed in the ctags help. If a
file type is not supported, you have to extend exuberant ctags. You can use
the following command to list the filetypes supported by exuberant ctags:
ctags --list-languages
Run the following command from the shell prompt and check whether the tags
defined in your file are listed in the output from exuberant ctags:
ctags -f - --format=2 --excmd=pattern --fields=nks <filename>
If you see your tags in the output from the above command, then the
exuberant ctags utility is properly parsing your file.
Do you have the .ctags or _ctags or the ctags.cnf file in your home
directory for specifying default options or for extending exuberant ctags?
If you do have this file, check the options in this file and make sure
these options are not interfering with the operation of the taglist plugin.
If you are using MS-Windows, check the value of the TEMP and TMP
environment variables. If these environment variables are set to a path
with space characters in the name, then try using the DOS 8.3 short name
for the path or set them to a path without the space characters in the
name. For example, if the temporary directory name is "C:\Documents and
Settings\xyz\Local Settings\Temp", then try setting the TEMP variable to
the following:
set TEMP=C:\DOCUMEN~1\xyz\LOCALS~1\Temp
If exuberant ctags is installed in a directory with space characters in the
name, then try adding the directory to the PATH environment variable or try
setting the 'Tlist_Ctags_Cmd' variable to the shortest path name to ctags
or try copying the exuberant ctags to a path without space characters in
the name. For example, if exuberant ctags is installed in the directory
"C:\Program Files\Ctags", then try setting the 'Tlist_Ctags_Cmd' variable
as below:
let Tlist_Ctags_Cmd='C:\Progra~1\Ctags\ctags.exe'
If you are using a cygwin compiled version of exuberant ctags on MS-Windows,
make sure that either you have the cygwin compiled sort utility installed
and available in your PATH or compile exuberant ctags with internal sort
support. Otherwise, when exuberant ctags sorts the tags output by invoking
the sort utility, it may end up invoking the MS-Windows version of
sort.exe, thereby resulting in failure.
Q. When I try to open the taglist window, I am seeing the following error
message. How do I fix this problem?
Taglist: Failed to generate tags for /my/path/to/file
ctags: illegal option -- -^@usage: ctags [-BFadtuwvx] [-f tagsfile] file ...
A. The taglist plugin will work only with the exuberant ctags tool. You
cannot use the GNU ctags or the Unix ctags program with the taglist plugin.
You will see an error message similar to the one shown above, if you try
use a non-exuberant ctags program with Vim. To fix this problem, either add
the exuberant ctags tool location to the PATH environment variable or set
the 'Tlist_Ctags_Cmd' variable.
Q. A file has more than one tag with the same name. When I select a tag name
from the taglist window, the cursor is positioned at the incorrect tag
location.
A. The taglist plugin uses the search pattern generated by the exuberant ctags
utility to position the cursor at the location of a tag definition. If a
file has more than one tag with the same name and same prototype, then the
search pattern will be the same. In this case, when searching for the tag
pattern, the cursor may be positioned at the incorrect location.
Q. I have made some modifications to my file and introduced new
functions/classes/variables. I have not yet saved my file. The taglist
plugin is not displaying the new tags when I update the taglist window.
A. The exuberant ctags utility will process only files that are present in the
disk. To list the tags defined in a file, you have to save the file and
then update the taglist window.
Q. I have created a ctags file using the exuberant ctags utility for my source
tree. How do I configure the taglist plugin to use this tags file?
A. The taglist plugin doesn't use a tags file stored in disk. For every opened
file, the taglist plugin invokes the exuberant ctags utility to get the
list of tags dynamically. The Vim system() function is used to invoke
exuberant ctags and get the ctags output. This function internally uses a
temporary file to store the output. This file is deleted after the output
from the command is read. So you will never see the file that contains the
output of exuberant ctags.
Q. When I set the |'updatetime'| option to a low value (less than 1000) and if
I keep pressing a key with the taglist window open, the current buffer
contents are changed. Why is this?
A. The taglist plugin uses the |CursorHold| autocmd to highlight the current
tag. The CursorHold autocmd triggers for every |'updatetime'| milliseconds.
If the |'updatetime'| option is set to a low value, then the CursorHold
autocmd will be triggered frequently. As the taglist plugin changes
the focus to the taglist window to highlight the current tag, this could
interfere with the key movement resulting in changing the contents of
the current buffer. The workaround for this problem is to not set the
|'updatetime'| option to a low value.
*taglist-license*
11. License
Permission is hereby granted to use and distribute the taglist plugin, with or
without modifications, provided that this copyright notice is copied with it.
Like anything else that's free, taglist.vim is provided *as is* and comes with
no warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. In no event will the
copyright holder be liable for any damamges resulting from the use of this
software.
*taglist-todo*
12. Todo
1. Group tags according to the scope and display them. For example,
group all the tags belonging to a C++/Java class
2. When opening a new Vim tab, automatically open the taglist window.
3. Support for displaying tags in a modified (not-yet-saved) file.
4. Automatically open the taglist window only for selected filetypes.
For other filetypes, close the taglist window.
5. When using the shell from the MKS toolkit, the taglist plugin
doesn't work.
6. The taglist plugin doesn't work with files edited remotely using the
netrw plugin. The exuberant ctags utility cannot process files over
scp/rcp/ftp, etc.
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