*align.txt* The Alignment Tool Mar 06, 2008
Author: Charles E. Campbell, Jr. <NdrOchip@ScampbellPfamily.AbizM>
(remove NOSPAM from Campbell's email first)
Copyright: (c) 2004-2008 by Charles E. Campbell, Jr. *Align-copyright*
The VIM LICENSE applies to Align.vim, AlignMaps.vim, and Align.txt
(see |copyright|) except use "Align and AlignMaps" instead of "Vim"
NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. USE AT-YOUR-OWN-RISK.
==============================================================================
1. Contents *align* *align-contents*
1. Contents.................: |align-contents|
2. Alignment Manual.........: |align-manual|
3. Alignment Usage..........: |align-usage|
Alignment Concepts.......: |align-concepts|
Alignment Commands.......: |align-commands|
Alignment Control........: |align-control|
Separators.............: |alignctrl-separators|
Initial Whitespace.....: |alignctrl-w| |alignctrl-W| |alignctrl-I|
Justification..........: |alignctrl-l| |alignctrl-r| |alignctrl-c|
Justification Control..: |alignctrl--| |alignctrl-+| |alignctrl-:|
Cyclic/Sequential......: |alignctrl-=| |alignctrl-C|
Separator Justification: |alignctrl-<| |alignctrl->| |alignctrl-||
Line (de)Selection.....: |alignctrl-g| |alignctrl-v|
Temporary Settings.....: |alignctrl-m|
Padding................: |alignctrl-p| |alignctrl-P|
Current Options........: |alignctrl-settings| |alignctrl-|
Alignment................: |align-align|
Maps.....................: |align-maps|
\a,....................: |alignmap-a,|
\a?....................: |alignmap-a?|
\a<....................: |alignmap-a<|
\abox..................: |alignmap-abox|
\acom..................: |alignmap-acom|
\anum..................: |alignmap-anum|
\ascom.................: |alignmap-ascom|
\adec..................: |alignmap-adec|
\adef..................: |alignmap-adef|
\afnc..................: |alignmap-afnc|
\adcom.................: |alignmap-adcom|
\aocom.................: |alignmap-aocom|
\tsp...................: |alignmap-tsp|
\tsq...................: |alignmap-tsq|
\tt....................: |alignmap-tt|
\t=....................: |alignmap-t=|
\T=....................: |alignmap-T=|
\Htd...................: |alignmap-Htd|
4. Alignment Tool History...: |align-history|
==============================================================================
2. Align Manual *alignman* *alignmanual* *align-manual*
To Enable: put <Align.vim> and <AlignMaps.vim> into your .vim/plugin
To see a user's guide, see |align-usage|
To see examples, see |alignctrl| and |alignmaps|
>
/=============+=========+=====================================================\
|| \ Default/ ||
|| Commands \ Value/ Explanation ||
|| | | ||
++==============+====+=======================================================++
|| AlignCtrl | | =Clrc-+:pPIWw [..list-of-separator-patterns..] ||
|| | +-------------------------------------------------------+|
|| | | may be called as a command or as a function: ||
|| | | :AlignCtrl =lp0P0W & \\ ||
|| | | :call Align#AlignCtrl('=lp0P0W','&','\\') ||
|| | | ||
|| | +-------------------------------------------------------++
|| 1st arg | = | = all separator patterns are equivalent and are ||
|| | | simultaneously active. Patterns are |regexp|. ||
|| | | C cycle through separator patterns. Patterns are ||
|| | | |regexp| and are active sequentially. ||
|| | | ||
|| | < | < left justify separator Separators are justified, ||
|| | | > right justify separator too. Separator styles ||
|| | | | center separator are cyclic. ||
|| | | ||
|| | l | l left justify Justification styles are always ||
|| | | r right justify cyclic (ie. lrc would mean left j., ||
|| | | c center then right j., then center, repeat. ||
|| | | - skip this separator ||
|| | | + re-use last justification method ||
|| | | : treat rest of text as a field ||
|| | | ||
|| | p1 | p### pad separator on left by # blanks ||
|| | P1 | P### pad separator on right by # blanks ||
|| | | ||
|| | I | I preserve and apply first line's leading white ||
|| | | space to all lines ||
|| | | W preserve leading white space on every line, even ||
|| | | if it varies from line to line ||
|| | | w don't preserve leading white space ||
|| | | ||
|| | | g second argument is a selection pattern -- only ||
|| | | align on lines that have a match (inspired by ||
|| | | :g/selection pattern/command) ||
|| | | v second argument is a selection pattern -- only ||
|| | | align on lines that _don't_ have a match (inspired ||
|| | | by :v/selection pattern/command) ||
|| | | ||
|| | | m Map support: AlignCtrl will immediately do an ||
|| | | AlignPush() and the next call to Align() will do ||
|| | | an AlignPop at the end. This feature allows maps ||
|| | | to preserve user settings. ||
|| | | ||
|| | | default ||
|| | | AlignCtrl default ||
|| | | will clear the AlignCtrl ||
|| | | stack & set the default: AlignCtrl "Ilp1P1=" '=' ||
|| | | ||
|| +----+-------------------------------------------------------+|
|| More args | More arguments are interpreted as describing separators ||
|| +------------------------------------------------------------+|
|| No args | AlignCtrl will display its current settings ||
||==============+============================================================+|
||[range]Align | [..list-of-separators..] ||
||[range]Align! | [AlignCtrl settings] [..list-of-separators..] ||
|| +------------------------------------------------------------+|
|| | Aligns text over the given range. The range may be ||
|| | selected via visual mode (v, V, or ctrl-v) or via ||
|| | the command line. The Align operation may be invoked ||
|| | as a command or as a function; as a function, the first ||
|| | argument is 0=separators only, 1=AlignCtrl option string ||
|| | followed by a list of separators. ||
|| | :[range]Align ||
|| | :[range]Align [list of separators] ||
|| | :[range]call Align#Align(0) ||
|| | :[range]call Align#Align(0,"list","of","separators",...) ||
\=============================================================================/
==============================================================================
3. Alignment Usage *alignusage* *align-usage*
ALIGNMENT CONCEPTS *align-concept* *align-concepts*
The typical text to be aligned is considered to be:
* composed of two or more fields
* separated by one or more separator pattern(s):
* two or more lines
>
ws field ws separator ws field ws separator ...
ws field ws separator ws field ws separator ...
<
where "ws" stands for "white space" such as blanks and/or tabs,
and "fields" are arbitrary text. For example, consider >
x= y= z= 3;
xx= yy= zz= 4;
zzz= yyy= zzz= 5;
a= b= c= 3;
<
Assume that it is desired to line up all the "=" signs; these,
then, are the separators. The fields are composed of all the
alphameric text. Assuming they lie on lines 1-4, one may align
those "=" signs with: >
:AlignCtrl l
:1,4Align =
< The result is: >
x = y = z = 3;
xx = yy = zz = 4;
zzz = yyy = zzz = 5;
a = b = c = 3;
< Note how each "=" sign is surrounded by a single space; the
default padding is p1P1 (p1 means one space before the separator,
and P1 means one space after it). If you wish to change the
padding, say to no padding, use (see |alignctrl-p|) >
:AlignCtrl lp0P0
< Next, note how each field is left justified; that's what the "l"
(a small letter "ell") does. If right-justification of the fields
had been desired, an "r" could've been used: >
:AlignCtrl r
< yielding >
x = y = z = 3;
xx = yy = zz = 4;
zzz = yyy = zzz = 5;
a = b = c = 3;
< There are more options available for field justification: see
|alignctrl-c|.
Separators, although commonly only one character long, are actually
specified by regular expressions (see |regexp|), and one may left
justify, right justify, or center them, too (see |alignctrl-<|).
Assume that for some reason a left-right-left-right-... justification
sequence was wished. This wish is simply achieved with >
:AlignCtrl lr
:1,4Align =
< because the justification commands are considered to be "cylic"; ie.
lr is the same as lrlrlrlrlrlrlr...
There's a lot more discussed under |alignctrl|; hopefully the examples
there will help, too.
ALIGNMENT COMMANDS *align-command* *align-commands*
The <Align.vim> script includes two primary commands and two
minor commands:
AlignCtrl : this command/function sets up alignment options
which persist until changed for later Align calls.
It controls such things as: how to specify field
separators, initial white space, padding about
separators, left/right/center justification, etc. >
ex. AlignCtrl wp0P1
Interpretation: during subsequent alignment
operations, preserve each line's initial
whitespace. Use no padding before separators
but provide one padding space after separators.
<
Align : this command/function operates on the range given it to
align text based on one or more separator patterns. The
patterns may be provided via AlignCtrl or via Align
itself. >
ex. :%Align ,
Interpretation: align all commas over the entire
file.
< The :Align! format permits alignment control commands
to precede the alignment patterns. >
ex. :%Align! p2P2 =
< This will align all "=" in the file with two padding
spaces on both sides of each "=" sign.
NOTE ON PATTERNS:~
Align and AlignCtrl use |<f-args>| to obtain their
input patterns; hence, to get a \ you'll need to enter
two backslashes: \\.
AlignPush : this command/function pushes the current AlignCtrl
state onto an internal stack. >
ex. :AlignPush
Interpretation: save the current AlignCtrl
settings, whatever they may be. They'll
also remain as the current settings until
AlignCtrl is used to change them.
<
AlignPop : this command/function pops the current AlignCtrl
state from an internal stack. >
ex. :AlignPop
Interpretation: presumably AlignPush was
used (at least once) previously; this command
restores the AlignCtrl settings when AlignPush
was last used.
<
ALIGNMENT OPTIONS *align-option* *align-options*
*align-utf8* *align-utf* *align-codepoint* *align-strlen*
For those of you who are using 2-byte (or more) characters such as is
available with utf-8, Align now provides a special option which you
may choose based upon your needs:
Number of codepoints (Latin a + combining circumflex is two codepoints)~
>
let g:Align_xstrlen= 1:
<
Number of spacing codepoints (Latin a + combining circumflex is one~
spacing codepoint; a hard tab is one; wide and narrow CJK are one~
each; etc.)~
>
let g:Align_xstrlen= 2
<
Virtual length (counting, for instance, tabs as anything between 1 and~
'tabstop', wide CJK as 2 rather than 1, Arabic alif as zero when~
immediately preceded by lam, one otherwise, etc.)~
>
let g:Align_xstrlen= 2
<
By putting one of these settings into your <.vimrc>, Align will use an
internal (interpreted) function to determine a string's length instead
of the built-in to Vim's |strlen()| function. As the function is
interpreted, Align will run a bit slower but will handle such strings
correctly. The last setting (g:Align_xstrlen= 2) probably will run
the slowest but be the most accurate.
(thanks to Tony Mechelynck for these)
ALIGNMENT CONTROL *alignctrl* *align-control*
This command doesn't do the alignment operation itself; instead, it
controls the subsequent alignment operation(s).
The first argument to AlignCtrl is a string which may contain one or
more alignment control commands. Most of the commands are single
letter commands; the exceptions are the p# and P# commands which
interpret digits following the p or P as specifying padding about the
separator.
The typical text line is considered to be composed of two or more
fields separated by one or more separator pattern(s):
>
ws field ws separator ws field ws separator ... < where "ws"
<
stands for "white space" such as blanks and/or tabs.
Separators *alignctrl-separators*
As a result, separators may not have white space (tabs or blanks) on
their outsides (ie. ": :" is fine as a separator, but " :: " is
not). Usually such separators are not needed.
However, if you really need to have such separators with leading or
trailing whitespace, consider handling them by performing a substitute
first (ie. s/ :: /@/g), do the alignment on the temporary pattern
(ie. @), and then perform a substitute to revert the separators back
to their desired condition (ie. s/@/ :: /g).
The Align() function will first convert tabs over the region into
spaces and then apply alignment control. Except for initial white
space, white space surrounding the fields is ignored. One has three
options just for handling initial white space:
--- *alignctrl-w*
wWI INITIAL WHITE SPACE *alignctrl-W*
--- *alignctrl-I*
w : ignore all selected lines' initial white space
W : retain all selected lines' initial white space
I : retain only the first line's initial white space and
re-use it for subsequent lines
Example: Leading white space options: >
+---------------+-------------------+-----------------+
|AlignCtrl w= :=| AlignCtrl W= := | AlignCtrl I= := |
+------------------+---------------+-------------------+-----------------+
| Original | w option | W option | I option |
+------------------+---------------+-------------------+-----------------+
| a := baaa |a := baaa | a : = baaa | a := baaa |
| caaaa := deeee |caaaa := deeee | caaaa : = deeee| caaaa := deeee|
| ee := f |ee := f | ee : = f | ee := f |
+------------------+---------------+-------------------+-----------------+
<
The original has at least one leading white space on every line.
Using Align with w eliminated each line's leading white space.
Using Align with W preserved each line's leading white space.
Using Align with I applied the first line's leading white space
(three spaces) to each line.
------ *alignctrl-l*
lrc-+: FIELD JUSTIFICATION *alignctrl-r*
------ *alignctrl-c*
With "lrc", the fields will be left-justified, right-justified, or
centered as indicated by the justification specifiers (lrc). The
"lrc" options are re-used by cycling through them as needed:
l means llllll....
r means rrrrrr....
lr means lrlrlr....
llr means llrllr....
Example: Justification options: Align = >
+------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| Original | AlignCtrl l | AlignCtrl r | AlignCtrl lr |
+------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| a=bb=ccc=1 |a = bb = ccc = 1| a = bb = ccc = 1|a = bb = ccc = 1|
| ccc=a=bb=2 |ccc = a = bb = 2|ccc = a = bb = 2|ccc = a = bb = 2|
| dd=eee=f=3 |dd = eee = f = 3| dd = eee = f = 3|dd = eee = f = 3|
+------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| Alignment |l l l l| r r r r|l r l r|
+------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
<
AlignCtrl l : The = separator is repeatedly re-used, as the
cycle only consists of one character (the "l").
Every time left-justification is used for fields.
AlignCtrl r : The = separator is repeatedly re-used, as the
cycle only consists of one character (the "l").
Every time right-justification is used for fields
AlignCtrl lr: Again, the "=" separator is repeatedly re-used,
but the fields are justified alternately between
left and right.
Even more separator control is available. With "-+:":
- : skip treating the separator as a separator. *alignctrl--*
+ : repeat use of the last "lrc" justification *alignctrl-+*
: : treat the rest of the line as a single field *alignctrl-:*
Example: More justification options: Align = >
+------------+---------------+--------------------+---------------+
| Original | AlignCtrl -l | AlignCtrl rl+ | AlignCtrl l: |
+------------+---------------+--------------------+---------------+
| a=bb=ccc=1 |a=bb = ccc=1 | a = bb = ccc = 1 |a = bb=ccc=1 |
| ccc=a=bb=2 |ccc=a = bb=2 |ccc = a = bb = 2 |ccc = a=bb=2 |
| dd=eee=f=3 |dd=eee = f=3 | dd = eee = f = 3 |dd = eee=f=3 |
+------------+---------------+--------------------+---------------+
| Alignment |l l | r l l l |l l |
+------------+---------------+--------------------+---------------+
<
In the first example in "More justification options":
The first "=" separator is skipped by the "-" specification,
and so "a=bb", "ccc=a", and "dd=eee" are considered as single fields.
The next "=" separator has its (left side) field left-justified.
Due to the cyclic nature of separator patterns, the "-l"
specification is equivalent to "-l-l-l ...".
Hence the next specification is a "skip", so "ccc=1", etc are fields.
In the second example in "More justification options":
The first field is right-justified, the second field is left
justified, and all remaining fields repeat the last justification
command (ie. they are left justified, too).
Hence rl+ is equivalent to rlllllllll ...
(whereas plain rl is equivalent to rlrlrlrlrl ... ).
In the third example in "More justification options":
The text following the first separator is treated as a single field.
Thus using the - and : operators one can apply justification to a
single separator.
ex. 1st separator only: AlignCtrl l:
2nd separator only: AlignCtrl -l:
3rd separator only: AlignCtrl --l:
etc.
--- *alignctrl-=*
=C CYCLIC VS ALL-ACTIVE SEPARATORS *alignctrl-C*
---
The separators themselves may be considered as equivalent and
simultaneously active ("=") or sequentially cycled through ("C").
Separators are regular expressions (|regexp|) and are specified as the
second, third, etc arguments. When the separator patterns are
equivalent and simultaneously active, there will be one pattern
constructed: >
AlignCtrl ... pat1 pat2 pat3
\(pat1\|pat2\|pat3\)
<
Each separator pattern is thus equivalent and simultaneously active.
The cyclic separator AlignCtrl option stores a list of patterns, only
one of which is active for each field at a time.
Example: Equivalent/Simultaneously-Active vs Cyclic Separators >
+-------------+------------------+---------------------+----------------------+
| Original | AlignCtrl = = + -| AlignCtrl = = | AlignCtrl C = + - |
+-------------+------------------+---------------------+----------------------+
|a = b + c - d|a = b + c - d |a = b + c - d |a = b + c - d |
|x = y = z + 2|x = y = z + 2 |x = y = z + 2|x = y = z + 2 |
|w = s - t = 0|w = s - t = 0 |w = s - t = 0 |w = s - t = 0 |
+-------------+------------------+---------------------+----------------------+
<
The original is initially aligned with all operators (=+-) being
considered as equivalent and simultaneously active field separators.
Thus the "AlignCtrl = = + -" example shows no change.
The second example only accepts the '=' as a field separator;
consequently "b + c - d" is now a single field.
The third example illustrates cyclic field separators and is analyzed
in the following illustration: >
field1 separator field2 separator field3 separator field4
a = b + c - d
x = y = z + 2
w = s - t = 0
<
The word "cyclic" is used because the patterns form a cycle of use; in
the above case, its = + - = + - = + - = + -...
Example: Cyclic separators >
Label : this is some text discussing ":"s | ex. abc:def:ghi
Label : this is some text with a ":" in it | ex. abc:def
<
apply AlignCtrl lWC : | |
(select lines)Align >
Label : this is some text discussing ":"s | ex. abc:def:ghi
Label : this is some text with a ":" in it | ex. abcd:efg
<
In the current example,
: is the first separator So the first ":"s are aligned
| is the second separator but subsequent ":"s are not.
| is the third separator The "|"s are aligned, too.
: is the fourth separator Since there aren't two bars,
| is the fifth separator the subsequent potential cycles
| is the sixth separator don't appear.
...
In this case it would probably have been a better idea to have used >
AlignCtrl WCl: : |
< as that alignment control would guarantee that no more cycling
would be used after the vertical bar.
Example: Cyclic separators
Original: >
a| b&c | (d|e) & f-g-h
aa| bb&cc | (dd|ee) & ff-gg-hh
aaa| bbb&ccc | (ddd|eee) & fff-ggg-hhh
<
AlignCtrl C | | & - >
a | b&c | (d|e) & f - g-h
aa | bb&cc | (dd|ee) & ff - gg-hh
aaa | bbb&ccc | (ddd|eee) & fff - ggg-hhh
<
In this example,
the first and second separators are "|",
the third separator is "&", and
the fourth separator is "-",
(cycling)
the fifth and sixth separators are "|",
the seventh separator is "&", and
the eighth separator is "-", etc.
Thus the first "&"s are (not yet) separators, and hence are treated as
part of the field. Ignoring white space for the moment, the AlignCtrl
shown here means that Align will work with >
field | field | field & field - field | field | field & field - ...
<
--- *alignctrl-<*
<>| SEPARATOR JUSTIFICATION *alignctrl->*
--- *alignctrl-|*
Separators may be of differing lengths as shown in the example below.
Hence they too may be justified left, right, or centered.
Furthermore, separator justification specification is cyclic:
< means <<<<<... justify separator(s) to the left
> means >>>>>... justify separator(s) to the right
| means |||||... center separator(s)
Example: Separator Justification: Align -\+ >
+-----------------+
| Original |
+-----------------+
| a - bbb - c |
| aa -- bb -- ccc |
| aaa --- b --- cc|
+---------------------+-+-----------------+-+---------------------+
| AlignCtrl < | AlignCtrl > | AlignCtrl | |
+---------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| a - bbb - c | a - bbb - c | a - bbb - c |
| aa -- bb -- ccc | aa -- bb -- ccc | aa -- bb -- ccc |
| aaa --- b --- cc | aaa --- b --- cc | aaa --- b --- cc |
+---------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
<
--- *alignctrl-g*
gv SELECTIVE APPLICATION *alignctrl-v*
---
These two options provide a way to select (g) or to deselect (v) lines
based on a pattern. Ideally :g/pat/Align would work; unfortunately
it results in Align() being called on each line satisfying the pattern
separately. >
AlignCtrl g pattern
<
Align will only consider those lines which have the given pattern. >
AlignCtrl v pattern
<
Align will only consider those lines without the given pattern. As an
example of use, consider the following example: >
:AlignCtrl v ^\s*/\*
Original :Align = :Align =
+----------------+------------------+----------------+
|one= 2; |one = 2; |one = 2; |
|three= 4; |three = 4; |three = 4; |
|/* skip=this */ |/* skip = this */ |/* skip=this */ |
|five= 6; |five = 6; |five = 6; |
+----------------+------------------+----------------+
<
The first "Align =" aligned with all "="s, including that one in the
"skip=this" comment.
The second "Align =" had a AlignCtrl v-pattern which caused it to skip
(ignore) the "skip=this" line when aligning.
To remove AlignCtrl's g and v patterns, use (as appropriate) >
AlignCtrl g
AlignCtrl v
<
To see what g/v patterns are currently active, just use the reporting
capability of a plain AlignCtrl call: >
AlignCtrl
<
---
m MAP SUPPORT *alignctrl-m*
---
This option primarily supports the development of maps. The AlignCtrl
call will first do an AlignPush() (ie. retain current alignment
control settings). The next Align() will, in addition to its
alignment job, finish up with an AlignPop(). Thus the AlignCtrl
settings that follow the "m" are only temporarily in effect for just
the next Align().
---
p### *alignctrl-p*
P### PADDING *alignctrl-P*
---
These two options control pre-padding and post-padding with blanks
about the separator. One may pad separators with zero to nine spaces;
the padding number(s) is/are treated as a cyclic parameter. Thus one
may specify padding separately for each field or re-use a padding
pattern. >
Example: AlignCtrl p102P0
+---------+----------------------------------+
| Original| a=b=c=d=e=f=g=h=1 |
| Align = | a =b=c =d =e=f =g =h=1 |
+---------+----------------------------------+
| prepad | 1 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 |
+---------+----------------------------------+
<
This example will cause Align to:
pre-pad the first "=" with a single blank,
pre-pad the second "=" with no blanks,
pre-pad the third "=" with two blanks,
pre-pad the fourth "=" with a single blank,
pre-pad the fifth "=" with no blanks,
pre-pad the sixth "=" with two blanks,
etc.
--------------- *alignctrl-settings*
No option given DISPLAY STATUS *alignctrl-*
--------------- *alignctrl-no-option*
AlignCtrl, when called with no arguments, will display the current
alignment control settings. A typical display is shown below: >
AlignCtrl<=> qty=1 AlignStyle<l> Padding<1|1>
Pat1<\(=\)>
<
Interpreting, this means that the separator patterns are all
equivalent; in this case, there's only one (qty=1). Fields will be
padded on the right with spaces (left justification), and separators
will be padded on each side with a single space.
One may get a string which can be fed back into AlignCtrl: >
:let alignctrl= AlignCtrl()
<
This form will put a string describing the current AlignCtrl options,
except for the "g" and "v" patterns, into a variable. The AlignCtrl()
function will still echo its settings, however. One can feed any
non-supported "option" to AlignCtrl() to prevent this, however: >
:let alignctrl= AlignCtrl("d")
<
ALIGNMENT *align-align*
Once the alignment control has been determined, the user specifies a
range of lines for the Align command/function to do its thing.
Alignment is often done on a line-range basis, but one may also
restrict alignment to a visual block using ctrl-v. For any visual
mode, one types the colon (:) and then "Align". One may, of course,
specify a range of lines: >
:[range]Align [list-of-separators]
<
where the |range| is the usual Vim-powered set of possibilities; the
list of separators is the same as the AlignCtrl capability. There is
only one list of separators, but either AlignCtrl or Align can be used
to specify that list.
An alternative form of the Align command can handle both alignment
control and the separator list: >
:[range]Align! [alignment-control-string] [list-of-separators]
<
The alignment control string will be applied only for this particular
application of Align (it uses |alignctrl-m|). The "g pattern" and
"v pattern" alignment controls (see |alignctrl-g| and |alignctrl-v|)
are also available via this form of the Align command.
Align makes two passes over the text to be aligned. The first pass
determines how many fields there are and determines the maximum sizes
of each field; these sizes are then stored in a vector. The second
pass pads the field (left/right/centered as specified) to bring its
length up to the maximum size of the field. Then the separator and
its AlignCtrl-specified padding is appended.
Pseudo-Code:~
During pass 1
| For all fields in the current line
|| Determine current separator
|| Examine field specified by current separator
|| Determine length of field and save if largest thus far
Initialize newline based on initial whitespace option (wWI)
During pass 2
| For all fields in current line
|| Determine current separator
|| Extract field specified by current separator
|| Prepend/append padding as specified by AlignCtrl
|| (right/left/center)-justify to fit field into max-size field
|| Append separator with AlignCtrl-specified separator padding
|| Delete current line, install newly aligned line
The g and v AlignCtrl patterns cause the passes not to consider lines
for alignment, either by requiring that the g-pattern be present or
that the v-pattern not be present.
The whitespace on either side of a separator is ignored.
ALIGNMENT MAPS *alignmaps* *align-maps*
There are a number of maps using AlignCtrl() and Align() in the
<AlignMaps.vim> file. This file may also be put into the plugins
subdirectory. Since AlignCtrl and Align supercede textab and its
<ttalign.vim> file, the maps either have a leading "t" (for "textab")
or the more complicated ones an "a" (for "alignment") for backwards
compatibility.
\a, : useful for breaking up comma-separated
declarations prior to \adec |alignmap-a,|
\a? : aligns (...)? ...:... expressions on ? and : |alignmap-a?|
\a< : aligns << and >> for c++ |alignmap-a<|
\a= : aligns := assignments |alignmap-a=|
\abox : draw a C-style comment box around text lines |alignmap-abox|
\acom : useful for aligning comments |alignmap-acom|
\adcom: useful for aligning comments in declarations |alignmap-adcom|
\anum : useful for aligning numbers |alignmap-anum|
NOTE: For the visual-mode use of \anum, <vis.vim> is needed!
See http://mysite.verizon.net/astronaut/vim/index.html#VIS
\aenum: align a European-style number |alignmap-anum|
\aunum: align a USA-style number |alignmap-anum|
\adec : useful for aligning declarations |alignmap-adec|
\adef : useful for aligning definitions |alignmap-adef|
\afnc : useful for aligning ansi-c style functions'
argument lists |alignmap-afnc|
\adcom: a variant of \acom, restricted to comment |alignmap-adcom|
containing lines only, but also only for
those which don't begin with a comment.
Good for certain declaration styles.
\aocom: a variant of \acom, restricted to comment |alignmap-aocom|
containing lines only
\tab : align a table based on tabs *alignmap-tab*
(converts to spaces)
\tml : useful for aligning the trailing backslashes |alignmap-tml|
used to continue lines (shell programming, etc)
\tsp : use Align to make a table separated by blanks |alignmap-tsp|
(left justified)
\ts, : like \t, but swaps whitespace on the right of *alignmap-ts,*
the commas to their left
\Tsp : use Align to make a table separated by blanks |alignmap-Tsp|
(right justified)
\tsq : use Align to make a table separated by blanks |alignmap-tsq|
(left justified) -- "strings" are not split up
\tt : useful for aligning LaTeX tabular tables |alignmap-tt|
\Htd : tabularizes html tables: |alignmap-Htd|
<TR><TD> ...field... </TD><TD> ...field... </TD></TR>
*alignmap-t|* *alignmap-t#* *alignmap-t,* *alignmap-t:*
*alignmap-t;* *alignmap-t<* *alignmap-t?* *alignmap-t~*
*alignmap-m=*
\tx : make a left-justified alignment on
character "x" where "x" is: ,:<=@|# |alignmap-t=|
\Tx : make a right-justified alignment on
character "x" where "x" is: ,:<=@# |alignmap-T=|
\m= : like \t= but aligns with %... style comments
The leading backslash is actually <leader> (see |mapleader| for how to
customize the leader to be whatever you like). These maps use the
<Align.vim> package and are defined in the <AlignMaps.vim> file.
Although the maps use AlignCtrl options, they typically use the "m"
option which pushes the options (AlignPush). The associated Align
call which follows will then AlignPop the user's original options
back.
ALIGNMENT MAP USE WITH MARK AND MOVE~
In the examples below, one may select the text with a "ma" at the
first line, move to the last line, then execute the map.
ALIGNMENT MAP USE WITH VISUAL MODE~
Alternatively, one may select the text with the "V" visual mode
selector.
ALIGNMENT MAP USE WITH MENUS~
One may use the mark-and-move style (ma, move, use the menu) or
the visual mode style (use the V visual mode, move, then select
the alignment map with menu selection). The alignment map menu
items are under DrChip.AlignMaps .
One may change the top level menu name to whatever is wished; by
default, its >
let g:DrChipTopLvlMenu= "DrChip."
< If you set the variable to the empty string (""), then no menu items
will be produced. Of course, one must have a vim with +menu, the gui
must be running, and *'go'* must have the menu bar suboption (ie. m
must be included).
COMPLEX ALIGNMENT MAP METHOD~
For those complex alignment maps which do alignment on constructs
(e.g. \acom, \adec, etc), a series of substitutes is used to insert
"@" symbols in appropriate locations. Align() is then used to do
alignment directly on "@"s; then it is followed by further substitutes
to do clean-up. However, the maps \WS and \WE protect any original
embedded "@" symbols by first converting them to <DEL> characters,
doing the requested job, and then converting them back.
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \a, *alignmap-a,*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates comma-separated declaration splitting: >
int a,b,c;
struct ABC_str abc,def;
<
Becomes: >
int a;
int b;
int c;
struct ABC_str abc;
struct ABC_str def;
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \a? *alignmap-a?*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates ()?: aligning >
printf("<%s>\n",
(x == ABC)? "abc" :
(x == DEFG)? "defg" :
(x == HIJKL)? "hijkl" : "???");
<
Becomes: select "(x == ..." lines, then \a? >
printf("<%s>\n",
(x == ABC)? "abc" :
(x == DEFG)? "defg" :
(x == HIJKL)? "hijkl" : "???");
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \a< *alignmap-a<*
---------------------------
Original: illustrating aligning of << and >> >
cin << x;
cin << y;
cout << "this is x=" << x;
cout << "but y=" << y << "is not";
<
Becomes: select "(x == ..." lines, then \a< >
cin << x;
cin << y;
cout << "this is x=" << x;
cout << "but y=" << y << "is not";
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \a= *alignmap-a=*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates how to align := assignments >
aa:=bb:=cc:=1;
a:=b:=c:=1;
aaa:=bbb:=ccc:=1;
<
Bcomes: select the three assignment lines, then \a:= >
aa := bb := cc := 1;
a := b := c := 1;
aaa := bbb := ccc := 1;
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \abox *alignmap-abox*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates how to comment-box some text >
This is some plain text
which will
soon be surrounded by a
comment box.
<
Becomes: Select "This..box." with ctrl-v, press \abox >
/***************************
* This is some plain text *
* which will *
* soon be surrounded by a *
* comment box. *
***************************/
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \acom *alignmap-acom*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates aligning C-style comments (works for //, too) >
if(itworks) { /* this */
then= dothis; /* is a */
} /* set of three comments */
<
Becomes: Select the three lines, press \acom >
if(itworks) { /* this */
then= dothis; /* is a */
} /* set of three comments */
<
Also see |alignmap-aocom|
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \anum *alignmap-anum*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates how to get numbers lined up >
-1.234 .5678 -.901e-4
1.234 5.678 9.01e-4
12.34 56.78 90.1e-4
123.4 567.8 901.e-4
<
Becomes: Go to first line, ma. Go to last line, press \anum >
-1.234 .5678 -.901e-4
1.234 5.678 9.01e-4
12.34 56.78 90.1e-4
123.4 567.8 901.e-4
<
Original: >
| -1.234 .5678 -.901e-4 |
| 1.234 5.678 9.01e-4 |
| 12.34 56.78 90.1e-4 |
| 123.4 567.8 901.e-4 |
<
Becomes: Select the numbers with ctrl-v (visual-block mode), >
press \anum
| -1.234 .5678 -.901e-4 |
| 1.234 5.678 9.01e-4 |
| 12.34 56.78 90.1e-4 |
| 123.4 567.8 901.e-4 |
<
Original: >
-1,234 ,5678 -,901e-4
1,234 5,678 9,01e-4
12,34 56,78 90,1e-4
123,4 567,8 901,e-4
<
Becomes: Go to first line, ma. Go to last line, press \anum >
-1,234 ,5678 -,901e-4
1,234 5,678 9,01e-4
12,34 56,78 90,1e-4
123,4 567,8 901,e-4
<
In addition:
\aenum is provided to support European-style numbers
\aunum is provided to support USA-style numbers
One may get \aenum behavior for \anum >
let g:alignmaps_euronumber= 1
< or \aunum behavior for \anum if one puts >
let g:alignmaps_usanumber= 1
< in one's <.vimrc>.
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \ascom *alignmap-ascom*
---------------------------
Original: >
/* A Title */
int x; /* this is a comment */
int yzw; /* this is another comment*/
<
Becomes: Select the three lines, press \ascom >
/* A Title */
int x; /* this is a comment */
int yzw; /* this is another comment */
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \adec *alignmap-adec*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates how to clean up C/C++ declarations >
int a;
float b;
double *c=NULL;
char x[5];
struct abc_str abc;
struct abc_str *pabc;
int a; /* a */
float b; /* b */
double *c=NULL; /* b */
char x[5]; /* x[5] */
struct abc_str abc; /* abc */
struct abc_str *pabc; /* pabc */
static int a; /* a */
static float b; /* b */
static double *c=NULL; /* b */
static char x[5]; /* x[5] */
static struct abc_str abc; /* abc */
static struct abc_str *pabc; /* pabc */
<
Becomes: Select the declarations text, then \adec >
int a;
float b;
double *c = NULL;
char x[5];
struct abc_str abc;
struct abc_str *pabc;
int a; /* a */
float b; /* b */
double *c = NULL; /* b */
char x[5]; /* x[5] */
struct abc_str abc; /* abc */
struct abc_str *pabc; /* pabc */
static int a; /* a */
static float b; /* b */
static double *c = NULL; /* b */
static char x[5]; /* x[5] */
static struct abc_str abc; /* abc */
static struct abc_str *pabc; /* pabc */
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \adef *alignmap-adef*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates how to line up #def'initions >
#define ONE 1
#define TWO 22
#define THREE 333
#define FOUR 4444
<
Becomes: Select four definition lines, apply \adef >
# define ONE 1
# define TWO 22
# define THREE 333
# define FOUR 4444
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \afnc *alignmap-afnc*
---------------------------
This map is an exception to the usual selection rules.
It uses "]]" to find the function body's leading "{".
Just put the cursor anywhere in the function arguments and
the entire function declaration should be processed.
Because "]]" looks for that "{" in the first column, the
"original" and "becomes" examples are in the first column,
too.
Original: illustrates lining up ansi-c style function definitions >
int f(
struct abc_str ***a, /* one */
long *b, /* two */
int c) /* three */
{
}
<
Becomes: put cursor anywhere before the '{', press \afnc >
int f(
struct abc_str ***a, /* one */
long *b, /* two */
int c) /* three */
{
}
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \adcom *alignmap-adcom*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates aligning comments that don't begin
lines (optionally after some whitespace). >
struct {
/* this is a test */
int x; /* of how */
double y; /* to use adcom */
};
<
Becomes: Select the inside lines of the structure,
then press \adcom. The comment-only
line is ignored but the other two comments
get aligned. >
struct {
/* this is a test */
int x; /* of how */
double y; /* to use adcom */
};
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \aocom *alignmap-aocom*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates how to align C-style comments (works for //, too)
but restricted only to aligning with those lines containing
comments. See the difference from \acom (|alignmap-acom|). >
if(itworks) { /* this comment */
then= dothis;
} /* only appears on two lines */
<
Becomes: Select the three lines, press \aocom >
if(itworks) { /* this comment */
then= dothis;
} /* only appears on two lines */
<
Also see |alignmap-acom|
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \tsp *alignmap-tsp*
---------------------------
Normally Align can't use white spaces for field separators as such
characters are ignored surrounding field separators. The \tsp and
\Tsp maps get around this limitation.
Original: >
one two three four five
six seven eight nine ten
eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen
<
Becomes: Select the lines, \tsp >
one two three four five
six seven eight nine ten
eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen
<
Becomes: Select the lines, \Tsp >
one two three four five
six seven eight nine ten
eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \tsq *alignmap-tsq*
---------------------------
The \tsp map is useful for aligning tables based on white space,
but sometimes one wants double-quoted strings to act as a single
object in spite of embedded spaces. The \tsq map was invented
to support this. (thanks to Leif Wickland)
Original: >
"one two" three
four "five six"
<
Becomes: Select the lines, \tsq >
"one two" three
four "five six"
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \tt *alignmap-tt*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates aligning a LaTex Table >
\begin{tabular}{||c|l|r||}
\hline\hline
one&two&three\\ \hline
four&five&six\\
seven&eight&nine\\
\hline\hline
\end{tabular}
<
Becomes: Select the three lines inside the table >
(ie. one..,four..,seven..) and press \tt
\begin{tabular}{||c|l|r||}
\hline\hline
one & two & three \\ \hline
four & five & six \\
seven & eight & nine \\
\hline\hline
\end{tabular}
<
----------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \tml *alignmap-tml*
----------------------------
Original: illustrates aligning multi-line continuation marks >
one \
two three \
four five six \
seven \\ \
eight \nine \
ten \
<
Becomes: >
one \
two three \
four five six \
seven \\ \
eight \nine \
ten \
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \t= *alignmap-t=*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates left-justified aligning of = >
aa=bb=cc=1;/*one*/
a=b=c=1;/*two*/
aaa=bbb=ccc=1;/*three*/
<
Becomes: Select the three equations, press \t= >
aa = bb = cc = 1; /* one */
a = b = c = 1; /* two */
aaa = bbb = ccc = 1; /* three */
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \T= *alignmap-T=*
---------------------------
Original: illustrates right-justified aligning of = >
aa=bb=cc=1; /* one */
a=b=c=1; /* two */
aaa=bbb=ccc=1; /* three */
<
Becomes: Select the three equations, press \T= >
aa = bb = cc = 1; /* one */
a = b = c = 1; /* two */
aaa = bbb = ccc = 1; /* three */
<
---------------------------
Alignment Map Examples: \Htd *alignmap-Htd*
---------------------------
Original: for aligning tables with html >
<TR><TD>...field one...</TD><TD>...field two...</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>...field three...</TD><TD>...field four...</TD></TR>
<
Becomes: Select <TR>... lines, press \Htd >
<TR><TD> ...field one... </TD><TD> ...field two... </TD></TR>
<TR><TD> ...field three... </TD><TD> ...field four... </TD></TR>
<
==============================================================================
4. Alignment Tool History *align-history* {{{1
ALIGN HISTORY {{{2
33 : Sep 20, 2007 * s:Strlen() introduced to support various ways
used to represent characters and their effects
on string lengths. See |align-strlen|.
* Align now accepts "..." -- so it can accept
whitespace as separators.
32 : Aug 18, 2007 * uses |<q-args>| instead of |<f-args>| plus a
custom argument splitter to allow patterns with
backslashes to slide in unaltered.
31 : Aug 06, 2007 * :[range]Align! [AlignCtrl settings] pattern(s)
implemented.
30 : Feb 12, 2007 * now uses |setline()|
29 : Jan 18, 2006 * cecutil updated to use keepjumps
Feb 23, 2006 * Align now converted to vim 7.0 style using
auto-loading functions.
28 : Aug 17, 2005 * report option workaround
Oct 24, 2005 * AlignCtrl l: wasn't behaving as expected; fixed
27 : Apr 15, 2005 : cpo workaround
ignorecase workaround
26 : Aug 20, 2004 : loaded_align now also indicates version number
GetLatestVimScripts :AutoInstall: now supported
25 : Jul 27, 2004 : For debugging, uses Dfunc(), Dret(), and Decho()
24 : Mar 03, 2004 : (should've done this earlier!) visualmode(1)
not supported until v6.2, now Align will avoid
calling it for earlier versions. Visualmode
clearing won't take place then, of course.
23 : Oct 07, 2003 : Included Leif Wickland's ReplaceQuotedSpaces()
function which supports \tsq
22 : Jan 29, 2003 : Now requires 6.1.308 or later to clear visualmode()
21 : Jan 10, 2003 : BugFix: similar problem to #19; new code
bypasses "norm! v\<Esc>" until initialization
is over.
20 : Dec 30, 2002 : BugFix: more on "unable to highlight" fixed
19 : Nov 21, 2002 : BugFix: some terminals gave an "unable to highlight"
message at startup; Hari Krishna Dara tracked it
down; a silent! now included to prevent noise.
18 : Nov 04, 2002 : BugFix: re-enabled anti-repeated-loading
17 : Nov 04, 2002 : BugFix: forgot to have AlignPush() push s:AlignSep
AlignCtrl now clears visual-block mode when used so
that Align won't try to use old visual-block
selection marks '< '>
16 : Sep 18, 2002 : AlignCtrl <>| options implemented (separator
justification)
15 : Aug 22, 2002 : bug fix: AlignCtrl's ":" now acts as a modifier of
the preceding alignment operator (lrc)
14 : Aug 20, 2002 : bug fix: AlignCtrl default now keeps &ic unchanged
bug fix: Align, on end-field, wasn't using correct
alignop bug fix: Align, on end-field, was appending
padding
13 : Aug 19, 2002 : bug fix: zero-length g/v patterns are accepted
bug fix: always skip blank lines
bug fix: AlignCtrl default now also clears g and v
patterns
12 : Aug 16, 2002 : moved keep_ic above zero-length pattern checks
added "AlignCtrl default"
fixed bug with last field getting separator spaces
at end line
11 : Jul 08, 2002 : prevent separator patterns which match zero length
-+: included as additional alignment/justification
styles
10 : Jun 26, 2002 : =~# used instead of =~ (for matching case)
ignorecase option handled
9 : Jun 25, 2002 : implemented cyclic padding
ALIGNMENT MAP HISTORY *alignmap-history* {{{2
v39 Mar 06, 2008 : * \t= only does /* ... */ aligning when in *.c
*.cpp files.
v38 Aug 18, 2007 : * \tt altered so that it works with the new
use of |<q-args>| plus a custom argument
splitter
v36 Sep 27, 2006 : * AlignWrapperStart() now has tests that marks
y and z are not set
May 15, 2007 * \anum and variants improved
v35 Sep 01, 2006 : * \t= and cousins used "`"s. They now use \xff
characters.
* \acom now works with doxygen style /// comments
* <char-0xff> used in \t= \T= \w= and \m= instead
of backquotes.
v34 Feb 23, 2006 : * AlignMaps now converted to vim 7.0 style using
auto-loading functions.
v33 Oct 12, 2005 : * \ts, now uses P1 in its AlignCtrl call
v32 Jun 28, 2005 : * s:WrapperStart() changed to AlignWrapperStart()
s:WrapperEnd() changed to AlignWrapperEnd()
These changes let the AlignWrapper...()s to be
used outside of AlignMaps.vim
v31 Feb 01, 2005 : * \adcom included, with help
* \a, now works across multiple lines with
different types
* AlignMaps now uses <cecutil.vim> for its mark and
window-position saving and restoration
Mar 04, 2005 * improved \a,
Apr 06, 2005 * included \aenum, \aunum, and provided
g:alignmaps_{usa|euro]number} options
v30 Aug 20, 2004 : * \a, : handles embedded assignments and does \adec
* \acom now can handle Doxygen-style comments
* g:loaded_alignmaps now also indicates version
* internal maps \WE and \WS are now re-entrant
v29 Jul 27, 2004 : * \tml aligns trailing multi-line single
backslashes (thanks to Raul Benavente!)
v28 May 13, 2004 : * \a, had problems with leading blanks; fixed!
v27 Mar 31, 2004 : * \T= was having problems with == and !=
* Fixed more problems with \adec
v26 Dec 09, 2003 : * \ascom now also ignores lines without comments
* \tt \& now not matched
* \a< handles both << and >>
v25 Nov 14, 2003 : * included \anum (aligns numbers with periods and
commas). \anum also supported with ctrl-v mode.
* \ts, \Ts, : (aligns on commas, then swaps leading
spaces with commas)
* \adec ignores preprocessor lines and lines with
with comments-only
v23 Sep 10, 2003 : * Bugfix for \afnc - no longer overwrites marks y,z
* fixed bug in \tsp, \tab, \Tsp, and \Tab - lines
containing backslashes were having their
backslashes removed. Included Leif Wickland's
patch for \tsq.
* \adef now ignores lines holding comments only
v18 Aug 22, 2003 : \a< lines up C++'s << operators
saves/restores gdefault option (sets to nogd)
all b:..varname.. are now b:alignmaps_..varname..
v17 Nov 04, 2002 : \afnc now handles // comments correctly and
commas within comments
v16 Sep 10, 2002 : changed : to :silent! for \adec
v15 Aug 27, 2002 : removed some <c-v>s
v14 Aug 20, 2002 : \WS, \WE mostly moved to functions, marks y and z
now restored
v11 Jul 08, 2002 : \abox bug fix
v9 Jun 25, 2002 : \abox now handles leading initial whitespace
: various bugfixes to \afnc, \T=, etc
==============================================================================
Modelines: {{{1
vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:fdm=marker: