path: root/vim.dot.link/doc/project.txt

*project.txt*	Plugin for managing multiple projects with multiple sources
		For Vim version 6.x and Vim version 7.x.
		Last Change: Fri 13 Oct 2006 10:20:13 AM EDT
	

				By Aric Blumer
		      aricvim email-at-sign charter.net

						    *project* *project-plugin*
	Contents:

		Commands...................|project-invoking|
		Inheritance.............|project-inheritance|
		Mappings...................|project-mappings|
		Adding Mappings.....|project-adding-mappings|
		Settings...................|project-settings|
		Example File................|project-example|
		Tips...........................|project-tips|


You can use this plugin's basic functionality to set up a list of
frequently-accessed files for easy navigation. The list of files will be
displayed in a window on the left side of the Vim window, and you can press
<Return> or double-click on filenames in the list to open the files. I find
this easier to use than having to navigate a directory hierarchy with the
|file-explorer|.

You can also instruct the Plugin to change to a directory and to run Vim
scripts when you select a file. These scripts can, for example, modify the
environment to include compilers in $PATH. This makes it very easy to use
quickfix with multiple projects that use different environments.

Other features include:
	o Loading/Unloading all the files in a Project (\l, \L, \w, and \W)
	o Grepping all the files in a Project (\g and \G)
	o Running a user-specified script on a file (can be used to launch an
	  external program on the file) (\1 through \9)
	o Running a user-specified script on all the files in a Project
	  (\f1-\f9 and \F1-\F9)
	o High degree of user-configurability
	o Also works with |netrw| using the XXXX://... notation where XXXX is
	  ftp, rcp, scp, or http.

All of this is specified within a simple text file and a few global variables
in your vimrc file.

You must set 'nocompatible' in your |vimrc| file to use this plugin. You can
stop the plugin from being loaded by setting the "loaded_project" variable: >
	:let loaded_project = 1


==============================================================================
COMMANDS						    *project-invoking*

You can use the plugin by placing it in your plugin directory (e.g.,
~/.vim/plugin). See |add-global-plugin|. When you start vim the next time, you
then enter the command >
    :Project
or >
    :Project {file}

If you do not specify the filename, $HOME/.vimprojects is used.

To have Vim come up with the Project Window enabled automatically (say, from a
GUI launcher), run Vim like this:  [g]vim +Project

Note that you can invoke :Project on only one file at a time.  If you wish to
change the Project File, do a :bwipe in the Project Buffer, then re-invoke the
Plugin as described above.

Several Projects can be kept and displayed in the same file, each in a fold
delimited by { and } (see |fold.txt|).  There can be any number of nested
folds to provide you with a Project hierarchy.  Any line without a { or a } in
the file is considered to be a filename.  Blank lines are ignored, and any
text after a # is ignored.

Because the plugin uses standard Vim folds, you can use any of the
|fold-commands|. You can double-click on the first line of a fold to open and
close it. You can select a file to open by putting the cursor on its name and
pressing <Return> or by double-clicking on it.  The plugin will create a new
window to the right or use the |CTRL-W_p| equivalent if it exists.

							      *project-syntax*
Each Project Entry has this form:

project_entry ::=
    <Description>={projpath} [{options}] {
	[ filename ]
	[ project_entry ]
    }

{options} is one or more of the following (on the same line):
    CD={path}
    in={filename}
    out={filename}
    filter="{pat}"
    flags={flag}

Note that a project_entry can reside within a project_entry. This allows you
to set up a hierarchy within your Project.

The <Description> will be displayed in the foldtext and cannot contain "=".
There can be no space character directly on either side of the =.

The {projpath} is the path in which the files listed in the Project's fold
will be found, and it may contain environment variables.  If the path is a
relative path, then the plugin constructs the whole path from the Project's
parent, grandparent, etc., all the way up the hierarchy. An outermost
project_entry must have an absolute path.  See the |project-inheritance|
example below.  {projpath} may contain spaces, but they must be escaped like
normal Vim escapes. Here are two examples of the same directory:
>
	Example=/my/directory/with\ spaces {
	}
	Example="/my/directory/with spaces" {
	}

I recommend this for Windows�: >

	Example="c:\My Documents" {
	}

But Vim is smart enough to do this, too: >

	Example=c:\My\ Documents {
	}

CD= provides the directory that Vim will change to when you select a file in
that fold (using |:cd|). This allows you, for example, to enter |:make| to use
the local Makefile.  A CD=. means that Vim will make {projpath} or its
inherited equivalent the current working directory.  When CD is omitted, the
directory is not changed.  There can be no space on either side of the =.  The
value of CD can also be a relative path from a parent's CD.  See the
|project-inheritance| example below.  This directive is ignored for |netrw|
projects. Spaces are allowed in the path as for {projpath}.

in= and out= provide the means to run arbitrary Vim scripts whenever you enter
or leave a file's buffer (see the |BufEnter| and |BufLeave| autocommand
events).  The idea is to have a Vim script that sets up or tears down the
environment for the Project like this:

in.vim: >
	let $PROJECT_HOME='~/my_project'
	" Put the compiler in $PATH
	if $PATH !~ '/path/to/my/compiler'
		let $PATH=$PATH.':/path/to/my/compiler'
	endif

out.vim: >
	" Remove compiler from $PATH
	if $PATH =~ '/path/to/my/compiler'
		let $PATH=substitute($PATH, ':/path/to/my/compiler', '', 'g')
	endif

Then you can use :make with the proper environment depending on what file you
are currently editing.  If the path to the script is relative, then it is
relative from {projpath}.  These directives are inherited by Subprojects
unless the Subproject specifies its own. For use with |netrw| projects, the
paths specified for in= and out= must be absolute and local.

filter= specifies a |glob()| file pattern. It is used to regenerate the list
of files in a Project fold when using the \r (<LocalLeader>r) map in the
Project Window.  The filter value must be in quotes because it can contain
multiple file patterns.  If filter is omitted, then the * pattern is used.
There can be no space on either side of the =.  A Subproject will inherit the
filter of its parent unless it specifies its own filter.

flags= provides the means to enable/disable features for a particular fold.
The general mnemonic scheme is for lower case to turn something off and upper
case to turn something on.  {flag} can contain any of the following
characters:

      flag      Description ~

	l	Turn off recursion for this fold for \L.  Subfolds are also
	        blocked from the recursion.

	r	Turn off refresh. When present, do not refresh this fold when
		\r or \R is used.  This does not affect subfold recursion.

	S	Turn on sorting for refresh and create.

	s	Turn off sorting for refresh and create.

	T	Turn on top gravity.  Forces folds to the top of the current
		fold when refreshing. It has the same affect as the 'T' flag
		in g:proj_flags, but controls the feature on a per-fold basis.

	t	Turn off top gravity.  Forces folds to the bottom of the
	        current fold when refreshing.

	w	Turn off recursion for this fold for \W.  Subfolds are also
	        blocked from the recursion.


Flags are not inherited by Subprojects.

Any text outside a fold is ignored.


==============================================================================
INHERITANCE						 *project-inheritance*

It's best to show inheritance by comparing these two Project Files:
>
	Parent=~/my_project CD=. filter="Make* *.mk" flags=r {
	 Child1=c_code {
	 }
	 Child2=include CD=. filter="*.h" {
	 }
	}

Child1's path is "~/my_project/c_code" because ~/my_project is inherited.  It
also inherits the CD from Parent.  Since Parent has CD=., the Parent's cwd is
"~/my_project".  Child1 therefore inherits a CD of "~/my_project".  Finally,
Child1 inherits the filter from Parent. The flags are not inherited.

Child2 only inherits the "~/my_project" from Parent.

Thus, the example above is exactly equivalent to this:
>
	Parent=~/my_project CD=. filter="Make* *.mk" flags=r {
	 Child1=~/my_project/c_code CD=~/my_project filter="Make* *.mk" {
	 }
	 Child2=~/my_project/include CD=~/my_project/include filter="*.h" {
	 }
	}

(For a real Project, Child1 would not want to inherit its parent's filter, but
this example shows the concept.)  You can always enter \i to display what the
cursor's project inherits.


==============================================================================
MAPPINGS						    *project-mappings*

Map	Action ~

\r	Refreshes the Project fold that the cursor is in by placing in the
	fold all the files that match the filter. The Project is refreshed
	using an indent of one space for every foldlevel in the hierarchy.

	You may place a "# pragma keep" (without the quotes) at the end of a
	line, and the file entry on that line will not be removed when you
	refresh.  This is useful, for example, when you have . as an entry so
	you can easily browse the directory.
	
	Note that this mapping is actually <LocalLeader>r, and the default of
	|<LocalLeader>| is \.

	This does not work for Projects using |netrw|.

\R	Executes \r recursively in the current fold and all folds below.
	This does not work for Projects using |netrw|.

\c	Creates a Project fold entry.  It asks for the description, the path
	to the files, the CD parameter, and the filename |glob()| pattern.
	From this information, it will create the Project Entry below the
	cursor.

	This does not work for Projects using |netrw|.

\C	Creates a Project fold entry like \c, but recursively includes all the
	subdirectories.

<Return>
	Select a file to open in the |CTRL-W_p| window or in a new window.  If
	the cursor is on a fold, open or close it.

<S-Return>
\s
	Same as <Return> but horizontally split the target window.
	<LocalLeader>s is provided for those terminals that don't recognize
	<S-Return>.

\S
	Load all files in a project by doing horizontal splits.

<C-Return>
\o
	Same as <Return> but ensure that the opened file is the only other
	window. <LocalLeader>o is provided for those terminals that don't
	recognize <C-Return>.

<M-Return>
\v
	Same as <Return> but only display the file--the cursor stays in the
	Project Window.

<2-LeftMouse>
	(Double-click) If on a closed fold, open it. If on an open fold
	boundary, close it. If on a filename, open the file in the |CTRL-W_p|
	window or in a new window.

<S-2-LeftMouse>
	Same as <S-Return>.

<C-2-LeftMouse>
	Same as <C-Return>.

<RightMouse>
	Increase the width of the Project Window by g:proj_window_increment or
	toggle between a width of
		g:proj_window_width + g:proj_window_increment
	and
		g:proj_window_width.

	Whether you toggle or monotonically increase the width is determined
	by the 't' flag of the g:proj_flags variable (see |project-flags|).

	Note that a Right Mouse click will not automatically place the cursor
	in the Project Window if it is in a different window.  The window will
	go back to the g:proj_window_width width when you leave the window.

<space> Same as <RightMouse>

<CTRL-Up>
\<Up>
	Move the text or fold under the cursor up one row. This may not work
	in a terminal because the terminal is unaware of this key combination.
	<LocalLeader><Up> is provided for those terminals that don't recognize
	<C-Up>.


<CTRL-Down>
\<Down>
	Move the text or fold under the cursor down one row. This may not work
	in a terminal because the terminal is unaware of this key combination.
	<LocalLeader><Down> is provided for those terminals that don't
	recognize <C-Down>.

\i	Show in the status line the completely resolved and inherited
	parameters for the fold the cursor is in.  This is intended for
	debugging your relative path and inherited parameters for manually
	entered Projects.

\I	Show in the status line the completely resolved filename.  Uses the
        Project_GetFname(line('.')) function.

\1 - \9
	Run the command specified in g:proj_run{x} where {x} is the number
	of the key.  See the documentation of g:proj_run1 below.

\f1-\f9
	Run the command specified in g:proj_run_fold{x} where {x} is the
	number of the key.  The command is run on the files at the current
	Project level. See the |project-settings| below.

\F1-\F9
	Run the command specified in g:proj_run_fold{x} where {x} is the
	number of the key.  The command is run on the files at the current
	Project level and all Subprojects. See the |project-settings| below.

\0	Display the commands that are defined for \1 through \9.

\f0	Display the commands that are defined for \f1 through \f9 and \F1
	through \F0.  Same as \F0.

\l	Load all the files in the current Project level into Vim.  While files
	are being loaded, you may press any key to stop.

\L	Load all the files in the current Project and all Subprojects into
	Vim.  Use this mapping with caution--I wouldn't suggest using \L to
	load a Project with thousands of files. (BTW, my Project file has more
	than 5,300 files in it!)  While files are being loaded, you may press
	any key to stop.

\w	Wipe all the files in the current Project level from Vim. (If files
	are modified, they will be saved first.)  While files are being wiped,
	you may press any key to stop.

\W	Wipe all the files in the current Project and all Subprojects from
	Vim. (If files are modified, they will be saved first.)  While files
	are being wiped, you may press any key to stop.

\g	Grep all the files in the current Project level.

\G	Grep all the files in the current Project level and all Subprojects.

\e	Set up the Environment for the Project File as though you had selected
	it with <Return>.  This allows you to do a \e and a :make without
	having to open any files in the project.

\E	Explore (using |file-explorer|) the directory of the project the
	cursor is in.  Does not work with netrw.

<F12>	When the 'g' flag is present in g:proj_flags (see |project-flags|)
	this key toggles the Project Window open and closed. You may remap
	this toggle function by putting the following in your vimrc and
	replacing <Leader>P with whatever key combination you wish:

		nmap <silent> <Leader>P <Plug>ToggleProject

Note that the Project Plugin remaps :help because the Help Window and the
Project Window get into a fight over placement. The mapping avoids the
problem.

==============================================================================
ADDING MAPPINGS 				     *project-adding-mappings*

You can add your own mappings or change the mappings of the plugin by placing
them in the file $HOME/.vimproject_mappings.  This file, if it exists, will be
sourced when the plugin in loaded.  Here is an example that will count the
number of entries in a project when you press \K (Kount, C is taken :-): >

    function! s:Wc()
        let b:loadcount=0
        function! SpawnExec(infoline, fname, lineno, data)
	    let b:loadcount = b:loadcount + 1
	    if getchar(0) != 0 | let b:stop_everything=1 | endif
        endfunction
        call Project_ForEach(1, line('.'), "*SpawnExec", 0, '')
        delfunction SpawnExec
        echon b:loadcount." Files\r"
        unlet b:loadcount
        if exists("b:stop_everything")
	    unlet b:stop_everything
	    echon "Aborted.\r"
	endif
    endfunction

    nnoremap <buffer> <silent> <LocalLeader>K :call <SID>Wc()<CR>

Here's another example of how I integrated the use of perforce with the plugin
in my $HOME/.vimproject_mappings:
>
	function! s:DoP4(cmd)
	   let name=Project_GetFname(line('.'))
	   let dir=substitute(name, '\(.*\)/.*', '\1', 'g')
	   exec 'cd '.dir
	   exec "!".a:cmd.' '.Project_GetFname(line('.'))
	   cd -
	endfunction

	nmap <buffer> <silent> \pa :call <SID>DoP4("p4add")<CR>
	nmap <buffer> <silent> \pe :call <SID>DoP4("p4edit")<CR>
<
(Note that I CD to the directory the file is in so I can pick of the $P4CONFIG
file. See the perforce documentation.)

This creates the mappings \pe to check out the file for edit and \pa to add
the file to the depot.

Here is another example where I remap the <Return> mapping to use an external
program to launch a special kind of file (in this case, it launches ee to view
a jpg file).  It is a bit contrived, but it works.
>
	let s:sid = substitute(maparg('<Return>', 'n'), '.*\(<SNR>.\{-}\)_.*', '\1', '')
	function! s:LaunchOrWhat()
	    let fname=Project_GetFname(line('.'))
	    if fname =~ '\.jpg$'
		exec 'silent! !ee "'.fname.'"&'
	    else
		call {s:sid}_DoFoldOrOpenEntry('', 'e')
	    endif
	endfunction
	nnoremap <buffer> <silent> <Return>   \|:call <SID>LaunchOrWhat()<CR>
<
If the file ends in .jpg, the external program is launched, otherwise the
original mapping of <Return> is run.

==============================================================================
SETTINGS						    *project-settings*

You can set these variables in your vimrc file before the plugin is loaded to
change its default behavior

g:proj_window_width
	The width of the Project Window that the plugin attempts to maintain.
	Default: 24

	The Project Plugin is not always successful in keeping the window
	where I want it with the size specified here, but it does a decent
	job.

g:proj_window_increment
	The increment by which to increase the width of the Project Window
	when pressing <space> or clicking the <LeftMouse>. Default: 100
	(See |project-mappings|.)

							       *project-flags*
g:proj_flags
	Default: "imst"
	Various flags to control the behavior of the Project Plugin.  This
	variable can contain any of the following character flags.

       flag	Description ~

	b	When present, use the |browse()| when selecting directories
		for \c and \C.  This is off by default for Windows, because
		the windows browser does not allow you to select directories.

	c	When present, the Project Window will automatically close when
		you select a file.

	F	Float the Project Window.  That is, turn off automatic
		resizing and placement.  This allows placement between other
		windows that wish to share similar placement at the side of
		the screen.  It is also particularly helpful for external
		window managers.

	g	When present, the mapping for <F12> will be created to toggle
		the Project Window open and closed.

	i	When present, display the filename and the current working
		directory in the command line when a file is selected for
		opening.

	l	When present, the Project Plugin will use the |:lcd| command
		rather than |:cd| to change directories when you select a file
		to open.  This flag is really obsolete and not of much use
		because of L below.

	L	Similar to l, but install a BufEnter/Leave |:autocommand| to
		ensure that the current working directory is changed to the
		one specified in the fold CD specification whenever that
		buffer is active.  (|:lcd| only changes the CWD for a window,
		not a buffer.)

	m	Turn on mapping of the |CTRL-W_o| and |CTRL-W_CTRL_O| normal
	        mode commands to make the current buffer the only visible
		buffer, but keep the Project Window visible, too.

	n	When present, numbers will be turned on for the project
	        window.

	s	When present, the Project Plugin will use syntax highlighting
		in the Project Window.

	S	Turn on sorting for refresh and create.

	t	When present, toggle the size of the window rather than just
		increase the size when pressing <space> or right-clicking.
		See the entry for <RightMouse> in |project-mappings|.

	T	When present, put Subproject folds at the top of the fold when
		refreshing.

	v	When present, use :vimgrep rather than :grep when using \G.

g:proj_run1 ...  g:proj_run9
		Contains a Vim command to execute on the file.  See the
		mappings of \1 to \9 above.
		
		  %f is replaced with the full path and filename
		  %F is replaced with the full path and filename with spaces
		     quoted
		  %n is replaced with the filename alone
		  %N is replaced with the filename alone with spaces quoted
		  %h is replaced with the home directory
		  %H is replaced with the home directory with spaces quoted
		  %r is replaced with the directory relative to the CD path
		  %R is replaced with the directory relative to the CD path
		     with spaces quoted
		  %d is replaced with the CD directory.
		  %D is replaced with the CD directory.with spaces quoted
		  %% is replaced with a single % that is not used in
		     expansion.

		(Deprecated: %s is also replaced with the full path and
		filename for backward compatibility.)

		For example, gvim will be launched on the file under the
		cursor when you enter \3 if the following is in your vimrc
		file: >
		 let g:proj_run3='silent !gvim %f'
<		Here are a few other examples: >
		 let g:proj_run1='!p4 edit %f'
		 let g:proj_run2='!p4 add %f'
		 let g:proj_run4="echo 'Viewing %f'|sil !xterm -e less %f &"
<
		On Windows systems you will want to put the %f, %h, and %d in
		single quotes to avoid \ escaping.

g:proj_run_fold1 ...  g:proj_run_fold9
		Contains a Vim command to execute on the files in a fold.  See
		the mappings of \f1 to \f9  and \F1 to \F9 above.
		
		%f is the filename, %h is replaced with the project home
		directory, and %d is replaced with the CD directory.  Multiple
		filenames can be handled in two ways:

		The first (default) way is to have %f replaced with all the
		absolute filenames, and the command is run once.  The second
		is to have the command run for each of the non-absolute
		filenames (%f is replaced with one filename at a time).  To
		select the second behavior, put an '*' character at the
		beginning of the g:proj_run_fold{x} variable.  (The '*' is
		stripped before the command is run.)

		For example, note the difference between the following: >
		 let g:proj_run_fold3="*echo '%h/%f'"
		 let g:proj_run_fold4="echo '%f'"
<
		Note that on Windows systems, you will want the %f, %h, and %c
		within single quotes, or the \ in the paths will cause
		problems.  The alternative is to put them in |escape()|.


==============================================================================
PROJECT EXAMPLE FILE					     *project-example*

Here is an example ~/.vimprojects file: >

  1	My Project=~/c/project CD=. in=in.vim out=out.vim flags=r {
  2	 Makefile
  3      in.vim
  4      out.vim
  5	 GUI Files=. filter="gui*.c gui*.h" {
  6	  gui_window.c
  7	  gui_dialog.c
  8	  gui_list.c
  9	  gui.h	       # Header file
 10	 }
 11	 Database Files=. filter="data*.c data*.h" {
 12	  data_read.c
 13	  data_write.c
 14	  data.h
 15	 }
 16	 OS-Specific Files {
 17	  Win32=. filter="os_win32*.c os_win32*.h" {
 18	   os_win32_gui.c
 19	   os_win32_io.c
 20	  }
 21	  Unix=. filter="os_unix*.c os_unix*.h" {
 22	   os_unix_gui.c
 23	   os_unix_io.c
 24	  }
 25	 }
 26	}

(Don't type in the line numbers, of course.)


==============================================================================
TIPS ON USING PROJECT PLUGIN					*project-tips*

1.  You can create a Project Entry by entering this: >

	Label=~/wherever CD=. filter="*.c *.h" {
	}
<
    Then you can put the cursor in the fold and press \r. The script will fill
    in the files (C files in this case) from this directory for you.  This is
    equivalent to \c without any dialogs.

2.  You can edit the Project File at any time to add, remove, or reorder files
    in the Project list.

3.  If the Project Window ever gets closed, you can just enter >
	:Project
<   to bring it back again. (You don't need to give it the filename; the
    plugin remembers.)

    If you have the 'm' flag set in g:proj_flags, then you get the Project
    Window to show up again by pressing |CTRL-W_o|. This, of course, will
    close any other windows that may be open that the cursor is not in.

4.  Adding files to a Project is very easy.  To add, for example, the 'more.c'
    file to the Project, just insert the filename in the Project Entry then
    hit <Return> on it.

5.  When |quickfix| loads files, it is not equivalent to pressing <Return> on
    a filename, so the directory will not be changed and the scripts will not
    be run. (If I could make this otherwise, I would.)  The solution is to use
    the \L key to load all of the files in the Project before running
    quickfix.

6.  If the Project window gets a bit cluttered with folds partially
    open/closed, you can press |zM| to close everything and tidy it up.

7.  For advanced users, I am exporting the function Project_GetAllFnames()
    which returns all the filenames within a fold and optionally all its
    Subprojects.  Also, I export Project_ForEach() for running a function for
    each filename in the project. See the code for examples on how to use
    these. Finally, I export Project_GetFname(line_number) so that you can
    write your own mappings and get the filename for it.

8.  Some people have asked how to do a global mapping to take the cursor to
    the Project window. One of my goals for the plugin is for it to be as
    self-contained as possible, so I'm not going to add it by default. But you
    can put this in your vimrc:
>
    	nmap <silent> <Leader>P :Project<CR>

<
9.  You can put the . entry in a project, and it will launch the
    |file-explorer| plugin on the directory.  To avoid removal when you
    refresh, make the entry look like this:
>
 	. # pragma keep
<
==============================================================================
THANKS

	The following people have sent me patches to help with the Project
	Plugin development:

		Tomas Zellerin
		Lawrence Kesteloot
		Dave Eggum
		A Harrison
		Thomas Link
		Richard Bair
		Eric Arnold
		Peter Jones
		Eric Van Dewoestine


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