tag, and then allow the user to press to go to the middle of it: > snippet div

${2}

< *snipMate-placeholders* *snipMate-${#:}* *snipMate-$#* Placeholders ~ Placeholder text can be supplied using "${#:text}", where # is the number of the tab stop. This text then can be copied throughout the snippet using "$#", given # is the same number as used before. So, to make a C for loop: > snippet for for (${2:i}; $2 < ${1:count}; $1++) { ${4} } This will cause "count" to first be selected and change if the user starts typing. When is pressed, the "i" in ${2}'s position will be selected; all $2 variables will default to "i" and automatically be updated if the user starts typing. NOTE: "$#" syntax is used only for variables, not for tab stops as in TextMate. Variables within variables are also possible. For instance: > snippet opt Will, as usual, cause "option" to first be selected and update all the $1 variables if the user starts typing. Since one of these variables is inside of ${2}, this text will then be used as a placeholder for the next tab stop, allowing the user to change it if he wishes. To copy a value throughout a snippet without supplying default text, simply use the "${#:}" construct without the text; e.g.: > snippet foo ${1:}bar$1 < *snipMate-commands* Interpolated Vim Script ~ Snippets can also contain Vim script commands that are executed (via |eval()|) when the snippet is inserted. Commands are given inside backticks (`...`); for TextMates's functionality, use the |system()| function. E.g.: > snippet date `system("date +%Y-%m-%d")` will insert the current date, assuming you are on a Unix system. Note that you can also (and should) use |strftime()| for this example. Filename([{expr}] [, {defaultText}]) *snipMate-filename* *Filename()* Since the current filename is used often in snippets, a default function has been defined for it in snipMate.vim, appropriately called Filename(). With no arguments, the default filename without an extension is returned; the first argument specifies what to place before or after the filename, and the second argument supplies the default text to be used if the file has not been named. "$1" in the first argument is replaced with the filename; if you only want the filename to be returned, the first argument can be left blank. Examples: > snippet filename `Filename()` snippet filename_with_default `Filename('', 'name')` snippet filename_foo `filename('$1_foo')` The first example returns the filename if it the file has been named, and an empty string if it hasn't. The second returns the filename if it's been named, and "name" if it hasn't. The third returns the filename followed by "_foo" if it has been named, and an empty string if it hasn't. *multi_snip* To specify that a snippet can have multiple matches in a *.snippets file, use this syntax: > snippet trigger A description of snippet #1 expand this text snippet trigger A description of snippet #2 expand THIS text! In this example, when "trigger" is typed, a numbered menu containing all of the descriptions of the "trigger" will be shown; when the user presses the corresponding number, that snippet will then be expanded. To create a snippet with multiple matches using *.snippet files, simply place all the snippets in a subdirectory with the trigger name: 'snippets///.snippet'. ============================================================================== USAGE *snipMate-usage* *'snippets'* *g:snippets_dir* Snippets are by default looked for any 'snippets' directory in your 'runtimepath'. Typically, it is located at '~/.vim/snippets/' on *nix or '$HOME\vimfiles\snippets\' on Windows. To change that location or add another one, change the g:snippets_dir variable in your |.vimrc| to your preferred directory, or use the |ExtractSnips()|function. This will be used by the |globpath()| function, and so accepts the same syntax as it (e.g., comma-separated paths). ExtractSnipsFile({directory}, {filetype}) *ExtractSnipsFile()* *.snippets* ExtractSnipsFile() extracts the specified *.snippets file for the given filetype. A .snippets file contains multiple snippet declarations for the filetype. It is further explained above, in |snippet-syntax|. ExtractSnips({directory}, {filetype}) *ExtractSnips()* *.snippet* ExtractSnips() extracts *.snippet files from the specified directory and defines them as snippets for the given filetype. The directory tree should look like this: 'snippets//.snippet'. If the snippet has multiple matches, it should look like this: 'snippets///.snippet' (see |multi_snip|). ResetAllSnippets() *ResetAllSnippets()* ResetAllSnippets() removes all snippets from memory. This is useful to put at the top of a snippet setup file for if you would like to |:source| it multiple times. ResetSnippets({filetype}) *ResetSnippets()* ResetSnippets() removes all snippets from memory for the given filetype. ReloadAllSnippets() *ReloadAllSnippets()* ReloadAllSnippets() reloads all snippets for all filetypes. This is useful for testing and debugging. ReloadSnippets({filetype}) *ReloadSnippets()* ReloadSnippets() reloads all snippets for the given filetype. *list-snippets* *i_CTRL-R_* If you would like to see what snippets are available, simply type in the current buffer to show a list via |popupmenu-completion|. ============================================================================== SETTINGS *snipMate-settings* *g:snips_author* The g:snips_author string (similar to $TM_FULLNAME in TextMate) should be set to your name; it can then be used in snippets to automatically add it. E.g.: > let g:snips_author = 'Hubert Farnsworth' snippet name `g:snips_author` < *snipMate-expandtab* *snipMate-indenting* If you would like your snippets to be expanded using spaces instead of tabs, just enable 'expandtab' and set 'softtabstop' to your preferred amount of spaces. If 'softtabstop' is not set, 'shiftwidth' is used instead. *snipMate-remap* snipMate does not come with a setting to customize the trigger key, but you can remap it easily in the two lines it's defined in the 'after' directory under 'plugin/snipMate.vim'. For instance, to change the trigger key to CTRL-J, just change this: > ino

=TriggerSnippet() snor i

=TriggerSnippet() to this: > ino

=TriggerSnippet() snor i

=TriggerSnippet() ============================================================================== FEATURES *snipMate-features* snipMate.vim has the following features among others: - The syntax of snippets is very similar to TextMate's, allowing easy conversion. - The position of the snippet is kept transparently (i.e. it does not use markers/placeholders written to the buffer), which allows you to escape out of an incomplete snippet, something particularly useful in Vim. - Variables in snippets are updated as-you-type. - Snippets can have multiple matches. - Snippets can be out of order. For instance, in a do...while loop, the condition can be added before the code. - [New] File-based snippets are supported. - [New] Triggers after non-word delimiters are expanded, e.g. "foo" in "bar.foo". - [New] can now be used to jump tab stops in reverse order. ============================================================================== DISADVANTAGES *snipMate-disadvantages* snipMate.vim currently has the following disadvantages to TextMate's snippets: - There is no $0; the order of tab stops must be explicitly stated. - Placeholders within placeholders are not possible. E.g.: > '${3}