Re: help.vim's syntax

On 2019-05-15, Mathieu Roux wrote:
> On mer., 2019-05-15 at 09:02 -0700, Gary Johnson wrote:
> > On 2019-05-15, Mathieu Roux wrote:
> > > On mar., 2019-05-14 at 13:17 -0700, Gary Johnson wrote:
> > > > On 2019-05-14, Mathieu Roux wrote:
> > > > > Hi everybody,
> > > > >
> > > > > I have understood that for vim's help, the syntax file used is
> > > > > help.vim
> > > > > (in the directory /usr/share/vim/vim80/syntax).
> > > > >
> > > > > I can use it with:
> > > > > :so help.vim
> > > > > (if it is in the same directory of the file i open)
> > > > >
> > > > > But i still don't understand why, when i open one file in
> > > > > /usr/share/vim/vim80/doc
> > > > > EVEN A NEW FILE
> > > > > it automatically uses the syntax of help.vim, whereas i do
> > > > > nothing...
> > > > > Maybe someone can explain me.
> > > >
> > > > This is explained in
> > > >
> > > > :help syntax
> > > >
> > > > In short, when you enable syntax highlighting by executing
> > > >
> > > > :syntax enable
> > > >
> > > > in your vimrc, you source $VIMRUNTIME/filetype.vim, which
> > > > contains:
> > > >
> > > > " Vim help file
> > > > au BufNewFile,BufRead $VIMRUNTIME/doc/*.txt setf help
> > > >
> > > > Whenever you open a file matching that pattern, Vim sets the
> > > > 'filetype' to "help" and (with the aid of a few other scripts)
> > > > sources $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/help.vim.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > You wrote above that you opened a new file in
> > > > /usr/share/vim/vim80/doc. Do not create new syntax files in that
> > > > directory. Do not create new files or modify any files anywhere
> > > > under /usr/share/vim/vim80. Those directories are for files
> > > > included with the Vim package. Any files in those directories
> > > > may
> > > > be overwritten by an update to the Vim package and will not be
> > > > accessed when you upgrade to a version later than 8.0.
> > > >
> > > > Instead, put any files you create for you own use under ~/.vim or
> > > > any that you want to share with other users under
> > > > /usr/share/vim/vimfiles. Then they will be safe from any changes
> > > > to
> > > > your distribution's Vim package and will continue to be used even
> > > > if
> > > > you build Vim yourself.
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > > Gary
> > > >
> > > > --
> > >
> > > I think i don't understand...
> > >
> > > In fact, i don't want to modify /usr/share/vim/vim80/. i just
> > > tried,
> > > and i see that a new file automatically uses help.vim syntax.
> >
> > I inferred too much from your comment in your earlier post about
> > opening a new file in /usr/share/vim/vim80/doc. Newcomers to Vim
> > often do not understand the problems with modifying or adding files
> > under $VIMRUNTIME (in your case, /user/share/vim/vim80) and I wanted
> > to help you avoid those problems.
> >
> > > In my ~/.vimrc, i don't see where i source filetype.vim. Should i
> > > have
> > > a lign so filetype.vim?
> >
> > No, you don't need a line in your ~/.vimrc to source filetype.vim.
> > Vim automatically sources filetype.vim when it executes the ":syntax
> > on" or ":filetype on" commands. Those commands are usually in the
> > system vimrc provided by your Linux distribution's vim package.
> >
> > > /usr/share/vim/vim80/ has a subdirectory called syntax, but it
> > > contains
> > > many .vim files with many syntaxes. I don't understand why file in
> > > doc
> > > directory uses help.vim.
> >
> > The files in /usr/share/vim/vim80/doc use help.vim because of the
> > line I quoted earlier from $VIMRUNTIME/filetype.vim:
> >
> > au BufNewFile,BufRead $VIMRUNTIME/doc/*.txt setf help
> >
> > That is an autocommand that sets the 'filetype' to help for every
> > file opened whose path name matches the pattern
> >
> > $VIMRUNTIME/doc/*.txt
> >
> > Vim also uses modelines in help files to set the filetype to "help".
> > Look at the last line of any file in $VIMRUNTIME/doc. It will look
> > like this example from $VIMRUNTIME/doc/workshop.txt:
> >
> > vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl:
> >
> > If you put that line as the last line of your files, their filetype
> > will be set to "help" when they are opened.
> >
> > > As for me, in my directory, say ~/mathieu, i want that every .txt
> > > file
> > > that i create uses help.vim syntax.
> >
> > The easiest way to do that is to put that modeline at the bottom of
> > every .txt file in that directory. Another way to do that is to
> > create an autocommand to set the filetype to "help" for any file
> > whose path name matches the pattern
> >
> > ~/mathieu/*.txt
> >
> > If you want to use that second method, read
> >
> > :help new-filetype
> >
> > I know that you're not adding a new filetype, you're adding a new
> > pattern to detect an existing filetype, but in this case, the
> > solution is the same.
> >
> > > I copied help.vim file in ~/mathieu and in ~/mathieu/syntax. I
> > > tried
> > > :syntax on
> > > But it does not work.
> > >
> > > The only solution for me is to do :so help.vim
> > > But when i close my .txt file and open it again, i have to do :so
> > > help.vim again.
> > >
> > > I am sorry, i am quite a beginner in vim, but i really don't
> > > understand
> > > your explanation.
> >
> > I hope the explanation above is better.
>
>
> yes, it is, thanks for all!

You're welcome.

> in fact, i think the ligns
>
> au BufNewFile,BufRead *.txt
> \ if getline('$') !~ 'vim:.*ft=help'
> \| setf text
> \| endif
>
> in filetype.vim are also important.
>
>
> But the modeline
> vim: tw=0;ft=help:
> at the end of my txt file is not enough.

The separator between settings in that style of modeline is a colon
(':'), not a semicolon (';'). If you really did put a semicolon
between the '0' and the 'f', then that modeline failed because the
syntax was incorrect. If the modeline you actually used had a colon
at that point, i.e.,

vim: tw=0:ft=help:

then the modeline should have worked fine. You may need to check
that 'modeline' is set. That is,

:verbose set modeline?

should print

modeline

> I had to modify my .vimrc too with:
>
> au BufRead /home/m/*.txt setf help
> au BufRead /home/m/*.txt set tw=0
>
> and now everything is ok.

I'm glad to hear that.

Regards,
Gary

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