# Vim documentation: sign

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    *sign.txt*      For Vim version 8.2.  Last change: 2019 Nov 30

    		  VIM REFERENCE MANUAL    by Gordon Prieur
    					  and Bram Moolenaar

    Sign Support Features				*sign-support*

    1. Introduction				|sign-intro|
    2. Commands				|sign-commands|
    3. Functions				|sign-functions-details|

    {only available when compiled with the |+signs| feature}

    ==============================================================================

    1. Introduction					*sign-intro* *signs*

    When a debugger or other IDE tool is driving an editor it needs to be able
    to give specific highlights which quickly tell the user useful information
    about the file.  One example of this would be a debugger which had an icon
    in the left-hand column denoting a breakpoint.  Another example might be an
    arrow representing the Program Counter (PC).  The sign features allow both
    placement of a sign, or icon, in the left-hand side of the window and
    definition of a highlight which will be applied to that line.  Displaying the
    sign as an image is most likely only feasible in gvim (although Sun
    Microsystem's dtterm does support this it's the only terminal emulator I know
    of which does).  A text sign and the highlight should be feasible in any color
    terminal emulator.

    Signs and highlights are not useful just for debuggers.  Sun's Visual
    WorkShop uses signs and highlights to mark build errors and SourceBrowser
    hits.  Additionally, the debugger supports 8 to 10 different signs and
    highlight colors, see |NetBeans|.

    There are two steps in using signs:

    1. Define the sign.  This specifies the image, text and highlighting.  For
       example, you can define a "break" sign with an image of a stop roadsign and
       text "!!".

    2. Place the sign.  This specifies the file and line number where the sign is
       displayed.  A defined sign can be placed several times in different lines
       and files.

    							*sign-column*
    When signs are defined for a file, Vim will automatically add a column of two
    characters to display them in.  When the last sign is unplaced the column
    disappears again.  This behavior can be changed with the 'signcolumn' option.

    The color of the column is set with the SignColumn highlight group
    |hl-SignColumn|.  Example to set the color:

    	:highlight SignColumn guibg=darkgrey

    							*sign-identifier*
    Each placed sign is identified by a number called the sign identifier. This
    identifier is used to jump to the sign or to remove the sign. The identifier
    is assigned when placing the sign using the |:sign-place| command or the
    |sign_place()| function. Each sign identifier should be a unique number. If
    multiple placed signs use the same identifier, then jumping to or removing a
    sign becomes unpredictable. To avoid overlapping identifiers, sign groups can
    be used. The |sign_place()| function can be called with a zero sign identifier
    to allocate the next available identifier.

    							*sign-group*
    Each placed sign can be assigned to either the global group or a named group.
    When placing a sign, if a group name is not supplied, or an empty string is
    used, then the sign is placed in the global group. Otherwise the sign is
    placed in the named group. The sign identifier is unique within a group. The
    sign group allows Vim plugins to use unique signs without interfering with
    other plugins using signs.

    To place a sign in a popup window the group name must start with "PopUp".
    Other signs will not show in a popup window.  The group name "PopUpMenu" is
    used by popup windows where 'cursorline' is set.

    							*sign-priority*
    Each placed sign is assigned a priority value. When multiple signs are placed
    on the same line, the attributes of the sign with the highest priority is used
    independent of the sign group. The default priority for a sign is 10. The
    priority is assigned at the time of placing a sign.

    When the line on which the sign is placed is deleted, the sign is moved to the
    next line (or the last line of the buffer, if there is no next line).  When
    the delete is undone the sign does not move back.

    ==============================================================================

    2. Commands					*sign-commands* *:sig* *:sign*

    Here is an example that places a sign "piet", displayed with the text ">>", in
    line 23 of the current file:
    	:sign define piet text=>> texthl=Search
    	:exe ":sign place 2 line=23 name=piet file=" . expand("%:p")

    And here is the command to delete it again:
    	:sign unplace 2

    Note that the ":sign" command cannot be followed by another command or a
    comment.  If you do need that, use the |:execute| command.

    DEFINING A SIGN.			*:sign-define* *E255* *E160* *E612*

    See |sign_define()| for the equivalent Vim script function.

    :sign define {name} {argument}...
    		Define a new sign or set attributes for an existing sign.
    		The {name} can either be a number (all digits) or a name
    		starting with a non-digit.  Leading zeros are ignored, thus
    		"0012", "012" and "12" are considered the same name.
    		About 120 different signs can be defined.

    		Accepted arguments:

    	icon={bitmap}
    		Define the file name where the bitmap can be found.  Should be
    		a full path.  The bitmap should fit in the place of two
    		characters.  This is not checked.  If the bitmap is too big it
    		will cause redraw problems.  Only GTK 2 can scale the bitmap
    		to fit the space available.
    			toolkit		supports
    			GTK 1		pixmap (.xpm)
    			GTK 2		many
    			Motif		pixmap (.xpm)
    			Win32		.bmp, .ico, .cur
    					pixmap (.xpm) |+xpm_w32|

    	linehl={group}
    		Highlighting group used for the whole line the sign is placed
    		in.  Most useful is defining a background color.

    	text={text}						*E239*
    		Define the text that is displayed when there is no icon or the
    		GUI is not being used.  Only printable characters are allowed
    		and they must occupy one or two display cells.

    	texthl={group}
    		Highlighting group used for the text item.

    DELETING A SIGN						*:sign-undefine* *E155*

    See |sign_undefine()| for the equivalent Vim script function.

    :sign undefine {name}
    		Deletes a previously defined sign.  If signs with this {name}
    		are still placed this will cause trouble.

    LISTING SIGNS						*:sign-list* *E156*

    See |sign_getdefined()| for the equivalent Vim script function.

    :sign list	Lists all defined signs and their attributes.

    :sign list {name}
    		Lists one defined sign and its attributes.

    PLACING SIGNS						*:sign-place* *E158*

    See |sign_place()| for the equivalent Vim script function.

    :sign place {id} line={lnum} name={name} file={fname}
    		Place sign defined as {name} at line {lnum} in file {fname}.

    							*:sign-fname*
    		The file {fname} must already be loaded in a buffer.  The
    		exact file name must be used, wildcards, $ENV and ~ are not
    		expanded, white space must not be escaped.  Trailing white
    		space is ignored.

    		The sign is remembered under {id}, this can be used for
    		further manipulation.  {id} must be a number.
    		It's up to the user to make sure the {id} is used only once in
    		each file (if it's used several times unplacing will also have
    		to be done several times and making changes may not work as
    		expected).

    		The following optional sign attributes can be specified before
    		"file=":
    			group={group}	Place sign in sign group {group}
    			priority={prio}	Assign priority {prio} to sign

    		By default, the sign is placed in the global sign group.

    		By default, the sign is assigned a default priority of 10. To
    		assign a different priority value, use "priority={prio}" to
    		specify a value.  The priority is used to determine the sign
    		that is displayed when multiple signs are placed on the same
    		line.

    		Examples:
    			:sign place 5 line=3 name=sign1 file=a.py
    			:sign place 6 group=g2 line=2 name=sign2 file=x.py
    			:sign place 9 group=g2 priority=50 line=5
    							\ name=sign1 file=a.py

    :sign place {id} line={lnum} name={name} [buffer={nr}]
    		Same, but use buffer {nr}.  If the buffer argument is not
    		given, place the sign in the current buffer.

    							*E885*
    :sign place {id} name={name} file={fname}
    		Change the placed sign {id} in file {fname} to use the defined
    		sign {name}.  See remark above about {fname} |:sign-fname|.
    		This can be used to change the displayed sign without moving
    		it (e.g., when the debugger has stopped at a breakpoint).

    		The optional "group={group}" attribute can be used before
    		"file=" to select a sign in a particular group.  The optional
    		"priority={prio}" attribute can be used to change the priority
    		of an existing sign.

    :sign place {id} name={name} [buffer={nr}]
    		Same, but use buffer {nr}.  If the buffer argument is not
    		given, use the current buffer.

    REMOVING SIGNS						*:sign-unplace* *E159*

    See |sign_unplace()| for the equivalent Vim script function.

    :sign unplace {id} file={fname}
    		Remove the previously placed sign {id} from file {fname}.
    		See remark above about {fname} |:sign-fname|.

    :sign unplace {id} group={group} file={fname}
    		Same but remove the sign {id} in sign group {group}.

    :sign unplace {id} group=* file={fname}
    		Same but remove the sign {id} from all the sign groups.

    :sign unplace * file={fname}
    		Remove all placed signs in file {fname}.

    :sign unplace * group={group} file={fname}
    		Remove all placed signs in group {group} from file {fname}.

    :sign unplace * group=* file={fname}
    		Remove all placed signs in all the groups from file {fname}.

    :sign unplace {id} buffer={nr}
    		Remove the previously placed sign {id} from buffer {nr}.

    :sign unplace {id} group={group} buffer={nr}
    		Remove the previously placed sign {id} in group {group} from
    		buffer {nr}.

    :sign unplace {id} group=* buffer={nr}
    		Remove the previously placed sign {id} in all the groups from
    		buffer {nr}.

    :sign unplace * buffer={nr}
    		Remove all placed signs in buffer {nr}.

    :sign unplace * group={group} buffer={nr}
    		Remove all placed signs in group {group} from buffer {nr}.

    :sign unplace * group=* buffer={nr}
    		Remove all placed signs in all the groups from buffer {nr}.

    :sign unplace {id}
    		Remove the previously placed sign {id} from all files it
    		appears in.

    :sign unplace {id} group={group}
    		Remove the previously placed sign {id} in group {group} from
    		all files it appears in.

    :sign unplace {id} group=*
    		Remove the previously placed sign {id} in all the groups from
    		all the files it appears in.

    :sign unplace *
    		Remove all placed signs in the global group from all the files.

    :sign unplace * group={group}
    		Remove all placed signs in group {group} from all the files.

    :sign unplace * group=*
    		Remove all placed signs in all the groups from all the files.

    :sign unplace
    		Remove a placed sign at the cursor position. If multiple signs
    		are placed in the line, then only one is removed.

    :sign unplace group={group}
    		Remove a placed sign in group {group} at the cursor
    		position.

    :sign unplace group=*
    		Remove a placed sign in any group at the cursor position.

    LISTING PLACED SIGNS					*:sign-place-list*

    See |sign_getplaced()| for the equivalent Vim script function.

    :sign place file={fname}
    		List signs placed in file {fname}.
    		See remark above about {fname} |:sign-fname|.

    :sign place group={group} file={fname}
    		List signs in group {group} placed in file {fname}.

    :sign place group=* file={fname}
    		List signs in all the groups placed in file {fname}.

    :sign place buffer={nr}
    		List signs placed in buffer {nr}.

    :sign place group={group} buffer={nr}
    		List signs in group {group} placed in buffer {nr}.

    :sign place group=* buffer={nr}
    		List signs in all the groups placed in buffer {nr}.

    :sign place	List placed signs in the global group in all files.

    :sign place group={group}
    		List placed signs with sign group {group} in all files.

    :sign place group=*
    		List placed signs in all sign groups in all files.

    JUMPING TO A SIGN					*:sign-jump* *E157*

    See |sign_jump()| for the equivalent Vim script function.

    :sign jump {id} file={fname}
    		Open the file {fname} or jump to the window that contains
    		{fname} and position the cursor at sign {id}.
    		See remark above about {fname} |:sign-fname|.
    		If the file isn't displayed in window and the current file can
    		not be |abandon|ed this fails.

    :sign jump {id} group={group} file={fname}
    		Same but jump to the sign in group {group}

    :sign jump {id} [buffer={nr}]					*E934*
    		Same, but use buffer {nr}.  This fails if buffer {nr} does not
    		have a name. If the buffer argument is not given, use the
    		current buffer.

    :sign jump {id} group={group} [buffer={nr}]
    		Same but jump to the sign in group {group}

    ==============================================================================

    3. Functions					*sign-functions-details*

    sign_define({name} [, {dict}])				*sign_define()*
    sign_define({list})
    		Define a new sign named {name} or modify the attributes of an
    		existing sign.  This is similar to the |:sign-define| command.

    		Prefix {name} with a unique text to avoid name collisions.
    		There is no {group} like with placing signs.

    		The {name} can be a String or a Number.  The optional {dict}
    		argument specifies the sign attributes.  The following values
    		are supported:
    		   icon		full path to the bitmap file for the sign.
    		   linehl	highlight group used for the whole line the
    				sign is placed in.
    		   text		text that is displayed when there is no icon
    				or the GUI is not being used.
    		   texthl	highlight group used for the text item

    		If the sign named {name} already exists, then the attributes
    		of the sign are updated.

    		The one argument {list} can be used to define a list of signs.
    		Each list item is a dictionary with the above items in {dict}
    		and a "name" item for the sign name.

    		Returns 0 on success and -1 on failure.  When the one argument
    		{list} is used, then returns a List of values one for each
    		defined sign.

    		Examples:
    			call sign_define("mySign", {
    				\ "text" : "=>",
    				\ "texthl" : "Error",
    				\ "linehl" : "Search"})
    			call sign_define([
    				\ {'name' : 'sign1',
    				\  'text' : '=>'},
    				\ {'name' : 'sign2',
    				\  'text' : '!!'}
    				\ ])

    		Can also be used as a YXXYmethod|:
    			GetSignList()->sign_define()

    sign_getdefined([{name}])				*sign_getdefined()*
    		Get a list of defined signs and their attributes.
    		This is similar to the |:sign-list| command.

    		If the {name} is not supplied, then a list of all the defined
    		signs is returned. Otherwise the attribute of the specified
    		sign is returned.

    		Each list item in the returned value is a dictionary with the
    		following entries:
    		   icon		full path to the bitmap file of the sign
    		   linehl	highlight group used for the whole line the
    				sign is placed in.
    		   name		name of the sign
    		   text		text that is displayed when there is no icon
    				or the GUI is not being used.
    		   texthl	highlight group used for the text item

    		Returns an empty List if there are no signs and when {name} is
    		not found.

    		Examples:
    			" Get a list of all the defined signs
    			echo sign_getdefined()

    			" Get the attribute of the sign named mySign
    			echo sign_getdefined("mySign")

    		Can also be used as a YXXYmethod|:
    			GetSignList()->sign_getdefined()

    sign_getplaced([{expr} [, {dict}]])			*sign_getplaced()*
    		Return a list of signs placed in a buffer or all the buffers.
    		This is similar to the |:sign-place-list| command.

    		If the optional buffer name {expr} is specified, then only the
    		list of signs placed in that buffer is returned.  For the use
    		of {expr}, see |bufname()|. The optional {dict} can contain
    		the following entries:
    		   group	select only signs in this group
    		   id		select sign with this identifier
    		   lnum		select signs placed in this line. For the use
    				of {lnum}, see |line()|.
    		If {group} is '*', then signs in all the groups including the
    		global group are returned. If {group} is not supplied or is an
    		empty string, then only signs in the global group are
    		returned.  If no arguments are supplied, then signs in the
    		global group placed in all the buffers are returned.
    		See |sign-group|.

    		Each list item in the returned value is a dictionary with the
    		following entries:
    			bufnr	number of the buffer with the sign
    			signs	list of signs placed in {bufnr}. Each list
    				item is a dictionary with the below listed
    				entries

    		The dictionary for each sign contains the following entries:
    			group	sign group. Set to '' for the global group.
    			id	identifier of the sign
    			lnum	line number where the sign is placed
    			name	name of the defined sign
    			priority	sign priority

    		The returned signs in a buffer are ordered by their line
    		number and priority.

    		Returns an empty list on failure or if there are no placed
    		signs.

    		Examples:
    			" Get a List of signs placed in eval.c in the
    			" global group
    			echo sign_getplaced("eval.c")

    			" Get a List of signs in group 'g1' placed in eval.c
    			echo sign_getplaced("eval.c", {'group' : 'g1'})

    			" Get a List of signs placed at line 10 in eval.c
    			echo sign_getplaced("eval.c", {'lnum' : 10})

    			" Get sign with identifier 10 placed in a.py
    			echo sign_getplaced("a.py", {'id' : 10})

    			" Get sign with id 20 in group 'g1' placed in a.py
    			echo sign_getplaced("a.py", {'group' : 'g1',
    							\  'id' : 20})

    			" Get a List of all the placed signs
    			echo sign_getplaced()

    		Can also be used as a YXXYmethod|:
    			GetBufname()->sign_getplaced()

    							*sign_jump()*
    sign_jump({id}, {group}, {expr})
    		Open the buffer {expr} or jump to the window that contains
    		{expr} and position the cursor at sign {id} in group {group}.
    		This is similar to the |:sign-jump| command.

    		For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|.

    		Returns the line number of the sign. Returns -1 if the
    		arguments are invalid.

    		Example:
    			" Jump to sign 10 in the current buffer
    			call sign_jump(10, '', '')

    		Can also be used as a YXXYmethod|:
    			GetSignid()->sign_jump()

    							*sign_place()*
    sign_place({id}, {group}, {name}, {expr} [, {dict}])
    		Place the sign defined as {name} at line {lnum} in file or
    		buffer {expr} and assign {id} and {group} to sign.  This is
    		similar to the |:sign-place| command.

    		If the sign identifier {id} is zero, then a new identifier is
    		allocated.  Otherwise the specified number is used. {group} is
    		the sign group name. To use the global sign group, use an
    		empty string.  {group} functions as a namespace for {id}, thus
    		two groups can use the same IDs. Refer to |sign-identifier|
    		and |sign-group| for more information.

    		{name} refers to a defined sign.
    		{expr} refers to a buffer name or number. For the accepted
    		values, see |bufname()|.

    		The optional {dict} argument supports the following entries:
    			lnum		line number in the file or buffer
    					{expr} where the sign is to be placed.
    					For the accepted values, see |line()|.
    			priority	priority of the sign. See
    					|sign-priority| for more information.

    		If the optional {dict} is not specified, then it modifies the
    		placed sign {id} in group {group} to use the defined sign
    		{name}.

    		Returns the sign identifier on success and -1 on failure.

    		Examples:
    			" Place a sign named sign1 with id 5 at line 20 in
    			" buffer json.c
    			call sign_place(5, '', 'sign1', 'json.c',
    							\ {'lnum' : 20})

    			" Updates sign 5 in buffer json.c to use sign2
    			call sign_place(5, '', 'sign2', 'json.c')

    			" Place a sign named sign3 at line 30 in
    			" buffer json.c with a new identifier
    			let id = sign_place(0, '', 'sign3', 'json.c',
    							\ {'lnum' : 30})

    			" Place a sign named sign4 with id 10 in group 'g3'
    			" at line 40 in buffer json.c with priority 90
    			call sign_place(10, 'g3', 'sign4', 'json.c',
    					\ {'lnum' : 40, 'priority' : 90})

    		Can also be used as a YXXYmethod|:
    			GetSignid()->sign_place(group, name, expr)

    							*sign_placelist()*
    sign_placelist({list})
    		Place one or more signs.  This is similar to the
    		|sign_place()| function.  The {list} argument specifies the
    		List of signs to place. Each list item is a dict with the
    		following sign attributes:
    		    buffer	buffer name or number. For the accepted
    				values, see |bufname()|.
    		    group	sign group. {group} functions as a namespace
    				for {id}, thus two groups can use the same
    				IDs. If not specified or set to an empty
    				string, then the global group is used.   See
    				|sign-group| for more information.
    		    id		sign identifier. If not specified or zero,
    				then a new unique identifier is allocated.
    				Otherwise the specified number is used. See
    				|sign-identifier| for more information.
    		    lnum	line number in the buffer {expr} where the
    				sign is to be placed. For the accepted values,
    				see |line()|.
    		    name	name of the sign to place. See |sign_define()|
    		    		for more information.
    		    priority	priority of the sign. When multiple signs are
    				placed on a line, the sign with the highest
    				priority is used. If not specified, the
    				default value of 10 is used. See
    				|sign-priority| for more information.

    		If {id} refers to an existing sign, then the existing sign is
    		modified to use the specified {name} and/or {priority}.

    		Returns a List of sign identifiers. If failed to place a
    		sign, the corresponding list item is set to -1.

    		Examples:
    			" Place sign s1 with id 5 at line 20 and id 10 at line
    			" 30 in buffer a.c
    			let [n1, n2] = sign_placelist([
    				\ {'id' : 5,
    				\  'name' : 's1',
    				\  'buffer' : 'a.c',
    				\  'lnum' : 20},
    				\ {'id' : 10,
    				\  'name' : 's1',
    				\  'buffer' : 'a.c',
    				\  'lnum' : 30}
    				\ ])

    			" Place sign s1 in buffer a.c at line 40 and 50
    			" with auto-generated identifiers
    			let [n1, n2] = sign_placelist([
    				\ {'name' : 's1',
    				\  'buffer' : 'a.c',
    				\  'lnum' : 40},
    				\ {'name' : 's1',
    				\  'buffer' : 'a.c',
    				\  'lnum' : 50}
    				\ ])

    		Can also be used as a YXXYmethod|:
    			GetSignlist()->sign_placelist()

    sign_undefine([{name}])					*sign_undefine()*
    sign_undefine({list})
    		Deletes a previously defined sign {name}. This is similar to
    		the |:sign-undefine| command. If {name} is not supplied, then
    		deletes all the defined signs.

    		The one argument {list} can be used to undefine a list of
    		signs. Each list item is the name of a sign.

    		Returns 0 on success and -1 on failure.  For the one argument
    		{list} call, returns a list of values one for each undefined
    		sign.

    		Examples:
    			" Delete a sign named mySign
    			call sign_undefine("mySign")

    			" Delete signs 'sign1' and 'sign2'
    			call sign_undefine(["sign1", "sign2"])

    			" Delete all the signs
    			call sign_undefine()

    		Can also be used as a YXXYmethod|:
    			GetSignlist()->sign_undefine()

    sign_unplace({group} [, {dict}])			*sign_unplace()*
    		Remove a previously placed sign in one or more buffers.  This
    		is similar to the |:sign-unplace| command.

    		{group} is the sign group name. To use the global sign group,
    		use an empty string.  If {group} is set to '*', then all the
    		groups including the global group are used.
    		The signs in {group} are selected based on the entries in
    		{dict}.  The following optional entries in {dict} are
    		supported:
    			buffer	buffer name or number. See |bufname()|.
    			id	sign identifier
    		If {dict} is not supplied, then all the signs in {group} are
    		removed.

    		Returns 0 on success and -1 on failure.

    		Examples:
    			" Remove sign 10 from buffer a.vim
    			call sign_unplace('', {'buffer' : "a.vim", 'id' : 10})

    			" Remove sign 20 in group 'g1' from buffer 3
    			call sign_unplace('g1', {'buffer' : 3, 'id' : 20})

    			" Remove all the signs in group 'g2' from buffer 10
    			call sign_unplace('g2', {'buffer' : 10})

    			" Remove sign 30 in group 'g3' from all the buffers
    			call sign_unplace('g3', {'id' : 30})

    			" Remove all the signs placed in buffer 5
    			call sign_unplace('*', {'buffer' : 5})

    			" Remove the signs in group 'g4' from all the buffers
    			call sign_unplace('g4')

    			" Remove sign 40 from all the buffers
    			call sign_unplace('*', {'id' : 40})

    			" Remove all the placed signs from all the buffers
    			call sign_unplace('*')

     		Can also be used as a YXXYmethod|:
    			GetSigngroup()->sign_unplace()

    sign_unplacelist({list})				*sign_unplacelist()*
    		Remove previously placed signs from one or more buffers.  This
    		is similar to the |sign_unplace()| function.

    		The {list} argument specifies the List of signs to remove.
    		Each list item is a dict with the following sign attributes:
    		    buffer	buffer name or number. For the accepted
    				values, see |bufname()|. If not specified,
    				then the specified sign is removed from all
    				the buffers.
    		    group	sign group name. If not specified or set to an
    				empty string, then the global sign group is
    				used. If set to '*', then all the groups
    				including the global group are used.
    		    id		sign identifier. If not specified, then all
    				the signs in the specified group are removed.

    		Returns a List where an entry is set to 0 if the corresponding
    		sign was successfully removed or -1 on failure.

    		Example:
    			" Remove sign with id 10 from buffer a.vim and sign
    			" with id 20 from buffer b.vim
    			call sign_unplacelist([
    				\ {'id' : 10, 'buffer' : "a.vim"},
    				\ {'id' : 20, 'buffer' : 'b.vim'},
    				\ ])

    		Can also be used as a YXXYmethod|:
    			GetSignlist()->sign_unplacelist()

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