These are the builtin commands that can be used to interact with the editor. Their main purpose is to provide features that complement text editing. Commands is also how you can configure your editor on config files.

When passing arguments that contain spaces, you can wrap them between ", ' or a balanced {} pair.

builtin commands

help

Searches the help pages for <keyword>. If <keyword> is not present, opens the main help page.

• default alias: h
• usage: help [<keyword>]

log

Logs each <argument> to the editor log using the <log-kind>. Each argument is separated by a new line. Possible <log-kind>:

• status: will write a message only to the status bar
• info: will write a message only to both the log file status bar
• diagnostic: will write a message only to the log file

• error: will write an error message to both the log file and status bar

• usage: log <log-kind> <arguments...>

open-log

Opens the editor log file as a buffer (if you want to refresh it, use the reopen command).

• usage: open-log

quit

Quits this client. With ‘!’ will discard any unsaved changes.

• usage quit[!]
• default alias: q

quit-all

Quits all clients. With ‘!’ will discard any unsaved changes.

• usage: quit-all[!]
• default alias: qa

open

Opens buffer up for editing. If file <path> exists, it will be loaded into the buffer’s content. Also, if <path> ends with :<line>[,<column>], it will be opened at that location.

A buffer has a set of properties that can be changed when opening it:

• history-enabled, history-disabled: enables/disables undo history (enabled by default)
• saving-enabled, saving-disabled: enables/disables saving (enabled by default)
• file-backed-enabled, file-backed-disabled: enabled/disables being file backed (enabled by default)
• word-database-enabled, word-database-disabled: enables/disables contributing words for the word database (builtin autocomplete) (enabled by default)

It’s also possible to change these properties in batch by passing:

• text: will enable all properties
• scratch: will disable all properties except history
• log: will disable all properties except file-backed
• output: will disable all properties

Note that the property evaluation order is the same as the order of the arguments. That is, calling open history-enabled log my-buffer.txt will actually open my-buffer.txt with undo history disabled!

• usage: open [<properties...>] <path>[:<line>[,<column>]]
• default alias: o

save

Saves buffer to file. If <path> is present, it will use that path so save the buffer’s content, making it the new buffer’s associated filepath (it will also enable saving for that buffer from now on).

• usage: save [<path>]
• default alias: s

save-all

Saves all buffers to file.

• usage: save-all
• default alias: sa

reopen

Reopens buffer from file. If it can not save, it does nothing. With ‘!’ will discard any unsaved changes.

• usage: reopen[!]
• default alias: r

reopen-all

Reopens all buffers from file. Buffers that can not save, are skipped. With ‘!’ will discard any unsaved changes

• usage: reopen-all[!]
• default alias: ra

close

Closes current buffer. With ‘!’ will discard any unsaved changes.

• usage: close[!]
• default alias: c

close-all

Closes all buffers. With ‘!’ will discard any unsaved changes.

• usage: close-all[!]
• default alias: ca

config

If <value> is present, it sets the editor config <key> to its value (if valid). Otherwise, it returns its current value.

• usage: config <key> [<value>]

key	type	doc
tab_size	integer	size of a tab relative to space
indent_with_tabs	bool	if false, the editor will indent with tab_size spaces
visual_empty	char	the character that will be drawn to indicate end of buffer
visual_space	char	the character that will be drawn in place of spaces
visual_tab_first	char	the first character that will be drawn in place of a tab
visual_tab_repeat	char	the character that will be drawn repeatedly in place of a tab until we read a tab stop
completion_min_len	integer	min number of bytes before auto completion is triggered
picker_max_height	integer	max number of lines that are shown at a time when a picker ui is opened
status_bar_max_height	integer	max number of lines that the status bar can occupy

color

If <value> is present, it sets the editor theme color <key> to that color. Otherwise, it returns its current color.

• usage: color <key> [<value>]

key	doc
background	The color displayed behind the characters on the screen
highlight	The color of search highlights that appear behind search matches. Also the cursor color while in insert mode
statusbar_active_background	The background color for the focused client’s statusbar
statusbar_inactive_background	The background color for the unfocused client’s statusbar
normal_cursor	The cursor color while in normal mode
select_cursor	The cursor color while in normal mode and selecting text
insert_cursor	The cursor color while in insert mode
inactive_cursor	The cursor color for unfocused clients
token_whitespace	All highlighted whitespace tokens have this color
token_text	All highlighted text tokens have this color
token_comment	All highlighted comment tokens have this color
token_keyword	All highlighted keyword tokens have this color
token_type	All highlighted type tokens have this color
token_symbol	All highlighted symbol tokens have this color
token_string	All highlighted string tokens have this color
token_literal	All highlighted literal tokens have this color

map

Creates a keyboard mapping for an editor mode. <mode> is one of normal, insert, command, readline and picker. <from> and <to> are a string of keys.

• usage: map <mode> <from> <to>

syntax

Either begins a new syntax definition for buffer paths that match a glob <glob>, or sets the pattern for tokens of kind <token-kind> for the previously defined syntax. <token-kind> is one of keywords, types, symbols, literals, strings, comments and texts.

• usage: syntax <glob> or syntax <token-kind> <pattern>

Read more about language syntax definitions.

list-buffers

Lists all buffers together with their properties in a buffers.refs buffer.

• usage: list-buffers

list-lints

Lists all lints together with their locations in a lints.refs buffer.

• usage: list-lints

list-breakpoints

Lists all breakpoints together with their locations in a breakpoints.refs buffer.

• usage: list-breakpoints

copy-command

Sets the command to be used when copying text to clipboard. The copied text is written to stdin utf8 encoded. This is most useful on platforms that do not have an unique way to interact with the clipboard. If <command> is empty, no command is used.

• usage: copy-command <command>

By default, this is set per platform:

• windows: empty (uses win32 clipboard api)
• linux: xsel --clipboard --input
• bsd: xclip -in
• mac: pbcopy

paste-command

Sets the command to be used when pasting text from clipboard. The pasted text is read from stdout and needs to be utf8 encoded. This is most useful on platforms that do not have an unique way to interact with the clipboard. If <command> is empty, no command is used.

• usage: paste-command <command>

By default, this is set per platform:

• windows: empty (uses win32 clipboard api)
• linux: xsel --clipboard --output
• bsd: xclip -out
• mac: pbpaste

enqueue-keys

Enqueue keys as if they were typed in the current client.

• usage: enqueue-keys <keys>

insert-text

Deletes text inside all cursor ranges. Then inserts <text> at each cursor. Equivalent to enqueue-keys i<text><enter> however more performant since the text insertion happens at once instead of char by char.

• usage: insert-text <text>

to-lowercase

Makes all selected text lowercase (ascii only).

• usage: to-lowercase

to-uppercase

Makes all selected text uppercase (ascii only).

• usage: to-uppercase

toggle-comment

For each line, toggles its <comment-prefix> starting text. For example, in a C++ like language, it would be used like toggle-comment //.

• usage: toggle-comment <comment-prefix>

set-register

Set the content of register <key> to <value>.

• usage: set-register <key> <value>

set-clipboard

Sets the contents of the system clipboard to <text>.

• usage: set-clipboard <text>

set-env

Set the value of the environment variable <key> to <value>

• usage: set-env <key> <value>

readline

Enters readline mode and once a line is read, executes the commands in <continuation>. It’s possible to access the line input through @register(i) when <continuation> executes.

• usage: readline <continuation>

pick

Enters picker mode and once an entry is selected, executes the commands in <continuation>. It’s possible to access the selected entry input through @picker-entry() when <continuation> executes.

• usage: pick <continuation>

picker-entries

Clears and then adds all <entries...> to be selected with the pick command.

• usage: picker-entries <entries...>

picker-entries-from-lines

Clears and then adds a picker entry for each <command> stdout line (with stdin closed) to be selected with the pick command.

• usage: picker-entries-from-lines <command>

spawn

Spawns the external <command> (with stdin closed and ignoring its stdout).

• usage: spawn <command>

replace-with-output

Pass each cursor selection as stdin to the external <command> and substitute each for its stdout.

• usage: replace-with-output <command>

command

Defines a new command that can be called by its <name> which executes all commands in its <source>. Commands which name starts with - won’t show up in the command completion menu.

• usage: command <name> <source>

eval

Evaluate <commands> as if they were typed in directly. However it enables expansions to happen before evaluation.

• usage: eval <commands>

if

Conditionally evaluate <commands> as if they were typed in directly. However it enables expansions to happen before evaluation. <op> can be one of the following:

• ==: executes if <left-expr> is equal to <right-expr>

• !=: executes if <left-expr> is not equal to <right-expr>

• usage: if <left-expr> <op> <right-expr> <commands>