Editing Comment Lines according to a given filetype

{{review}}
{{TipImported
|id=355
|previous=352
|next=356
|created=2002
|complexity=intermediate
|author=Luis Mondesi
|version=6.0
|rating=8/6
|category1=Filetype
|category2=LanguageSpecific
}}
There is probably an easier way to do this, but, if I cannot find an easy solution for a given problem, I just devise one that works for the meantime -- which usually becomes permanent.

This function comments out lines according to file type. So if a file is .sh, it uses # to comment lines. And if a file is type .c it will start the comments with /* and end them with */.

Put these lines in your [[vimrc]] file:
<pre>
" comment out highlighted lines according to file type
" put a line like the following in your ~/.vim/filetype.vim file
" and remember to turn on filetype detection: filetype on
" au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.sh,*.tcl,*.php,*.pl let Comment="#"
" if the comment character for a given filetype happens to be @
" then use let Comment="\@" to avoid problems...
function CommentLines()
  "let Comment="#" " shell, tcl, php, perl
  exe ":s@^@".g:Comment."@g"
  exe ":s@$@".g:EndComment."@g"
endfunction
" map visual mode keycombo 'co' to this function
vmap co :call CommentLines()<CR>
</pre>

In [[filetype.vim]] you can add things such as:
<pre>
au BufRead,BufNewFile *.inc,*.ihtml,*.html,*.tpl,*.class set filetype=php
        \ | let Comment="<!-- " | let EndComment=" -->"
au BufRead,BufNewFile *.sh,*.pl,*.tcl let Comment="#" | let EndComment=""
au BufRead,BufNewFile *.js set filetype=html | let Comment="//" | let EndComment=""
au BufRead,BufNewFile *.cc,*.php,*.cxx let Comment="//" | let EndComment=""
au BufRead,BufNewFile *.c,*.h let Comment="/*" | let EndComment="*/"
</pre>

All set, now whenever you are editing a file of those you have defined in your filetype.vim script, you can just go into Visual mode, highlight what you want to comment out, and type "co". Simple.

==See also==
*EnhancedCommentify: {{script|id=23}}
*tComment: {{script|id=1173}}
*ToggleCommentify: {{script|id=4}}

==Comments==
I was used to using 'boxes' as an external filter to comment/decomment, but pushing to the program and back is more 'expensive' then using a simple script, but boxes really is better then EnhancedCommentify.vim (at least I haven't found a way yet to make it behave just like I want it to.).

But I would prefer a maintained thing any day.

----
The first filetype autocmd uses <code>set filetype=php</code> instead of <code>setf php</code>, which could cause it to replace the filetype (depending on where in the runtime path and file it's placed).  It's also the only one which changes a filetype (and it does so a bit overzealously, not all .inc or .class files are php).

I think the <code>setf</code> can be removed altogether, or moved into a different tip, at least.

In fact, these would probably be better in vimrc autocmds as
<pre>
au FileType php  let Comment="<!-- " | let EndComment=" -->"
</pre>
et al.  Let the pre-flow evaluate the filetype, and the post-flow define the comment fields.

Or probably even <code>after/ftplugin/&lt;filetype&gt;.vim</code> syntax modification files.

--[[User:JeremyBarton|JeremyBarton]] 07:42, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

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