Changes: Online documentation for word under cursor

Latest revision as of 17:35, 13 December 2013

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Tip 1354 Printable Monobook Previous Next

created 2006 · complexity basic · author cgaal · version 5.7

When editing source code in Vim, you may want to lookup online documentation for the word under the cursor. With the following in your vimrc, you can press <M-d> to open your browser on the online documentation for the current word.

This script is like a generalization of the K command (:help K), where the keyword can be embedded anywhere in the command string.

The script here is configured for C++/Qt (keywords are Qt class names), Ruby (keywords are Ruby class names), and Perl (keywords are Perl functions), but it should be easy to figure out how to add your favorite online doc page for a given file type. Any online doc page will work, as long as the documentation's URL scheme contains the keyword. You will of course need to modify the script to correctly refer to your browser's executable.

function! OnlineDoc()
  if &ft =~ "cpp"
    let s:urlTemplate = "http://doc.trolltech.com/4.1/%.html"
  elseif &ft =~ "ruby"
    let s:urlTemplate = "http://www.ruby-doc.org/core/classes/%.html"
  elseif &ft =~ "perl"
    let s:urlTemplate = "http://perldoc.perl.org/functions/%.html"
  else
    return
  endif
  let s:browser = "\"D:\\Applications\\Mozilla Firefox\\firefox.exe\""
  let s:wordUnderCursor = expand("<cword>")
  let s:url = substitute(s:urlTemplate, "%", s:wordUnderCursor, "g")
  let s:cmd = "silent !start " . s:browser . " " . s:url
  execute s:cmd
endfunction
" Online doc search.
map <silent> <M-d> :call OnlineDoc()<CR>

<M-d> means press the meta key ("Alt" on most machines, see :help meta) and the "d" key at the same. Of course, you can change the mapping to whatever key you like – see :help :imap. The "d" refers to "doc" or "documentation".

Comments[]

Adding the line:

imap <silent> <M-d> :call OnlineDoc()<CR>

will run help when either in or out of insert mode. Saves accidentally dropping keystrokes into text.

If you're using Linux, replace the "let s:cmd = ..." line with:

let s:cmd = "silent !" . s:browser . " " . s:url . "&"

and make sure that the contents of the s:browser string is sufficient to launch your browser from the command shell. If Firefox is on your comand path, the following should work:

let s:browser = "firefox"

Run google.com/codesearch on the current word:

function! OnlineDoc()
  let s:browser = "firefox"
  let s:wordUnderCursor = expand("<cword>")
  if &ft == "cpp" || &ft == "c" || &ft == "ruby" || &ft == "php" || &ft == "python"
    let s:url = "http://www.google.com/codesearch?q=".s:wordUnderCursor."+lang:".&ft
  elseif &ft == "vim"
    let s:url = "http://www.google.com/codesearch?q=".s:wordUnderCursor
  else
    return
  endif
  let s:cmd = "silent !" . s:browser . " " . s:url
  execute s:cmd
  redraw!
endfunction
" Online doc search.
map <LocalLeader>k :call OnlineDoc()<CR>

To add support for PHP documentation, just add the following after the Perl URL line:

  elseif &ft =~ "php"
    let s:urlTemplate = "http://www.php.net/%"

See script#489 Manpageview which provides help for man pages, perl, info, php, tex, and (of course) Vim. The php help is provided via php.net. Vim, php, and tex's help are provided when the filetype is Vim, php, or tex respectively.

Here's the Firefox string for a standard Windows Firefox install:

let s:browser = "\"C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla Firefox\\firefox.exe\""

I added

redraw!

as the last line of the function definition, because I was getting a blank screen due to the silent call. (Now I see that the google codesearch example does this, too).

Instead redraw! you can add parameter \b to start Majkinetor (talk) 13:59, December 11, 2013 (UTC)

There was a strange problem running this under zsh, so I played around with it. Filetypes in s:langs will goto codesearch, everything else to standard search. Mapped to F3

" F3 Google/code search
function! OnlineDoc()
  let s:browser = "firefox"
  let s:wordUnderCursor = expand("<cword>")
  let s:langs = ["c", "cpp", "ruby", "python", "php", "java", "css"]
  if  ((match(s:langs, &ft) > -1) && (&ft != ""))
    let s:url = "http://www.google.com/codesearch\\?q=".s:wordUnderCursor."+lang:".&ft
  else
    let s:url = "http://www.google.com/search\\?q=".s:wordUnderCursor
  endif
  let s:cmd ="silent ! " . s:browser . " " . s:url
  execute s:cmd
  redraw!
endfunction
map <F3> :call OnlineDoc()<CR>

For osx (and with a better search engine):

function! OnlineDoc()
  let s:urlTemplate = "http://www.cplusplus.com/search.do?q=%"
  let s:browser = "open"
  let s:wordUnderCursor = expand("<cword>")
  let s:url = substitute(s:urlTemplate, "%", s:wordUnderCursor, "g")
  let s:cmd = "silent! !" . s:browser . " " . s:url
  execute s:cmd
endfunction

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |previous=1349
 |next=1356
-|created=October 6, 2006
+|created=2006
 |complexity=basic
 |author=cgaal
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 |category2=
 }}
-When editing source code in Vim, you may want to lookup online documentation for the word under the cursor. With the following in your vimrc, you can press <tt><M-d></tt> to open your browser on the online documentation for the current word.
+When editing source code in Vim, you may want to lookup online documentation for the word under the cursor. With the following in your vimrc, you can press <code><M-d></code> to open your browser on the online documentation for the current word.
-This script is like a generalization of the <tt>K</tt> command ({{help|K}}), where the keyword can be embedded anywhere in the command string.
+This script is like a generalization of the <code>K</code> command ({{help|K}}), where the keyword can be embedded anywhere in the command string.
 The script here is configured for C++/Qt (keywords are Qt class names), Ruby (keywords are Ruby class names), and Perl (keywords are Perl functions), but it should be easy to figure out how to add your favorite online doc page for a given file type. Any online doc page will work, as long as the documentation's URL scheme contains the keyword. You will of course need to modify the script to correctly refer to your browser's executable.
 <pre>
 function! OnlineDoc()
@@ Line 39: / Line 38: @@
 </pre>
-<tt><M-d></tt> means press the meta key ("Alt" on most machines, see {{help|meta}}) and the "<tt>d</tt>" key at the same. Of course, you can change the mapping to whatever key you like &ndash; see {{help|:imap}}. The "d" refers to "doc" or "documentation".
+<code><M-d></code> means press the meta key ("Alt" on most machines, see {{help|meta}}) and the "<code>d</code>" key at the same. Of course, you can change the mapping to whatever key you like &ndash; see {{help|:imap}}. The "d" refers to "doc" or "documentation".
 ==Comments==
@@ Line 50: / Line 49: @@
 ----
-If you're using Linux, replace the "<tt>let s:cmd = ...</tt>" line with:
+If you're using Linux, replace the "<code>let s:cmd = ...</code>" line with:
 <pre>
 let s:cmd = "silent !" . s:browser . " " . s:url . "&"
 </pre>
-and make sure that the contents of the <tt>s:browser</tt> string is sufficient to launch your browser from the command shell. If Firefox is on your comand path, the following should work:
+and make sure that the contents of the <code>s:browser</code> string is sufficient to launch your browser from the command shell. If Firefox is on your comand path, the following should work:
 <pre>
 let s:browser = "firefox"
@@ Line 102: / Line 101: @@
 redraw!
 </pre>
-to the last line of the function definition, because I was getting a blank screen due to the silent call. (Now I see that the google codesearch example does this, too).
+as the last line of the function definition, because I was getting a blank screen due to the silent call. (Now I see that the google codesearch example does this, too).
+<blockquote>Instead <code>redraw!</code> you can add parameter <code>\b</code> to <code>start</code> [[User:Majkinetor|Majkinetor]] ([[User talk:Majkinetor|talk]]) 13:59, December 11, 2013 (UTC)</blockquote>
+----
+There was a strange problem running this under zsh, so I played around with it. Filetypes in s:langs will goto codesearch, everything else to standard search. Mapped to F3
+<pre>
+" F3 Google/code search
+function! OnlineDoc()
+  let s:browser = "firefox"
+  let s:wordUnderCursor = expand("<cword>")
+  let s:langs = ["c", "cpp", "ruby", "python", "php", "java", "css"]
+  if  ((match(s:langs, &ft) > -1) && (&ft != ""))
+    let s:url = "http://www.google.com/codesearch\\?q=".s:wordUnderCursor."+lang:".&ft
+  else
+    let s:url = "http://www.google.com/search\\?q=".s:wordUnderCursor
+  endif
+  let s:cmd ="silent ! " . s:browser . " " . s:url
+  execute s:cmd
+  redraw!
+endfunction
+map <F3> :call OnlineDoc()<CR>
+</pre>
+----
+For osx (and with a better search engine):
+<pre>
+function! OnlineDoc()
+  let s:urlTemplate = "http://www.cplusplus.com/search.do?q=%"
+  let s:browser = "open"
+  let s:wordUnderCursor = expand("<cword>")
+  let s:url = substitute(s:urlTemplate, "%", s:wordUnderCursor, "g")
+  let s:cmd = "silent! !" . s:browser . " " . s:url
+  execute s:cmd
+endfunction
+</pre>