Robert Webb wrote: > Hi, > > In a vim script, what's the best way to load a file (to search for > some info), then get rid of it again without any side-effects. > Eg, it shouldn't change the alternative buffer, it should no longer > be loaded in a hidden buffer, and it should work even when there's not > enough room to split the window. > > I could split to a new tab, then load the file into it, then do :bdel. > But would this cause tab-flashing as the GUI is changed, or is there a > way to prevent the update? And would this be an inefficient way to do > it? > > I could also use readfile(), which would probably suffice, but is this > more or less efficient than loading a file into a vim buffer. I will > still need to read the whole file either way since I don't know how > far through the file I will need to look. > > Now if there was a searchfile() function, that would be handy :-) > Eg, pass it a file name and a pattern to search for, and maybe the > maximum number of matches, and a list of matching lines is returned. > That way if the match is found early and you only ask for one, then > vim wouldn't bother reading the rest of the file.
There is the :vimgrep command, the getqflist() etc. functions, and the :colder command, with which you could perhaps cobble something together. It doesn't have the nice optimisation of searching for a single match that you'd like, but it does avoid adding and removing buffers and so on. Or possibly you could use :grep--does external grep have an option to exit after a certain number of matches? Maybe. So it still might not be what you want, but it's something else to throw in the mix to investigate! Ben. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message from the "vim_dev" maillist. For more information, visit http://www.vim.org/maillist.php -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
