pi_getscript.txt For Vim version 9.2. Last change: 2026 Feb 14 GETSCRIPT REFERENCE MANUAL by Charles E. Campbell Original Author: Charles E. Campbell <NcampObell@SdrPchip.AorgM-NOSPAM> (remove NOSPAM from the email address) GetLatestVimScripts-copyright Copyright: (c) 2004-2012 by Charles E. Campbell glvs-copyright The VIM LICENSE (see copyright ) applies to the files in this package, including getscriptPlugin.vim, getscript.vim, GetLatestVimScripts.dist, and pi_getscript.txt, except use "getscript" instead of "Vim". Like anything else that's free, getscript and its associated files are provided *as is* and comes with no warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. No guarantees of merchantability. No guarantees of suitability for any purpose. By using this plugin, you agree that in no event will the copyright holder be liable for any damages resulting from the use of this software. Use at your own risk! Getscript is a plugin that simplifies retrieval of the latest versions of the scripts that you yourself use! Typing :GLVS will invoke getscript; it will then use the <GetLatestVimScripts.dat> (see GetLatestVimScripts_dat ) file to get the latest versions of scripts listed therein from https://www.vim.org/. ============================================================================== 1. Contents glvs-contents glvs getscript GetLatestVimScripts 1. Contents........................................: glvs-contents 2. GetLatestVimScripts -- Getting Started..........: glvs-install 3. GetLatestVimScripts Usage.......................: glvs-usage 4. GetLatestVimScripts Data File...................: glvs-data 5. GetLatestVimScripts Friendly Plugins............: glvs-plugins 6. GetLatestVimScripts AutoInstall.................: glvs-autoinstall 7. GetLatestViMScripts Options.....................: glvs-options 8. GetLatestVimScripts Algorithm...................: glvs-alg 9. GetLatestVimScripts History.....................: glvs-hist ============================================================================== 2. GetLatestVimScripts -- Getting Started getscript-start getlatestvimscripts-install VERSION FROM VIM DISTRIBUTION glvs-dist-install Vim 7.0 does not include the GetLatestVimScripts.dist file which serves as an example and a template. So, you'll need to create your own! See GetLatestVimScripts_dat . VERSION FROM VIM SF NET glvs-install NOTE: The last step, that of renaming/moving the GetLatestVimScripts.dist file, is for those who have just downloaded GetLatestVimScripts.tar.bz2 for the first time. The GetLatestVimScripts.dist file serves as an example and a template for your own personal list. Feel free to remove all the scripts mentioned within it; the "important" part of it is the first two lines. Your computer needs to have wget or curl for GetLatestVimScripts to do its work. 1. if compressed: gunzip getscript.vmb.gz 2. Unix: vim getscript.vmb :so % :q cd ~/.vim/GetLatest mv GetLatestVimScripts.dist GetLatestVimScripts.dat (edit GetLatestVimScripts.dat to install your own personal list of desired plugins -- see GetLatestVimScripts_dat ) 3. Windows: vim getscript.vmb :so % :q cd **path-to-vimfiles**/GetLatest mv GetLatestVimScripts.dist GetLatestVimScripts.dat (edit GetLatestVimScripts.dat to install your own personal list of desired plugins -- see GetLatestVimScripts_dat ) ============================================================================== 3. GetLatestVimScripts Usage glvs-usage :GLVS Unless it has been defined elsewhere, :GLVS will invoke GetLatestVimScripts(). If some other plugin has defined that command, then you may type :GetLatestVimScripts The script will attempt to update and, if permitted, will automatically install scripts from http://vim.sourceforge.net/. To do so it will peruse a file, .vim/GetLatest/GetLatestVimScripts.dat (unix) or ..wherever..\vimfiles\GetLatest\GetLatestVimScripts.dat (windows) (see glvs-data), and examine plugins in your [.vim|vimfiles]/plugin directory (see glvs-plugins). Scripts which have been downloaded will appear in the ~/.vim/GetLatest (unix) or ..wherever..\vimfiles\GetLatest (windows) subdirectory. GetLatestVimScripts will attempt to automatically install them if you have the following line in your <.vimrc>: let g:GetLatestVimScripts_allowautoinstall=1 The <GetLatestVimScripts.dat> file will be automatically be updated to reflect the latest version of script(s) so downloaded. (also see glvs-options ) ============================================================================== 4. GetLatestVimScripts Data File getscript-data glvs-data :GetLatestVimScripts_dat The data file <GetLatestVimScripts.dat> must have for its first two lines the following text: ScriptID SourceID Filename -------------------------- Following those two lines are three columns; the first two are numeric followed by a text column. The GetLatest/GetLatestVimScripts.dist file contains an example of such a data file. Anything following a #... is ignored, so you may embed comments in the file. The first number on each line gives the script's ScriptID. When you're about to use a web browser to look at scripts on http://vim.sf.net/, just before you click on the script's link, you'll see a line resembling http://vim.sourceforge.net/scripts/script.php?script_id=40 The "40" happens to be a ScriptID that GetLatestVimScripts needs to download the associated page, and is assigned by vim.sf.net itself during initial uploading of the plugin. The second number on each line gives the script's SourceID. The SourceID records the count of uploaded scripts as determined by vim.sf.net; hence it serves to indicate "when" a script was uploaded. Setting the SourceID to 1 insures that GetLatestVimScripts will assume that the script it has is out-of-date. The SourceID is extracted by GetLatestVimScripts from the script's page on vim.sf.net; whenever it is greater than the one stored in the GetLatestVimScripts.dat file, the script will be downloaded (see GetLatestVimScripts_dat). If your script's author has included a special comment line in his/her plugin, the plugin itself will be used by GetLatestVimScripts to build your <GetLatestVimScripts.dat> file, including any dependencies on other scripts it may have. As an example, consider: " GetLatestVimScripts: 884 1 :AutoInstall: AutoAlign.vim This comment line tells getscript.vim to check Vim script #884 and that the script is automatically installable. Getscript will also use this line to help build the GetLatestVimScripts.dat file, by including a line such as: 884 1 :AutoInstall: AutoAlign.vim assuming that such a line isn't already in GetLatestVimScripts.dat file. See glvs-plugins for more. Thus, GetLatestVimScripts thus provides a comprehensive ability to keep your plugins up-to-date! In summary: * Optionally tell getscript that it is allowed to build/append a GetLatestVimScripts.dat file based upon already installed plugins: let g:GetLatestVimScripts_allowautoinstall=1 * A line such as " GetLatestVimScripts: 884 1 :AutoInstall: AutoAlign.vim in an already-downloaded plugin constitutes the concurrence of the plugin author that getscript may do AutoInstall. Not all plugins may be AutoInstall-able, and the plugin's author is best situated to know whether or not his/her plugin will AutoInstall properly. * A line such as 884 1 :AutoInstall: AutoAlign.vim in your GetLatestVimScripts.dat file constitutes your permission to getscript to do AutoInstall. AutoInstall requires both your and the plugin author's permission. See GetLatestVimScripts_dat . GetLatestVimScripts_dat As an example of a <GetLatestVimScripts.dat> file: ScriptID SourceID Filename -------------------------- 294 1 :AutoInstall: Align.vim 120 2 Decho.vim 40 3 DrawIt.tar.gz 451 4 EasyAccents.vim 195 5 engspchk.vim 642 6 GetLatestVimScripts.vim 489 7 Manpageview.vim Note: the first two lines are required, but essentially act as comments. ============================================================================== 5. GetLatestVimScripts Friendly Plugins getscript-plugins glvs-plugins (this section is for plugin authors) If a plugin author includes the following comment anywhere in their plugin, GetLatestVimScripts will find it and use it to automatically build the user's GetLatestVimScripts.dat files: src_id v " GetLatestVimScripts: ### ### yourscriptname ^ scriptid As an author, you should include such a line in to refer to your own script plus any additional lines describing any plugin dependencies it may have. Same format, of course! If your command is auto-installable (see glvs-autoinstall), and most scripts are, then you may include :AutoInstall: just before "yourscriptname": src_id v " GetLatestVimScripts: ### ### :AutoInstall: yourscriptname ^ scriptid NOTE: The :AutoInstall: feature requires both the plugin author's and the user's permission to operate! GetLatestVimScripts commands for those scripts are then appended, if not already present, to the user's GetLatest/GetLatestVimScripts.dat file. It is a relatively painless way to automate the acquisition of any scripts your plugins depend upon. Now, as an author, you probably don't want GetLatestVimScripts to download your own scripts atop your own copy, thereby overwriting your not-yet-released hard work. GetLatestVimScripts provides a solution for this: put 0 0 yourscriptname into your <GetLatestVimScripts.dat> file and GetLatestVimScripts will skip examining the "yourscriptname" scripts for those GetLatestVimScripts comment lines. As a result, those lines won't be inadvertently installed into your <GetLatestVimScripts.dat> file and subsequently used to download your own scripts. This is especially important to do if you've included the :AutoInstall: option. Be certain to use the same "yourscriptname" in the "0 0 yourscriptname" line as you've used in your GetLatestVimScripts comment! ============================================================================== 6. GetLatestVimScripts AutoInstall getscript-autoinstall glvs-autoinstall GetLatestVimScripts now supports "AutoInstall". Not all scripts are supportive of auto-install, as they may have special things you need to do to install them (please refer to the script's "install" directions). On the other hand, most scripts will be auto-installable. To let GetLatestVimScripts do an autoinstall, the data file's comment field should begin with (surrounding blanks are ignored): :AutoInstall: Both colons are needed, and it should begin the comment (yourscriptname) field. One may prevent any autoinstalling by putting the following line in your <.vimrc>: let g:GetLatestVimScripts_allowautoinstall= 0 With :AutoInstall: enabled, as it is by default, files which end with ---.tar.bz2 : decompressed & untarred in .vim/ directory ---.vba.bz2 : decompressed in .vim/ directory, then vimball handles it ---.vmb.bz2 : idem ---.vim.bz2 : decompressed & moved into .vim/plugin directory ---.tar.gz : decompressed & untarred in .vim/ directory ---.vba.gz : decompressed in .vim/ directory, then vimball handles it ---.vmb.gz : idem ---.vim.gz : decompressed & moved into .vim/plugin directory ---.vba : moved to .vim/ directory, then vimball handles it ---.vmb : idem ---.vim : moved to .vim/plugin directory ---.zip : unzipped in .vim/ directory and which merely need to have their components placed by the untar/gunzip or move-to-plugin-directory process should be auto-installable. Vimballs, of course, should always be auto-installable. When is a script not auto-installable? Let me give an example: .vim/after/syntax/blockhl.vim The <blockhl.vim> script provides block highlighting for C/C++ programs; it is available at: https://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=104 Currently, vim's after/syntax only supports by-filetype scripts (in blockhl.vim's case, that's after/syntax/c.vim). Hence, auto-install would possibly overwrite the current user's after/syntax/c.vim file. In my own case, I use <aftersyntax.vim> (renamed to after/syntax/c.vim) to allow a after/syntax/c/ directory: https://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=1023 The script allows multiple syntax files to exist separately in the after/syntax/c subdirectory. I can't bundle aftersyntax.vim in and build an appropriate tarball for auto-install because of the potential for the after/syntax/c.vim contained in it to overwrite a user's c.vim. ============================================================================== 7. GetLatestVimScripts Options glvs-options g:GetLatestVimScripts_wget default= "wget" This variable holds the name of the command for obtaining scripts. g:GetLatestVimScripts_options default= "-q -O" This variable holds the options to be used with the g:GetLatestVimScripts_wget command. g:GetLatestVimScripts_allowautoinstall default= 1 This variable indicates whether GetLatestVimScripts is allowed to attempt to automatically install scripts. Furthermore, the plugin author has to have explicitly indicated that his/her plugin is automatically installable (via the :AutoInstall: keyword in the GetLatestVimScripts comment line). g:GetLatestVimScripts_autoinstalldir default= $HOME/.vim (linux) default= $HOME/vimfiles (windows) Override where :AutoInstall: scripts will be installed. Doesn't override vimball installation. g:GetLatestVimScripts_scriptaddr default='https://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=' g:GetLatestVimScripts_downloadaddr default='https://www.vim.org/scripts/download_script.php?src_id=' g:GetLatestVimScripts_bunzip2 default= bunzip2 This variable holds the name of the command to decompress .bz2 files g:GetLatestVimScripts_bunzip3 default= bunzip3 This variable holds the name of the command to decompress .bz3 files g:GetLatestVimScripts_gunzip default= gunzip This variable holds the name of the command to decompress .gz files g:GetLatestVimScripts_unxz default= unxz This variable holds the name of the command to decompress .xz files g:GetLatestVimScripts_unzip default= unzip This variable holds the name of the command to decompress .zip files Note: The variables associated with decompression commands help workaround crossplatform issues. For example, on Windows is possible to delegate this calls into wsl by doing: let g:GetLatestVimScripts_bunzip2= "wsl -e bunzip2" let g:GetLatestVimScripts_gunzip= "wsl -e gunzip" let g:GetLatestVimScripts_unxz= "wsl -e unxz" let g:GetLatestVimScripts_unzip= "wsl -e unzip" ============================================================================== 8. GetLatestVimScripts Algorithm glvs-algorithm glvs-alg The Vim sourceforge page dynamically creates a page by keying off of the so-called script-id. Within the webpage of https://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=40 is a line specifying the latest source-id (src_id). The source identifier numbers are always increasing, hence if the src_id is greater than the one recorded for the script in GetLatestVimScripts then it's time to download a newer copy of that script. GetLatestVimScripts will then download the script and update its internal database of script ids, source ids, and scriptnames. The AutoInstall process will: Move the file from GetLatest/ to the following directory Unix : $HOME/.vim Windows: $HOME\vimfiles if the downloaded file ends with ".bz2" bunzip2 it else if the downloaded file ends with ".bz3" bunzip3 it else if the downloaded file ends with ".gz" gunzip it if the resulting file ends with ".zip" unzip it else if the resulting file ends with ".tar" tar -oxvf it else if the resulting file ends with ".vim" move it to the plugin subdirectory ============================================================================== 9. GetLatestVimScripts History getscript-history glvs-hist {{{1 v38 Feb 25, 2025 : * handles additional decompression option for .bzip3 files. v37 Sep 23, 2024 : * Support for the new vimball's .vmb extension (old .vba extension conflicted with visual basic). * Support for glvs-autoinstall in ftplugins and packages. * Allow platform driven customization of decompressing commands. v36 Apr 22, 2013 : * (glts) suggested use of plugin/**/*.vim instead of plugin/*.vim in globpath() call. * (Andy Wokula) got warning message when setting g:loaded_getscriptPlugin v35 Apr 07, 2012 : * (MengHuan Yu) pointed out that the script URL has changed (somewhat). However, it doesn't work, and the original one does (under Linux). I'll make it yet-another-option. v34 Jun 23, 2011 : * handles additional decompression options for tarballs (tgz taz tbz txz) v33 May 31, 2011 : * using fnameescape() instead of escape() * *.xz support v32 Jun 19, 2010 : * (Jan Steffens) added support for xz compression v31 Jun 29, 2008 : * (Bill McCarthy) fixed having hls enabled with getscript * (David Schaefer) the acd option interferes with vimballs Solution: bypass the acd option v30 Jun 13, 2008 : * GLVS now checks for existence of fnameescape() and will issue an error message if it is not supported v29 Jan 07, 2008 : * Bram M pointed out that cpo is a global option and that getscriptPlugin.vim was setting it but not restoring it. v28 Jan 02, 2008 : * improved shell quoting character handling, cygwin interface, register-a bypass Oct 29, 2007 * Bill McCarthy suggested a change to getscript that avoids creating pop-up windows v24 Apr 16, 2007 : * removed save&restore of the fo option during script loading v23 Nov 03, 2006 : * ignores comments (#...) * handles vimballs v22 Oct 13, 2006 : * supports automatic use of curl if wget is not available v21 May 01, 2006 : * now takes advantage of autoloading. v20 Dec 23, 2005 : * Eric Haarbauer found&fixed a bug with unzip use; unzip needs the -o flag to overwrite. v19 Nov 28, 2005 : * v18's GetLatestVimScript line accessed the wrong script! Fixed. v18 Mar 21, 2005 : * bugfix to automatic database construction * bugfix - nowrapscan caused an error (tnx to David Green for the fix) Apr 01, 2005 * if shell is bash, "mv" instead of "ren" used in :AutoInstall:s, even though its o/s is windows Apr 01, 2005 * when downloading errors occurred, GLVS was terminating early. It now just goes on to trying the next script (after trying three times to download a script description page) Apr 20, 2005 * bugfix - when a failure to download occurred, GetLatestVimScripts would stop early and claim that everything was current. Fixed. v17 Aug 25, 2004 : * g:GetLatestVimScripts_allowautoinstall, which defaults to 1, can be used to prevent all :AutoInstall: v16 Aug 25, 2004 : * made execution of bunzip2/gunzip/tar/zip silent * fixed bug with :AutoInstall: use of helptags v15 Aug 24, 2004 : * bugfix: the "0 0 comment" download prevention wasn't always preventing downloads (just usually). Fixed. v14 Aug 24, 2004 : * bugfix -- helptags was using dotvim, rather than s:dotvim. Fixed. v13 Aug 23, 2004 : * will skip downloading a file if its scriptid or srcid is zero. Useful for script authors; that way their own GetLatestVimScripts activity won't overwrite their scripts. v12 Aug 23, 2004 : * bugfix - a "return" got left in the distribution that was intended only for testing. Removed, now works. * :AutoInstall: implemented v11 Aug 20, 2004 : * GetLatestVimScripts is now a plugin: * :GetLatestVimScripts command * (runtimepath)/GetLatest/GetLatestVimScripts.dat now holds scripts that need updating v10 Apr 19, 2004 : * moved history from script to doc v9 Jan 23, 2004 : windows (win32/win16/win95) will use double quotes ("") whereas other systems will use single quotes ('') around the urls in calls via wget v8 Dec 01, 2003 : makes three tries at downloading v7 Sep 02, 2003 : added error messages if "Click on..." or "src_id=" not found in downloaded webpage Uses t_ti, t_te, and rs to make progress visible v6 Aug 06, 2003 : final status messages now display summary of work ( "Downloaded someqty scripts" or "Everything was current") Now GetLatestVimScripts is careful about downloading GetLatestVimScripts.vim itself! (goes to <NEW_GetLatestVimScripts.vim>) v5 Aug 04, 2003 : missing an endif near bottom v4 Jun 17, 2003 : redraw! just before each "considering" message v3 May 27, 2003 : Protects downloaded files from errant shell expansions with single quotes: '...' v2 May 14, 2003 : extracts name of item to be obtained from the script file. Uses it instead of comment field for output filename; comment is used in the "considering..." line and is now just a comment! * Fixed a bug: a string-of-numbers is not the same as a number, so I added zero to them and they became numbers. Fixes comparison. ============================================================================== vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:fdm=marker