Debugging b:match_words and Known Bugs

line, with optional white space, you might use the pattern "\(^\s*\)\@<=if" so that the cursor will end on the "i" instead of at the start of the line. For another example, if HTML had only one tag then one could > :let b:match_words = '<:>,<\@<=tag>:<\@<=/tag>' so that "%" can bounce between matching "<" and ">" pairs or (starting on "tag" or "/tag") between matching tags. Without the |\@<=|, the script would bounce from "tag" to the "<" in "</tag>", and another "%" would not take you back to where you started. DEBUGGING *matchit-debug* *:MatchDebug* If you are having trouble figuring out the appropriate definition of |b:match_words| then you can take advantage of the same information I use when debugging the script. This is especially true if you are not sure whether your patterns or my script are at fault! To make this more convenient, I have made the command :MatchDebug, which defines the variable |b:match_debug| and creates a Matchit menu. This menu makes it convenient to check the values of the variables described below. You will probably also want to read |matchit-details| above. Defining the variable |b:match_debug| causes the script to set the following variables, each time you hit the "%" key. Several of these are only defined if |b:match_words| includes |backref|s. *b:match_pat* The b:match_pat variable is set to |b:match_words| with |backref|s parsed. *b:match_match* The b:match_match variable is set to the bit of text that is recognized as a match. *b:match_col* The b:match_col variable is set to the cursor column of the start of the matching text. *b:match_wholeBR* The b:match_wholeBR variable is set to the comma-separated group of patterns that matches, with |backref|s unparsed. *b:match_iniBR* The b:match_iniBR variable is set to the first pattern in |b:match_wholeBR|. *b:match_ini* The b:match_ini variable is set to the first pattern in |b:match_wholeBR|, with |backref|s resolved from |b:match_match|. *b:match_tail* The b:match_tail variable is set to the remaining patterns in |b:match_wholeBR|, with |backref|s resolved from |b:match_match|. *b:match_word* The b:match_word variable is set to the pattern from |b:match_wholeBR| that matches |b:match_match|. *b:match_table* The back reference '\'.d refers to the same thing as '\'.b:match_table[d] in |b:match_word|. ============================================================================== 5. Known Bugs and Limitations *matchit-bugs* Repository: https://github.com/chrisbra/matchit/ Bugs can be reported at the repository and the latest development snapshot can also be downloaded there. Just because I know about a bug does not mean that it is on my todo list. I try to respond to reports of bugs that cause real problems. If it does not cause serious problems, or if there is a work-around, a bug may sit there for a while. Moral: if a bug (known or not) bothers you, let me know. It would be nice if "\0" were recognized as the entire pattern. That is, it would be nice if "foo:\end\0" had the same effect as "\(foo\):\end\1". I may try to implement this in a future version. (This is not so easy to arrange as you might think!) ============================================================================== vim:tw=78:ts=8:fo=tcq2:ft=help:

This section explains how to use `:MatchDebug` and the associated variables (b:match_pat, b:match_match, b:match_col, b:match_wholeBR, b:match_iniBR, b:match_ini, b:match_tail, b:match_word, b:match_table) to debug your `b:match_words` definitions and identify issues. It also includes a section on known bugs and limitations of the matchit plugin, pointing to the repository for bug reports and the latest development version.