error message issue

[shawn wilson]

so, i go to open a file:
:o t2.pl
E37: No write since last change (add ! to override)

ok, fine:
:o! t2.pl
E477: No ! allowed

so, what is the issue and shouldn't the error be better / more descriptive?

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[Florian Rehnisch]

On Sat, Aug 04, 2012 at 04:50:20PM -0400, shawn wilson wrote:
> so, i go to open a file:
> :o t2.pl
> E37: No write since last change (add ! to override)
>
> ok, fine:
> :o! t2.pl
> E477: No ! allowed
>
> so, what is the issue and shouldn't the error be better / more descriptive?

Yepp, there is an inconsitency between ":open! file" and
":visual! file"/":edit! file" (The latter two silently
drop your old changes).

In Joy's good old vi :open stood for something
completely different, namely switch to a mode
suited for really dumb terminals.

Vi clones don't have this open mode, so :open
was aliased to :visual in Vim.

But to implement the ! flag was forgotten, as
nearly everyone would use :edit to load
another file, I guess.

 flori

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[Tony Mechelynck]

On 04/08/12 23:31, Florian Rehnisch wrote:

> On Sat, Aug 04, 2012 at 04:50:20PM -0400, shawn wilson wrote:
>> so, i go to open a file:
>> :o t2.pl
>> E37: No write since last change (add ! to override)
>>
>> ok, fine:
>> :o! t2.pl
>> E477: No ! allowed
>>
>> so, what is the issue and shouldn't the error be better / more descriptive?
>
> Yepp, there is an inconsitency between ":open! file" and
> ":visual! file"/":edit! file" (The latter two silently
> drop your old changes).
>
> In Joy's good old vi :open stood for something
> completely different, namely switch to a mode
> suited for really dumb terminals.
>
> Vi clones don't have this open mode, so :open
> was aliased to :visual in Vim.
>
> But to implement the ! flag was forgotten, as
> nearly everyone would use :edit to load
> another file, I guess.
>
>   flori
>

There is no :open file, it's :open or :open /pattern/, to simulate
legacy Vi's command for going out of ex mode into open mode (in Vim:
into Normal mode): a rarely used command in Vim, except maybe for vi
old-timers. In no case does it open a new file. See :help :open

To open a file in a running Vim, there is:

        :e[dit] file
open the new file in the current window

one of
        :new file
        :sp[lit] file
open the file in a new window in the current tab

one of
        :tabnew file
        :tabe[dit] file
        :tab new file
        :tab sp[lit] file
open the file in a new tab

or, in the same order but readonly
        :vie[w] file           " same window
        :sv[iew] file          " new window, same tab
        :tab sv[iew] file      " new tab

Don't type the brackets, of course: they are just there to show how far
the command names may be abbreviated.

Best regards,
Tony.
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[Christian Brabandt]

Hi shawn!

On Sa, 04 Aug 2012, shawn wilson wrote:

> so, i go to open a file:
> :o t2.pl
> E37: No write since last change (add ! to override)
>
> ok, fine:
> :o! t2.pl
> E477: No ! allowed
>
> so, what is the issue and shouldn't the error be better / more descriptive?

Here is a patch, allowing :o!

diff --git a/src/ex_cmds.h b/src/ex_cmds.h
--- a/src/ex_cmds.h
+++ b/src/ex_cmds.h
@@ -662,7 +662,7 @@
 EX(CMD_nunmenu,                "nunmenu",      ex_menu,
                        EXTRA|TRLBAR|NOTRLCOM|USECTRLV|CMDWIN),
 EX(CMD_open,           "open",         ex_open,
-                       RANGE|EXTRA),
+                       RANGE|EXTRA|BANG),
 EX(CMD_oldfiles,       "oldfiles",     ex_oldfiles,
                        BANG|TRLBAR|SBOXOK|CMDWIN),
 EX(CMD_omap,           "omap",         ex_map,


regards,
Christian

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[Bram Moolenaar]

Shawn Wilson wrote:

> so, i go to open a file:
> :o t2.pl
> E37: No write since last change (add ! to override)
>
> ok, fine:
> :o! t2.pl
> E477: No ! allowed
>
> so, what is the issue and shouldn't the error be better / more descriptive?

Look up the help for :open and you will see that it's not acutally
supported.  It's an outdated Vi command.  Perhaps you want to use :edit ?

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