Version 1.13

The script uses its own logic, instead of the default % behavior, if the match comes from the 'matchpairs' option rather than from the b:match_words variable.  This implies that you can get the matchit behavior for strings and comments just by loading the script; you need not define b:match_words at all.

doc/matchit.txt

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ For instructions on installing this file, type
 	:help matchit-install
 inside Vim.
 
-For Vim version 6.3.  Last change:  2006 Feb 23
+For Vim version 6.3.  Last change:  2007 Aug 29
 
 
 		  VIM REFERENCE MANUAL    by Benji Fisher
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ in your |vimrc| file: >
 
 							*g%* *v_g%* *o_g%*
 g%	Cycle backwards through matching groups, as specified by
-	|b:match_words|.  For example, go from "endif" to "else" to "if".
+	|b:match_words|.  For example, go from "if" to "endif" to "else".
 
 							*[%* *v_[%* *o_[%*
 [%	Go to [count] previous unmatched group, as specified by
@@ -64,9 +64,9 @@ option.  The matchit plugin extends this in several ways:
 	    By default, words inside comments and strings are ignored, unless
 	the cursor is inside a comment or string when you type "%".  If the
 	only thing you want to do is modify the behavior of "%" so that it
-	behaves this way, you can >
-		:let b:match_words = &matchpairs
-<
+	behaves this way, you do not have to define |b:match_words|, since the
+	script uses the 'matchpairs' option as well as this variable.
+
 See |matchit-details| for details on what the script does, and |b:match_words|
 for how to specify matching patterns.
 
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ LANGUAGES:					*matchit-languages*
 Currently, the following languages are supported:  Ada, ASP with VBS, Csh,
 DTD, Entity, Essbase, Fortran, HTML, JSP (same as HTML), LaTeX, Lua, Pascal,
 SGML, Shell, Tcsh, Vim, XML.  Other languages may already have support via
-|filetype-plugin|s.
+the default |filetype-plugin|s in the standard vim distribution.
 
 To support a new language, see |matchit-newlang| below.
 
@@ -109,7 +109,6 @@ The script follows these rules:
 	Prefer a match that includes the cursor position (that is, one that
 		starts on or before the cursor).
 	Prefer a match that starts as close to the cursor as possible.
-	Prefer a match in |b:match_words| to a match in 'matchpairs'.
 	If more than one pattern in |b:match_words| matches, choose the one
 		that is listed first.
 
@@ -131,9 +130,10 @@ Examples:
 	cursor starts on the "end " then "end if" is chosen.  (You can avoid
 	this problem by using a more complicated pattern.)
 
-If there is no match, the script falls back on the usual behavior of |%|.  If
-debugging is turned on, the matched bit of text is saved as |b:match_match|
-and the cursor column of the start of the match is saved as |b:match_col|.
+If there is no match, the cursor does not move.  (Before version 1.13 of the
+script, it would fall back on the usual behavior of |%|).  If debugging is
+turned on, the matched bit of text is saved as |b:match_match| and the cursor
+column of the start of the match is saved as |b:match_col|.
 
 Next, the script looks through |b:match_words| (original and parsed versions)
 for the group and pattern that match.  If debugging is turned on, the group is
@@ -160,11 +160,13 @@ or >
 	:runtime macros/matchit.vim
 Either way, the script should start working the next time you start up Vim.
 
-The script does nothing unless it finds a |buffer-variable| named
-|b:match_words|.  The script contains autocommands that set this variable for
-various file types:  see |matchit-languages| above.  For a new language, you
-can add autocommands to the script or to your vimrc file, but the recommended
-method is to add a line such as >
+(Earlier versions of the script did nothing unless a |buffer-variable| named
+|b:match_words| was defined.  Even earlier versions contained autocommands
+that set this variable for various file types.  Now, |b:match_words| is
+defined in many of the default |filetype-plugin|s instead.)
+
+For a new language, you can add autocommands to the script or to your vimrc
+file, but the recommended method is to add a line such as >
 	let b:match_words = '\<foo\>:\<bar\>'
 to the |filetype-plugin| for your language.  See |b:match_words| below for how
 this variable is interpreted.

plugin/matchit.vim

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 "  matchit.vim: (global plugin) Extended "%" matching
-"  Last Change: Tue Oct 24 11:00 AM 2006 EDT
+"  Last Change: Wed Aug 29 05:00 PM 2007 EDT
 "  Maintainer:  Benji Fisher PhD   <benji@member.AMS.org>
-"  Version:     1.12, for Vim 6.3+
+"  Version:     1.13, for Vim 6.3+
 "  URL:		http://www.vim.org/script.php?script_id=39
 
 " Documentation:
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ if exists("loaded_matchit") || &cp
 endif
 let loaded_matchit = 1
 let s:last_mps = ""
-let s:last_words = ""
+let s:last_words = ":"
 
 let s:save_cpo = &cpo
 set cpo&vim
@@ -100,22 +100,21 @@ function! s:Match_wrapper(word, forward, mode) range
   " In s:CleanUp(), we may need to check whether the cursor moved forward.
   let startline = line(".")
   let startcol = col(".")
-  " Use default behavior if called with a count or if no patterns are defined.
+  " Use default behavior if called with a count.
   if v:count
     exe "normal! " . v:count . "%"
     return s:CleanUp(restore_options, a:mode, startline, startcol)
-  elseif !exists("b:match_words") || b:match_words == ""
-    silent! normal! %
-    return s:CleanUp(restore_options, a:mode, startline, startcol)
   end
 
   " First step:  if not already done, set the script variables
   "   s:do_BR	flag for whether there are backrefs
   "   s:pat	parsed version of b:match_words
   "   s:all	regexp based on s:pat and the default groups
   "
-  " Allow b:match_words = "GetVimMatchWords()" .
-  if b:match_words =~ ":"
+  if !exists("b:match_words") || b:match_words == ""
+    let match_words = ""
+    " Allow b:match_words = "GetVimMatchWords()" .
+  elseif b:match_words =~ ":"
     let match_words = b:match_words
   else
     execute "let match_words =" b:match_words
@@ -125,13 +124,6 @@ function! s:Match_wrapper(word, forward, mode) range
     \ exists("b:match_debug")
     let s:last_words = match_words
     let s:last_mps = &mps
-    if match_words !~ s:notslash . '\\\d'
-      let s:do_BR = 0
-      let s:pat = match_words
-    else
-      let s:do_BR = 1
-      let s:pat = s:ParseWords(match_words)
-    endif
     " The next several lines were here before
     " BF started messing with this script.
     " quote the special chars in 'matchpairs', replace [,:] with \| and then
@@ -141,10 +133,17 @@ function! s:Match_wrapper(word, forward, mode) range
     let default = escape(&mps, '[$^.*~\\/?]') . (strlen(&mps) ? "," : "") .
       \ '\/\*:\*\/,#if\%(def\)\=:#else\>:#elif\>:#endif\>'
     " s:all = pattern with all the keywords
-    let s:all = s:pat . (strlen(s:pat) ? "," : "") . default
-    let s:all = substitute(s:all, s:notslash . '\zs[,:]\+', '\\|', 'g')
+    let match_words = match_words . (strlen(match_words) ? "," : "") . default
+    let s:all = substitute(match_words, s:notslash . '\zs[,:]\+', '\\|', 'g')
     let s:all = '\%(' . s:all . '\)'
     " let s:all = '\%(' . substitute(s:all, '\\\ze[,:]', '', 'g') . '\)'
+    if match_words !~ s:notslash . '\\\d'
+      let s:do_BR = 0
+      let s:pat = match_words
+    else
+      let s:do_BR = 1
+      let s:pat = s:ParseWords(match_words)
+    endif
     if exists("b:match_debug")
       let b:match_pat = s:pat
     endif
@@ -172,16 +171,14 @@ function! s:Match_wrapper(word, forward, mode) range
   else	" Find the match that ends on or after the cursor and set curcol.
     let regexp = s:Wholematch(matchline, s:all, startcol-1)
     let curcol = match(matchline, regexp)
+    " If there is no match, give up.
+    if curcol == -1
+      return s:CleanUp(restore_options, a:mode, startline, startcol)
+    endif
     let endcol = matchend(matchline, regexp)
     let suf = strlen(matchline) - endcol
     let prefix = (curcol ? '^.*\%'  . (curcol + 1) . 'c\%(' : '^\%(')
     let suffix = (suf ? '\)\%' . (endcol + 1) . 'c.*$'  : '\)$')
-    " If the match comes from the defaults, bail out.
-    if matchline !~ prefix .
-      \ substitute(s:pat, s:notslash.'\zs[,:]\+', '\\|', 'g') . suffix
-      silent! norm! %
-      return s:CleanUp(restore_options, a:mode, startline, startcol)
-    endif
   endif
   if exists("b:match_debug")
     let b:match_match = matchstr(matchline, regexp)