Using vim from the terminal: too many command arguments

[MilesCranmer]

I wrote this tiny wrapper called "vims" (https://github.com/MilesCranmer/vim-stream) which makes it easier to use vim movement commands from the terminal, in a sed-like fashion.

Basically, running:

git status | vims -r 'modified' 'dd' -l 'df:'

(-r = run a normal-mode command on every line not matching regexp)
(-l = run a normal-mode command on every line)

Gets translated into

git status | vim - -nes -c '%v/modified/exe "norm dd"' -c ':%g/.*/exe "norm df:"' -c :%p -c ':q!'

Which will delete all lines without "modified" (using dd), then on each line (-l), it will delete from char 0 to the first : character.

Some people think I should just use sed/awk, but I've found this little wrapper VERY useful, and have started using it everywhere.

Now, I am writing a script that does the following: when given an integer x, it deletes all lines with integers < x. It does this using vims:

for x in $(seq 0 $1); do                                                      
    NUMS_TO_AVOID+=("%g/\<$x\>/d_")                                             
done                                                                     
vims "${NUMS_TO_AVOID[@]}" | less

However, when I get to a certain integer (I think 8?), I am told that I have hit some limit of commands:

VIM - Vi IMproved 7.3 (2010 Aug 15, compiled Jul  9 2015 23:58:42)
Too many "+command", "-c command" or "--cmd command" arguments
More info with: "vim -h"

I've never entered so many commands into vims/vim before, but I don't see a reason there should be a limit. Of course, I could also just change this to be something like "%g/1\|2\|3\|4...", but that just fixes this single test case.

Is there any way I can release this limit?

[vim-ml]

On Tue, Aug 22, 2017 at 5:22 AM, Miles Cranmer ***@***.***> wrote: I wrote this tiny wrapper called "vims" (https://github.com/MilesCranmer/vim-stream) which makes it easier to use vim movement commands from the terminal, in a sed-like fashion. Basically, running: git status | vims -r 'modified' 'dd' -l 'df:' (-r = run a normal-mode command on every line not matching regexp) (-l = run a normal-mode command on every line) Gets translated into git status | vim - -nes -c '%v/modified/exe "norm dd"' -c ':%g/.*/exe "norm df:"' -c :%p -c ':q!' Which will delete all lines without "modified" (using dd), then on each line (-l), it will delete from char 0 to the first : character. Some people think I should just use sed/awk, but I've found this little wrapper VERY useful, and have started using it everywhere. Now, I am writing a script that does the following: when given an integer x, it deletes all lines with integers < x. It does this using vims: for x in $(seq 0 $1); do NUMS_TO_AVOID+=("%g/\<$x\>/d_") done vims "${NUMS_TO_AVOID[@]}" | less However, when I get to a certain integer (I think 8?), I am told that I have hit some limit of commands: VIM - Vi IMproved 7.3 (2010 Aug 15, compiled Jul 9 2015 23:58:42) Too many "+command", "-c command" or "--cmd command" arguments More info with: "vim -h" I've never entered so many commands into vims/vim before, but I don't see a reason there should be a limit. Of course, I could also just change this to be something like "%g/1\|2\|3\|4...", but that just fixes this single test case. Is there any way I can release this limit?

The documented limit is 10 -c or + or -S arguments (to be run after reading the first file and processing its modelines if any) and 10 --cmd arguments (to be run before reading the vimrc). If you want to run more than 10+10 ex-commands at startup in the next Vim instance (and not every time, or they would go in the vimrc), the way to do it is to write them into a script. You can then pass this script as argument to an -S argument, which will count as one command no matter how many ex-commands that script contains. Or -S not followed by a filename (i.e. at the end of the command-line or immediately before another dash option) will implicitly source the file Session.vim in the current directory. That can be any Vim script, it doesn't have to have been created by the :mksession command. It could for instance have been written by your wrapper immediately before invoking Vim. See :help -c :help --cmd :help -S Best regards, Tony.

[MilesCranmer]

Thanks, Tony! I will re-implement my wrapper with the -S command and a tmp file to hold commands.

Out of curiosity, why does the limit of 10 -c or --cmd's exist?

Best regards,
Miles

[MilesCranmer]

Ah, so I just need to change:

vim/src/structs.h

Line 3300 in 97bd5e6

#define MAX_ARG_CMDS 10

, correct?

Is this limit of 10 to save memory/startup performance (as the vast majority of people will never use this many -c's in their life)?

[vim-ml]

On Tue, Aug 22, 2017 at 4:17 PM, Miles Cranmer ***@***.***> wrote: Thanks, Tony! I will re-implement my wrapper with the -S command and a tmp file to hold commands. Out of curiosity, why does the limit of 10 -c or --cmd's exist? Best regards, Miles

I don't know, it was already there when I started to use Vim. One possible reason is that there is an OS-dependent limit to the length (in bytes) of a command-line. Best regards, Tony.

[caleb-allen]

@MilesCranmer Fancy running into you here! I see that you've been getting vim into new places for quite a long time!

Anyways, your command examples in your original post have been very helpful for me writing for writing an integration test for VimBindings.jl. Thanks for the detailed post! This saved me quite a lot of time.