Is there a vimscript function to wrap text?

Question

Is there a vimscript function that wraps text in a similar manner like gqgq does?

For example, if I have the following string variable:

let txt = 'One foo, two bars and three bazes went up the hill'

I'd like to call something like:

let indent   = 4
let textwith = 12
let wrapped = wrap(txt, indent, textwidth)

After the call, the value of wrapped should be

    One foo, two
    bars and
    three bazes
    went up the
    hill

Is there something that does that?

Answer 1

This function does what I need

fu! TextWrap(text, width, indent)

  let l:line = ''
  let l:ret  = ''

  for word in split(a:text)

    if len(l:line) + len(word) + 1 > a:width

       if len(l:ret)
          let l:ret .= "\n"
       endif
       let l:ret .=  repeat(' ', a:indent) . l:line

       let l:line = ''

    endif

    if len (l:line)
       let l:line .= ' '
    endif

    let l:line .= word

  endfor

  let l:ret .= "\n" . repeat(' ', a:indent) . l:line

  return l:ret

endfu

The function is then called, for example, like so

echo TextWrap("one two three four five six seven eight nine ten", 8, 2)

Which results in

  one two
  three
  four
  five six
  seven
  eight
  nine ten

The parameter indent specifies how many empty (space) characters there are in front of the first word. width specifies the maximum number of characters after indent characters. (for example five six or nine ten each constists of 8 characters).

Answer 2

No there is no such function and it wouldn't make much sense.

Answer 3

I have wrote something a bit alike for indenting with options my mail texts (with a justify option). It's called yaposting:

• https://github.com/guyzmo/vim-yaposting

whithin it there's a mail format tool with enough parameters to do that:

• https://github.com/guyzmo/vim-yaposting/blob/master/pylibs/mail_format.py

and it is exposed as a function within the vimscript file to do so:

• https://github.com/guyzmo/vim-yaposting/blob/master/plugin/yaposting.vim#L113

Though I did that plugin a long time ago, before I actually understood vim. If I was to rewrite this plugin, I'd change it to have the python function work within :set formatprg with the parameters of how you want to setup your indentation given as either arguments to set formatprg or another global vim setting. And then use the traditional gqap (and eventually enable other gq- like shortcut to make it available.

But the right thing is to use the "standard" vi thing, which is gqap, and the right tool that formats things how you want it!

HTH

Answer 4

Vim's paragraph formatting abilities can be extended by installing an old program called 'par'.

:set formatprg=par\ -w12
" (gq will now format using par. Does not affect gw)

:map <A-q> {v}!par -w12<CR>
" (maps alt-q to format selection using par)

source: http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/Par_text_reformatter