0

In my code, something like

#include <whatever>

is highlighted: #include (which belongs to the group 'cInclude') in pink; and <whatever> (belonging to the group 'cIncluded') in red. (Edit: whatever is any word.)

Also, to highlight the word vector according to the 'Type' style (in green) I do the following:

:call matchadd('Type','\<vector\>',0)

Here, 0 sets the priority to a low value. With this, my intention is that in

#include <vector>

, <vector> is highlighted according to the group 'cIncluded', and not according to the group 'Type'.

Unexpectedly, I do not get that result. The highlight for <vector> in #include <vector> turns out to be:

< in red (as in the group 'cIncluded')

vector in green (as in the group 'Type')

> in red (as in the group 'cIncluded')

Why?

|improve this question
  • 1
    \< and \> actually mean start-of-word and end-of-word in Vims regexp – Christian Brabandt Sep 18 '18 at 8:00
  • Yes, I am aware of that. I only want to highlight the word 'vector' when it is alone, but I do not want to highlight it inside the word 'vectorize', for example. – Godoy Sep 18 '18 at 8:10
  • 1
    But you most likely want to have the < and > also included in your match, if I understand the question correctly, right? – Christian Brabandt Sep 18 '18 at 8:27
  • I want vector to be highlighted in green everywhere in the code except in the excerpt #include <vector>, where it should be highlighted in red. And I do not want vectorize to be highlighted. – Godoy Sep 18 '18 at 8:34
3

From help matchadd:

Syntax highlighting (see 'syntax') is a separate mechanism, and regardless of the chosen priority a match will always overrule syntax highlighting.

To match everywhere except certain contexts, you can use zero-width atoms:

:call matchadd('Type', '\(#include <\)\@<!\<vector\>')
:call matchadd('Type', '\<vector\>\(>\)\@!')

The first matches the complete word vector if not preceded by #include <, and the second matches when it's not followed by >. Together, these should cover all occurrences of the word other than inside #include <vector>.

|improve this answer
  • Thank you for the workaround. However, my question is why the priority that I set does not work. – Godoy Sep 18 '18 at 9:23
  • Edited to add the relevant excerpt from the docs – JigglyNaga Sep 18 '18 at 9:32
4

I would consider using syntax matching instead of matchadd() for this:

:syntax match Type /\<vector\>/

Because you are not specifying containedin, this will not match inside the cIncluded group that already exists. See :help :syn-containedin.

|improve this answer
  • This is the best way to get the highlighting that I was looking for. – Godoy Sep 18 '18 at 17:24

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.