How do I copy command output in vim?

Question

For example, if I type ':pwd' to get the current working directory, I can select the text in gvim but I can't figure out how to copy it to the clipboard. If I try the same in console vim, I can't even select it with the mouse. I would like this to work with all vim commands, such as set guifont to copy the guifont=Consolas:h10:cANSI output.

score 60 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 02 '10 at 19:46

60

Are you looking for this,

:redir @* | set guifont | redir END

:redir command redirects the output of a command to a register (@*). The register @* refers to the clipboard.

For more info on this,

:help :redir

answered Aug 02 '10 at 19:46

asdfg

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didn't work in vim-gtk some clue ? – Sergio Abreu Jan 05 '17 at 21:32
@SergioAbreu try `@+` instead of `@*` (well, it works in gvim). – leeand00 Jan 03 '18 at 20:45
Didn't work. Had to `:redir @"`, paste in a buffer and copy to clipboard, `"*Y`, from there – CervEd May 05 '23 at 09:16

score 18 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 25 '10 at 03:10

18

Try ':r !pwd' to get the current working directory directly in to the GVIM opened file.
You can then copy it to clipboard like you would any other text file contents opened there.

answered Jul 25 '10 at 03:10

nik

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This is useful, but can I use this with `set guifont` for example? – Steven Jul 27 '10 at 18:47
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No, that is not a shell command so it will not work. – Kevin Panko Aug 02 '10 at 19:56

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 25 '10 at 06:43

5

If you're running vim in an xterm, holding the shift key while selecting the text will copy the text to the X equivalent of the clipboard.

answered Jul 25 '10 at 06:43

garyjohn

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X has two clipboards (at least); your suggestion will place the text in the PRIMARY selection (paste with middle-click) rather than the CLIPBOARD hselection (paste with Ctrl+V in most apps). – Marius Gedminas Jul 26 '10 at 11:47

score 5 · Answer 4 · answered Jul 26 '10 at 12:15

For this particular example you could do (note the "!" which makes it go through the shell):

:!pwd | xclip

or

:!pwd | xclip -selection secondary

(depending on which X-selection you want).

You might have to install xclip first

sudo apt-get install xclip

(or equivalent)

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Oct 19 '22 at 00:29

0

You could send to a file and copy it from there:

SomeCommand > SomeFile.txt
vim SomeFile.txt

See How do I save terminal output to a file? on AskUbuntu.

answered Oct 19 '22 at 00:29

unrealapex

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How do I copy command output in vim?

5 Answers5