vim

Vim Error Codes

Error codes produced by the Vim text editor, displayed in the form E### at the start of error messages. Codes cover buffer management, file I/O, search, command-line parsing, and scripting.

55 codes

references vimhelp.org/message.txt.html

· All codes 55 codes

E10 \n not allowed in string A literal newline was used inside a string expression where only escaped sequences are permitted. Use \n instead of an actual newline character.
E109 Missing ':' after '?' A ternary expression in Vim script is missing the colon that separates the true and false branches. The correct form is condition ? true_val : false_val.
E117 Unknown function A call was made to a function name that Vim cannot find — either it has not been defined, the script defining it has not been sourced, or the name is misspelled.
E119 Not enough arguments for function A built-in or user-defined function was called with fewer arguments than it requires. Check the function's signature with :help {function-name}() and supply all mandatory arguments.
E120 Using <SID> not in a script context <SID> is a special prefix for script-local function names and may only be used inside a script file, not on the command line or in a manually typed mapping.
E121 Undefined variable A Vim script expression references a variable that has not been assigned. Declare and initialise the variable with :let before using it.
E122 Function {name} already exists, add ! to replace it A :function definition was attempted for a name that is already defined. Append ! to the :function command to allow overwriting the existing definition.
E127 Cannot redefine function {name}: It is in use A function definition with ! was attempted on a function that is currently executing. Recursive redefinition is not permitted; wait until the function call stack unwinds.
E169 Command too recursive Vim detected excessive recursion while executing commands, typically caused by an autocommand that triggers itself or a mapping that re-invokes itself without a base case.
E17 {id} is not a valid command name The word following a colon in a user-defined command declaration is not a valid identifier. Command names must start with an uppercase letter.
E170 Missing :endfunction A :function definition block was not terminated with a matching :endfunction. Every :function must have a corresponding :endfunction at the end of its body.
E173 {nr} more files to edit Vim was invoked with multiple files on the command line but :q was used before all files were visited. Use :qall to quit all, or navigate through remaining files with :next.
E185 Cannot find color scheme '{name}' The :colorscheme command was given a name for which no corresponding .vim file exists in the runtime path. Verify the scheme name and that the file is installed under colors/.
E20 Mark not set A command referenced a mark (e.g. with the ' or ` operator) that has not been placed in the current buffer. Set the mark with m{a-z} before using it.
E21 Cannot make changes, 'modifiable' is off An edit was attempted on a buffer whose 'modifiable' option is disabled. Set :set modifiable or use a writable buffer.
E211 File {name} no longer available A file that was open in a buffer has been deleted or moved on disk since it was loaded. The buffer still holds the in-memory copy but the on-disk file is gone.
E212 Can't open file for writing Vim could not open the target file for writing, typically due to a permissions error or a missing parent directory. Check file system permissions and that the directory exists.
E216 No such event An autocommand was defined or triggered with an event name that Vim does not recognise. Run :help autocmd-events for the list of valid event names.
E262 error in '++opt' argument An invalid value was passed to a ++ option modifier (e.g. ++enc=, ++ff=) on a file command such as :e or :w. Check that the encoding name or file format is valid.
E303 Unable to open swap file for "{name}", recovery impossible Vim could not create a swap file for the current buffer, so crash recovery will not be available. This is often caused by a read-only directory or a full filesystem.
E31 No such mapping A :unmap or :mapclear command referenced a key sequence that has no mapping defined. Check spelling with :map and the correct mode prefix.
E325 ATTENTION A swap file was found for the file being opened, indicating that a previous editing session may have crashed. Vim prompts the user to recover, delete, or ignore the swap file.
E329 No menu "{name}" A :menu, :unmenu, or :emenu command referenced a menu path that does not exist. Use :menu to list defined menus and verify the path.
E349 No identifier under cursor A command such as K or CTRL-] that operates on the word under the cursor was invoked when the cursor is not positioned on a valid identifier character.
E352 Cannot erase folds with current 'foldmethod' The zE command to erase all folds was used while 'foldmethod' is set to a value other than manual or marker, which does not support manual fold deletion.
E36 Not enough room There is not enough space to open a new window via :split or :vsplit. Close some windows or increase the terminal dimensions before splitting.
E37 No write since last change A command that would abandon the current buffer (e.g. :q, :e, :bn) was issued while there are unsaved changes. Save with :w, discard with :q!, or use :hide to leave the buffer without unloading it.
E384 search hit TOP without match for: {pattern} A backward search reached the top of the file without finding the pattern and 'wrapscan' is disabled. Enable 'wrapscan' (:set wrapscan) to allow searches to wrap around the file.
E385 search hit BOTTOM without match for: {pattern} A forward search reached the end of the file without finding the pattern and 'wrapscan' is disabled. Enable 'wrapscan' (:set wrapscan) to allow searches to wrap around the file.
E39 Number expected A command argument required a numeric value but received a non-numeric string. Supply a valid integer where the command expects a count or line number.
E45 'readonly' option is set (add ! to override) A write command was issued on a buffer opened in read-only mode. Use :w! to force the write, or :set noreadonly to clear the option first.
E46 Cannot change read-only variable An assignment was made to a variable that is read-only, such as a built-in Vim variable prefixed with v: that does not allow modification.
E48 Not allowed in sandbox A command that can modify files, execute shell commands, or change settings was attempted while Vim is running in sandbox mode. Sandbox mode restricts dangerous operations from untrusted scripts.
E486 Pattern not found The regular expression supplied to a search or :substitute command matched nothing in the buffer. Check the pattern syntax and whether the target text actually exists.
E488 Trailing characters Extra text was found after a command that does not accept arguments. Remove the trailing characters or check that the correct command was used.
E492 Not an editor command The text typed after : is not a recognised Ex command. This commonly occurs due to a typo, a missing plugin, or using a command name from a different editor.
E499 Empty file name for '%' or '#', only works with ':p:h' The % or # filename modifiers were expanded in a context where the buffer has no associated file name. Assign a file name with :file {name} before using these modifiers.
E509 Cannot create diffs Vim was unable to produce a diff for the current buffers, often because the external diff tool is unavailable or produced an error. Ensure that diff is installed and accessible in $PATH.
E515 No buffers were changed A :wall or similar write-all command found that no buffers had unsaved changes to write. This is informational rather than a fatal error.
E553 No more items Navigation through a list such as the quickfix list, location list, or argument list has reached its boundary and there are no further entries in the requested direction.
E63 No previous substitute regular expression The ~ or & special pattern was used in a :substitute command before any prior substitution had been performed in the session. Run a full :s/pattern/replacement/ first.
E684 list index out of range: {nr} A List was indexed with a number that falls outside the valid range of indices. Use len() to check the List size before accessing elements by index.
E706 List and dict are mutable A List or Dictionary was used in a context requiring an immutable value, such as a constant expression. Use a copy with copy() or deepcopy() to obtain a separate value.
E716 Key not present in Dictionary A Dictionary lookup used a key that does not exist and the dict was not accessed with the get() function. Use get(dict, key, default) to safely retrieve optional keys.
E717 Dictionary entry already exists An attempt was made to add a key to a Dictionary using a method that prohibits overwriting existing entries. Use direct assignment (dict[key] = value) to update an existing key.
E730 using List as a String A List was used where a String value was expected, such as in string concatenation. Convert the List to a string with string() or join() before the operation.
E731 using Dictionary as a String A Dictionary was used where a String value was expected, such as in string concatenation. Convert it to a string representation with string() before the operation.
E741 Ambiguous use of user-defined command A partial command name matched more than one user-defined command. Type enough additional characters to make the command name unambiguous, or use the full name.
E76 No matching autocommands A :doautocmd or :doautoall command was given an event and pattern for which no autocommands are currently defined. Define the autocommand with :autocmd before triggering it.
E776 No location list A location-list command such as :lopen or :lnext was used in a window that has no associated location list. Populate the list first with a command like :lvimgrep or :lmake.
E85 There is no listed buffer A command such as :bnext or :bprev was used but no listed buffers exist in the buffer list. Open a file with :e or :badd to populate the list.
E855 Autocommand nesting too deep Autocommands triggered each other recursively beyond Vim's nesting limit. Inspect the autocmd chain with :autocmd and add guards such as checking a flag variable to prevent infinite re-triggering.
E86 Buffer {nr} does not exist A command referenced a buffer by number that is not present in the buffer list. Use :ls to list valid buffer numbers.
E927 Invalid action: '{name}' A :tab or window-management command received an unrecognised action argument. Consult :help for the command to see the list of accepted action values.
E96 Can't use mark in other window A lowercase mark referenced via ' or ` belongs to a buffer not currently displayed. Switch to the buffer containing the mark before jumping to it.