This plugin define several commands that:

1. search for files whose name match specified {file-patterns} within list of directories ({var}, $PATH or 'runtimepath').
2. execute the Ex command {cmd} on the files found, if any.

In other words, if you are an adept of:

$> find {path} -name {pattern} -exec {command}

then, you may be interested by these three VIM commands:

:SearchInVar[!] {var} {cmd} {file-patterns} .. [ "|[0]" {params} .. ]
:SearchInPATH[!]      {cmd} {file-patterns} .. [ "|[0]" {params} .. ]
:SearchInRuntime[!]   {cmd} {file-patterns} .. [ "|[0]" {params} .. ]

Note: All these commands, as well as the new :Runtime command provides contextual auto-completion on the command line.

:Split[!] {file-patterns} ...~
:Vsplit[!] {file-patterns} ...~

look for files into 'path' and split open them like |:sp| or |:vsp| do.

When [!] is included, all found files are opened. When it is not included only the first file found is opened.

They are somehow equivalent to: :SearchInVar &path :sp {file-patterns}

Note: File-completion is provided, unlike |:sp| and |:vsp|.

GSplit[!] {file-patterns} ...~
GVSplit[!] {file-patterns} ...~

look for files into 'path'.

If several files match the {file-patterns}, the user will be asked to choose one file to open.

If a matching file is already opened in a window, this window is made the active window. If several files match, we jump to the first matching window. Using {bang} (!) will override this behaviour. Instead, the user will be asked which file must be opened if more than one match the {file-patterns}.

In either cases, if the selected (implicitly or explicitly) file is not already opened in a window, then a new window is split opened (like |:sp| or |:vsp| do) with the selected file.

Notes

• These commands are related to |:Sp| and |:Vsp|.
• File-completion is provided.
• When several files match, common path denominator are stripped from the choices proposed (e.g. "/some/path/bar/file" and "/some/path/foo/file" are presented as "bar/file" and "foo/file")

gf, CTRL-W_f, and CTRL-W_v have been overridden in order:

• to ask the user which file must be opened if several files match,
• and to jump to an already opened window containing the selected file.

|CTRL-W_v| will do work as |CTRL-W_f|, but the window will be split vertically.

A few plugins provide some similar features:

• Takeshi Nishida's fuzzy finder
• Hari Krishna Dara's lookupfile

• Requirements: Vim 7.+, lh-vim-lib
• With vim-addon-manager, install search-in-runtime (this is the preferred method because of the dependencies)

ActivateAddons search-in-runtime

• or you can clone the git repositories

git clone git@github.com:LucHermitte/lh-vim-lib.git
git clone git@github.com:LucHermitte/SearchInRuntime.git

• or with Vundle/NeoBundle:

Bundle 'LucHermitte/lh-vim-lib'
Bundle 'LucHermitte/SearchInRuntime'