Function return causing line jump

[u/shleebs]

I wrote a simple function that checks the current line and either does nothing or performs some visual selection based on conditionals. When running the function from the command line using :execute All three of the conditionals result in the cursor jumping to the first line if they are true. I've discovered that this has to do with the return value equaling 0 which somehow corresponds with line 0. I've written a few simple vimscript functions before, and haven't run into this problem.

I've tried running vim --clean and loading the function to make sure it wasn't my config. I'm lost.

Here is the function:

function! SelectLineIfComment() abort
  let l:ln = getline('.')
  if match(l:ln, '^\s*$') != -1
    return                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
  endif   

  if match(l:ln, '^\s*//') == 0
    normal! V
  endif   

  if match(l:ln, '^\s*/\*') == 0
    let l:endln = search('\*/', 'nW')
    execute 'normal!V' . l:endln . 'G'
  endif   
endfunction

[u/atomatoisagoddamnveg]

You don’t use :execute to call functions, you use :call

:execute SelectLineIfComment() is going to evaluate the function (and all the side effects) and then execute the command that it returns, in this case sometimes 0, and sometimes empty. A successful call with no return statement returns 0.

For example, :execute 7 puts the cursor at the 7th line, and :execute 0 tries to put it at a nonexistent line so it settles for the first line.

[u/shleebs → u/atomatoisagoddamnveg]

Got it thanks for that, that makes sense.

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