YouCompleteMe Documentation

Technical Documentation: ycm-core/YouCompleteMe

ℹ️ Provenance: Multi-Tier Ingestion · CodeWiki Reference

Overview (`README.md`)

YouCompleteMe: a code-completion engine for Vim

Help, Advice, Support

Looking for help, advice, or support? Having problems getting YCM to work?

First carefully read the installation instructions for your OS.
We recommend you use the supplied install.py - the "full" installation guide
is for rare, advanced use cases and most users should use install.py.

If the server isn't starting and you're getting a "YouCompleteMe unavailable"
error, check the Troubleshooting guide.

Next, check the User Guide section on the semantic completer that
you are using. For C/C++/Objective-C/Objective-C++/CUDA, you must read this
section.

Finally, check the FAQ.

If, after reading the installation and user guides, and checking the FAQ, you're
still having trouble, check the contacts section below for how to
get in touch.

Please do NOT go to #vim on Freenode for support. Please contact the
YouCompleteMe maintainers directly using the contact details below.

Vundle

Please note that the below instructions suggest using Vundle. Currently there
are problems with Vundle, so here are some alternative instructions using Vim packages.

Intro
Installation
Quick Feature Summary
User Guide
Commands
- YcmCompleter subcommands
Functions
Autocommands
Options
FAQ
Contributor Code of Conduct
Contact
License
Sponsorship

Intro

YouCompleteMe is a fast, as-you-type, fuzzy-search code completion,
comprehension and refactoring engine for Vim.

It has several completion engines built-in and supports any protocol-compliant
Language Server, so can work with practically any language. YouCompleteMe
contains:

an identifier-based engine that works with every programming language,
a powerful clangd-based engine that provides native semantic code
completion for C/C++/Objective-C/Objective-C++/CUDA (from now on referred to
as "the C-family languages"),
a Jedi-based completion engine for Python 2 and 3,
an OmniSharp-Roslyn-based completion engine for C#,
a Gopls-based completion engine for Go,
a TSServer-based completion engine for JavaScript and TypeScript,
a rust-analyzer-based completion engine for Rust,
a jdt.ls-based completion engine for Java.
a generic Language Server Protocol implementation for any language
and an omnifunc-based completer that uses data from Vim's omnicomplete system
to provide semantic completions for many other languages (Ruby, PHP, etc.).

Here's an explanation of what happened in the last GIF demo above.

First, realize that no keyboard shortcuts had to be pressed to get the list
of completion candidates at any point in the demo. The user just types and the
suggestions pop up by themselves. If the user doesn't find the completion
suggestions relevant and/or just wants to type, they can do so; the completion
engine will not interfere.

When the user sees a useful completion string being offered, they press the TAB
key to accept it. This inserts the completion string. Repeated presses of the
TAB key cycle through the offered completions.

If the offered completions are not relevant enough, the user can continue typing
to further filter out unwanted completions.

A critical thing to notice is that the completion filtering is NOT based on
the input being a string prefix of the completion (but that works too). The
input needs to be a subsequence match of a completion. This is a fancy way
of saying that any input characters need to be present in a completion string in
the order in which they appear in the input. So abc is a subsequence of
xaybgc, but not of xbyxaxxc. After the filter, a complicated sorting system
ranks the completion strings so that the most relevant ones rise to the top of
the menu (so you usually need to press TAB just once).

All of the above works with any programming language because of the
identifier-based completion engine. It collects all of the identifiers in the
current file and other files you visit (and your tags files) and searches them
when you type (identifiers are put into per-filetype groups).

The demo also shows the semantic engine in use. When the user presses ., ->
or :: while typing in insert mode (for C++; different triggers are used for
other languages), the semantic engine is triggered (it can also be triggered
with a keyboard shortcut; see the rest of the docs).

The last thing that you can see in the demo is YCM's diagnostic display features
(the little red X that shows up in the left gutter; inspired by Syntastic)
if you are editing a C-family file. As the completer engine compiles your file
and detects warnings or errors, they will be presented in various ways. You
don't need to save your file or press any keyboard shortcut to trigger this, it
"just happens" in the background.

And that's not all...

YCM might be the only Vim completion engine with the correct Unicode support.
Though we do assume UTF-8 everywhere.

YCM also provides semantic IDE-like features in a
number of languages, including:

displaying signature help (argument hints) when entering the arguments to a
function call (Vim only)
finding declarations, definitions, usages, etc.
of identifiers, and an interactive symbol finder
displaying type information for classes,
variables, functions etc.,
displaying documentation for methods, members, etc. in the preview
window, or in a
popup next to the cursor (Vim only)
fixing common coding errors, like missing
semi-colons, typos, etc.,
semantic renaming of variables across files,
formatting code,
removing unused imports, sorting imports, etc.

For example, here's a demo of signature help:

Below we can see YCM being able to do a few things:

Retrieve references across files
Go to declaration/definition
Expand auto in C++
Fix some common errors, and provide refactorings, with FixIt
Not shown in the GIF are GoToImplementation and GoToType
for servers that support it.

And here's some documentation being shown in a hover popup, automatically and
manually:

Features vary by file type, so make sure to check out the file type feature
summary and the
full list of completer subcommands to
find out what's available for your favourite languages.

You'll also find that YCM has filepath completers (try typing ./ in a file)
and a completer that integrates with UltiSnips.

Installation

Requirements

Runtime	Min Version	Recommended Version (full support)	Python
Vim	9.1.0016	9.1.0016	3.12
Neovim	0.5	Vim 9.1.0016	3.12

Supported Vim Versions

Our policy is to support the Vim version that's in the latest LTS of Ubuntu.

Vim must have a working Python 3 runtime.

For Neovim users, our policy is to require the latest released version.
Currently, Neovim 0.5.0 is required. Please note that some features are not
available in Neovim, and Neovim is not officially supported.

Supported Python runtime

YCM has two components: A server and a client. Both the server and client
require Python 3.12 or later 3.x release.

For the Vim client, Vim must be, compiled with --enable-shared (or
--enable-framework on macOS). You can check if this is working with :py3 import sys; print( sys.version). It should say something like 3.12.0 (...).

For Neovim, you must have a python 3.12 runtime and the Neovim python
extensions. See Neovim's :help provider-python for how to set that up.

For the server, you must run the install.py script with a python 3.12 (or
later) runtime. Anaconda etc. are not supported. YCM will remember the runtime
you used to run install.py and will use that when launching the server, so if
you usually use anaconda, then make sure to use the full path to a real cpython3,
e.g. /usr/bin/python3 install.py --all etc.

Our policy is to support the python3 version that's available in the latest
Ubuntu LTS (similar to our Vim version policy). We don't increase the Python
runtime version without a reason, though. Typically, we do this when the current
python version we're using goes out of support. At that time we will typically
pick a version that will be supported for a number of years.

Supported Compilers

In order to provide the best possible performance and stability, ycmd has
updated its code to C++17. This requires a version bump of the minimum
supported compilers. The new requirements are:

Compiler	Current Min
GCC	8
Clang	7
MSVC	15.7 (VS 2017)

YCM requires CMake 3.13 or greater. If your CMake is too old, you may be able to
simply pip install --user cmake to get a really new version.

Individual completer requirements

When enabling language support for a particular language, there may be runtime
requirements, such as needing a very recent Java Development Kit for Java
support. In general, YCM is not in control of the required versions for the
downstream compilers, though we do our best to signal where we know them.

macOS

Quick start, installing all completers

Install YCM plugin via Vundle
Install CMake, MacVim and Python 3; Note that the pre-installed macOS system
Vim is not supported (due to it having broken Python integration).

text

$ brew install cmake python go nodejs

Install mono from Mono Project (NOTE: on Intel Macs you
can also brew install mono. On arm Macs, you may require Rosetta)
For Java support you must install a JDK, one way to do this is with Homebrew:

text

$ brew install java
$ sudo ln -sfn $(brew --prefix java)/libexec/openjdk.jdk /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/openjdk.jdk

Pre-installed macOS system Vim does not support Python 3. So you need to
install either a Vim that supports Python 3 OR MacVim with
Homebrew:
- Option 1: Installing a Vim that supports Python 3
text
```
brew install vim
```
- Option 2: Installing MacVim
text
```
brew install macvim
```
Compile YCM.
- For Intel and arm64 Macs, the bundled libclang/clangd work:
  text
```
cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --all
```
- If you have troubles with finding system frameworks or C++ standard library,
  try using the homebrew llvm:
  text
```
brew install llvm
cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --system-libclang --all
```
  And edit your vimrc to add the following line to use the Homebrew llvm's
  clangd:
  viml
```
" Use homebrew's clangd
let g:ycm_clangd_binary_path = trim(system('brew --prefix llvm')).'/bin/clangd'
```
For using an arbitrary LSP server, check the relevant
section

Explanation for the quick start

These instructions (using install.py) are the quickest way to install
YouCompleteMe, however they may not work for everyone. If the following
instructions don't work for you, check out the full installation
guide.

A supported Vim version with Python 3 is required. MacVim is a good option,
even if you only use the terminal. YCM won't work with the pre-installed Vim
from Apple as its Python support is broken. If you don't already use a Vim
that supports Python 3 or MacVim, install it with Homebrew. Install
CMake as well:

text

brew install vim cmake

text

brew install macvim cmake

Install YouCompleteMe with Vundle.

Remember: YCM is a plugin with a compiled component. If you update YCM
using Vundle and the ycm_core library APIs have changed (happens
rarely), YCM will notify you to recompile it. You should then rerun the install
process.

NOTE: If you want C-family completion, you MUST have the latest Xcode
installed along with the latest Command Line Tools (they are installed
automatically when you run clang for the first time, or manually by running
xcode-select --install)

Compiling YCM with semantic support for C-family languages through
clangd:

text

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
./install.py --clangd-completer

Compiling YCM without semantic support for C-family languages:

text

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
./install.py

The following additional language support options are available:

C# support: install by downloading the Mono macOS package
and add --cs-completer when calling install.py.
Go support: install Go and add --go-completer when calling
install.py.
JavaScript and TypeScript support: install Node.js 18+ and npm and
add --ts-completer when calling install.py.
Rust support: add --rust-completer when calling install.py.
Java support: install JDK 17 and add
--java-completer when calling install.py.

To simply compile with everything enabled, there's a --all flag. So, to
install with all language features, ensure xbuild, go, node and npm
tools are installed and in your PATH, then simply run:

text

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
./install.py --all

That's it. You're done. Refer to the User Guide section on how to use YCM.
Don't forget that if you want the C-family semantic completion engine to work,
you will need to provide the compilation flags for your project to YCM. It's all
in the User Guide.

YCM comes with sane defaults for its options, but you still may want to take a
look at what's available for configuration. There are a few interesting options
that are conservatively turned off by default that you may want to turn on.

Linux 64-bit

The following assume you're using Ubuntu 24.04.

Quick start, installing all completers

Install YCM plugin via Vundle
Install CMake, Vim and Python

text

apt install build-essential cmake vim-nox python3-dev

Install mono-complete, go, node, java, and npm

text

apt install mono-complete golang nodejs openjdk-17-jdk openjdk-17-jre npm

Compile YCM

text

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --all

For plugging an arbitrary LSP server, check the relevant section

Explanation for the quick start

Make sure you have a supported version of Vim with Python 3 support and a
supported compiler. The latest LTS of Ubuntu is the minimum platform for simple
installation. For earlier releases or other distributions, you may have to do
some work to acquire the dependencies.

If your Vim version is too old, you may need to compile Vim from
source (don't worry, it's easy).

Install YouCompleteMe with Vundle.

Remember: YCM is a plugin with a compiled component. If you update YCM
using Vundle and the ycm_core library APIs have changed (which happens rarely), YCM
will notify you to recompile it. You should then rerun the installation process.

Install development tools, CMake, and Python headers:

Fedora-like distributions:

text

sudo dnf install cmake gcc-c++ make python3-devel

Ubuntu LTS:

text

sudo apt install build-essential cmake3 python3-dev

Compiling YCM with semantic support for C-family languages through
clangd:

text

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --clangd-completer

Compiling YCM without semantic support for C-family languages:

text

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py

The following additional language support options are available:

C# support: install Mono and add --cs-completer
when calling install.py.
Go support: install Go and add --go-completer when calling
install.py.
JavaScript and TypeScript support: install Node.js 18+ and npm and
add --ts-completer when calling install.py.
Rust support: add --rust-completer when calling install.py.
Java support: install JDK 17 and add
--java-completer when calling install.py.

To simply compile with everything enabled, there's a --all flag. So, to
install with all language features, ensure xbuild, go, node, and npm
tools are installed and in your PATH, then simply run:

text

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --all

Windows

NOTE: Windows support is deprecated and unmaintained. We will do our
best to keep it working, but we no longer test it in CI and there is a high
likelihood of breakages.

Quick start, installing all completers

Install YCM plugin via Vundle
Install Visual Studio Build Tools 2019
Install CMake, Vim and Python
Install go, node and npm
Compile YCM

text

cd YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --all

Add set encoding=utf-8 to your vimrc
For plugging an arbitrary LSP server, check the relevant section

Explanation for the quick start

Important: we assume that you are using the cmd.exe command prompt and
that you know how to add an executable to the PATH environment variable.

Make sure you have a supported Vim version with Python 3 support. You
can check the version and which Python is supported by typing :version inside
Vim. Look at the features included: +python3/dyn for Python 3.
Take note of the Vim architecture, i.e. 32 or
64-bit. It will be important when choosing the Python installer. We recommend
using a 64-bit client. Daily updated installers of 32-bit and 64-bit Vim with
Python 3 support are available.

Add the following line to your vimrc if not already present.:

viml

set encoding=utf-8

This option is required by YCM. Note that it does not prevent you from editing a
file in another encoding than UTF-8. You can do that by specifying the ++enc
argument to the :e command.

Install YouCompleteMe with Vundle.

Download and install the following software:

Python 3. Be sure to pick the version
corresponding to your Vim architecture. It is Windows x86 for a 32-bit Vim
and Windows x86-64 for a 64-bit Vim. We recommend installing Python 3.
Additionally, the version of Python you install must match up exactly with
the version of Python that Vim is looking for. Type :version and look at the
bottom of the page at the list of compiler flags. Look for flags that look
similar to -DDYNAMIC_PYTHON3_DLL=\"python36.dll\". This indicates
that Vim is looking for Python 3.6. You'll need one or the other installed,
matching the version number exactly.
CMake. Add CMake executable to the PATH environment
variable.
Build Tools for Visual Studio 2019. During setup,
select C++ build tools in Workloads.

Compiling YCM with semantic support for C-family languages through
clangd:

text

cd %USERPROFILE%/vimfiles/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python install.py --clangd-completer

Compiling YCM without semantic support for C-family languages:

text

cd %USERPROFILE%/vimfiles/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python install.py

The following additional language support options are available:

C# support: add --cs-completer when calling install.py.
Be sure that the build utility msbuild is in your PATH.
Go support: install Go and add --go-completer when calling
install.py.
JavaScript and TypeScript support: install Node.js 18+ and npm and
add --ts-completer when calling install.py.
Rust support: add --rust-completer when calling install.py.
Java support: install JDK 17 and add
--java-completer when calling install.py.

To simply compile with everything enabled, there's a --all flag. So, to
install with all language features, ensure msbuild, go, node and npm
tools are installed and in your PATH, then simply run:

text

cd %USERPROFILE%/vimfiles/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python install.py --all

You can specify the Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) version using the --msvc
option. YCM officially supports MSVC 15 (2017), MSVC 16 (Visual Studio 2019)
and MSVC 17 (Visual Studio 17 2022).

Full Installation Guide

The full installation guide has been moved to the wiki.

Quick Feature Summary

General (all languages)

Super-fast identifier completer including tags files and syntax elements
Intelligent suggestion ranking and filtering
File and path suggestions
Suggestions from Vim's omnifunc
UltiSnips snippet suggestions

C-family languages (C, C++, Objective C, Objective C++, CUDA)

Semantic auto-completion with automatic fixes
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to include/declaration/definition (GoTo, etc.)
Go to alternate file (e.g. associated header GoToAlternateFile)
Find Symbol (GoToSymbol), with interactive search
Document outline (GoToDocumentOutline), with interactive search
View documentation comments for identifiers (GetDoc)
Type information for identifiers (GetType)
Automatically fix certain errors (FixIt)
Perform refactoring (FixIt)
Reference finding (GoToReferences)
Renaming symbols (RefactorRename <new name>)
Code formatting (Format)
Semantic highlighting
Inlay hints
Type hierarchy
Call hierarchy

C♯

Semantic auto-completion
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to declaration/definition (GoTo, etc.)
Go to implementation (GoToImplementation)
Find Symbol (GoToSymbol), with interactive search
View documentation comments for identifiers (GetDoc)
Type information for identifiers (GetType)
Automatically fix certain errors (FixIt)
Perform refactoring (FixIt)
Management of OmniSharp-Roslyn server instance
Renaming symbols (RefactorRename <new name>)
Code formatting (Format)

Python

Semantic auto-completion
Signature help
Go to definition (GoTo)
Find Symbol (GoToSymbol), with interactive search
Reference finding (GoToReferences)
View documentation comments for identifiers (GetDoc)
Type information for identifiers (GetType)
Renaming symbols (RefactorRename <new name>)

Go

Semantic auto-completion
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to declaration/definition (GoTo, etc.)
Go to type definition (GoToType)
Go to implementation (GoToImplementation)
Document outline (GoToDocumentOutline), with interactive search
Automatically fix certain errors (FixIt)
Perform refactoring (FixIt)
View documentation comments for identifiers (GetDoc)
Type information for identifiers (GetType)
Code formatting (Format)
Management of gopls server instance
Inlay hints
Call hierarchy

JavaScript and TypeScript

Semantic auto-completion with automatic import insertion
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to definition (GoTo, GoToDefinition, and GoToDeclaration are
identical)
Go to type definition (GoToType)
Go to implementation (GoToImplementation)
Find Symbol (GoToSymbol), with interactive search
Reference finding (GoToReferences)
View documentation comments for identifiers (GetDoc)
Type information for identifiers (GetType)
Automatically fix certain errors and perform refactoring (FixIt)
Perform refactoring (FixIt)
Renaming symbols (RefactorRename <new name>)
Code formatting (Format)
Organize imports (OrganizeImports)
Management of TSServer server instance
Inlay hints
Call hierarchy

Rust

Semantic auto-completion
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to declaration/definition (GoTo, etc.)
Go to implementation (GoToImplementation)
Reference finding (GoToReferences)
Document outline (GoToDocumentOutline), with interactive search
View documentation comments for identifiers (GetDoc)
Automatically fix certain errors (FixIt)
Perform refactoring (FixIt)
Type information for identifiers (GetType)
Renaming symbols (RefactorRename <new name>)
Code formatting (Format)
Management of rust-analyzer server instance
Semantic highlighting
Inlay hints
Call hierarchy

Java

Semantic auto-completion with automatic import insertion
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to definition (GoTo, GoToDefinition, and GoToDeclaration are
identical)
Go to type definition (GoToType)
Go to implementation (GoToImplementation)
Find Symbol (GoToSymbol), with interactive search
Reference finding (GoToReferences)
Document outline (GoToDocumentOutline), with interactive search
View documentation comments for identifiers (GetDoc)
Type information for identifiers (GetType)
Automatically fix certain errors including code generation (FixIt)
Renaming symbols (RefactorRename <new name>)
Code formatting (Format)
Organize imports (OrganizeImports)
Detection of Java projects
Execute custom server command (ExecuteCommand <args>)
Management of jdt.ls server instance
Semantic highlighting
Inlay hints
Type hierarchy
Call hierarchy

User Guide

General Usage

If the offered completions are too broad, keep typing characters; YCM will
continue refining the offered completions based on your input.

Filtering is "smart-case" and "smart-diacritic" sensitive; if you are
typing only lowercase letters, then it's case-insensitive. If your input
contains uppercase letters, then the uppercase letters in your query must
match uppercase letters in the completion strings (the lowercase letters still
match both). On top of that, a letter with no diacritic marks will match that
letter with or without marks:

matches	foo	fôo	fOo	fÔo
foo	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
fôo	❌	✔️	❌	✔️
fOo	❌	❌	✔️	✔️
fÔo	❌	❌	❌	✔️

Use the TAB key to accept a completion and continue pressing TAB to cycle
through the completions. Use Shift-TAB to cycle backward. Note that if you're
using console Vim (that is, not gvim or MacVim) then it's likely that the
Shift-TAB binding will not work because the console will not pass it to Vim.
You can remap the keys; see the Options section below.

Knowing a little bit about how YCM works internally will prevent confusion. YCM
has several completion engines: an identifier-based completer that collects all
of the identifiers in the current file and other files you visit (and your tags
files) and searches them when you type (identifiers are put into per-filetype
groups).

There are also several semantic engines in YCM. There are libclang-based and
clangd-based completers that provide semantic completion for C-family languages.
There's a Jedi-based completer for semantic completion for Python. There's also
an omnifunc-based completer that uses data from Vim's omnicomplete system to
provide semantic completions when no native completer exists for that language
in YCM.

There are also other completion engines, like the UltiSnips completer and the
filepath completer.

YCM automatically detects which completion engine would be the best in any
situation. On occasion, it queries several of them at once, merges the
outputs and presents the results to you.

Client-Server Architecture

YCM has a client-server architecture; the Vim part of YCM is only a thin client
that talks to the ycmd HTTP+JSON server that has the vast majority of
YCM logic and functionality. The server is started and stopped automatically as
you start and stop Vim.

Completion String Ranking

The subsequence filter removes any completions that do not match the input, but
then the sorting system kicks in. It's actually very complicated and uses lots
of factors, but suffice it to say that "word boundary" (WB) subsequence
character matches are "worth" more than non-WB matches. In effect, this means
that given an input of "gua", the completion "getUserAccount" would be ranked higher
in the list than the "Fooguxa" completion (both of which are subsequence
matches). Word-boundary characters are all capital characters, characters
preceded by an underscore, and the first letter character in the completion
string.

Signature Help

Valid signatures are displayed in a second popup menu and the current signature
is highlighted along with the current argument.

Signature help is triggered in insert mode automatically when
g:ycm_auto_trigger is enabled and is not supported when it is not enabled.

The signatures popup is hidden when there are no matching signatures or when you
leave insert mode. If you want to manually control when it is visible, you can
map something to YCMToggleSignatureHelp (see below).

For more details on this feature and a few demos, check out the
PR that proposed it.

Dismiss signature help

The signature help popup sometimes gets in the way. You can toggle its
visibility with a mapping. YCM provides the "Plug" mapping
(YCMToggleSignatureHelp) for this.

For example, to hide/show the signature help popup by pressing Ctrl+l in insert
mode: imap <silent> <C-l> (YCMToggleSignatureHelp).

NOTE: No default mapping is provided because insert mappings are very
difficult to create without breaking or overriding some existing functionality.
Ctrl-l is not a suggestion, just an example.

Semantic highlighting

Semantic highlighting is the process where the buffer text is coloured according
to the underlying semantic type of the word, rather than classic syntax
highlighting based on regular expressions. This can be powerful additional data
that we can process very quickly.

This feature is only supported in Vim.

For example, here is a function with classic highlighting:

And here is the same function with semantic highlighting:

As you can see, the function calls, macros, etc. are correctly identified.

This can be enabled globally with let g:ycm_enable_semantic_highlighting=1 or
per buffer, by setting b:ycm_enable_semantic_highlighting.

Customising the highlight groups

YCM uses text properties (see :help text-prop-intro) for semantic
highlighting. In order to customise the coloring, you can define the text
properties that are used.

If you define a text property named YCM_HL_<token type>, then it will be used
in place of the defaults. The <token type> is defined as the Language Server
Protocol semantic token type, defined in the LSP Spec.

Some servers also use custom values. In this case, YCM prints a warning
including the token type name that you can customise.

For example, to render parameter tokens using the Normal highlight group,
you can do this:

viml

call prop_type_add( 'YCM_HL_parameter', { 'highlight': 'Normal' } )

More generally, this pattern can be useful for customising the groups:

viml

let MY_YCM_HIGHLIGHT_GROUP = {
      \   'typeParameter': 'PreProc',
      \   'parameter': 'Normal',
      \   'variable': 'Normal',
      \   'property': 'Normal',
      \   'enumMember': 'Normal',
      \   'event': 'Special',
      \   'member': 'Normal',
      \   'method': 'Normal',
      \   'class': 'Special',
      \   'namespace': 'Special',
      \ }

for tokenType in keys( MY_YCM_HIGHLIGHT_GROUP )
  call prop_type_add( 'YCM_HL_' . tokenType,
                    \ { 'highlight': MY_YCM_HIGHLIGHT_GROUP[ tokenType ] } )
endfor

Inlay hints

NOTE: Highly experimental feature, requiring Vim 9.0.214 or later (not
supported in NeoVim).

When g:ycm_enable_inlay_hints (globally) or b:ycm_enable_inlay_hints (for a
specific buffer) is set to 1, then YCM will insert inlay hints as supported by
the language semantic engine.

An inlay hint is text that is rendered on the screen that is not part of the buffer and
is often used to mark up the type or name of arguments, parameters, etc. which
help the developer understand the semantics of the code.

Here are some examples:

C
TypeScript
Go

Highlight groups

By default, YCM renders the inlay hints with the NonText highlight group. To
override this, define the YcmInlayHint highlight yourself, e.g. in your
.vimrc:

viml

hi link YcmInlayHint Comment

Similar to semantic highlighting above, you can override specific highlighting
for different inlay hint types by defining text properties named after the kind
of inlay hint, for example:

viml

call prop_type_add( 'YCM_INLAY_Type', #{ highlight: 'Comment' } )

The list of inlay hint kinds can be found in python/ycm/inlay_hints.py

Options

g:ycm_enable_inlay_hints or b:ycm_enable_inlay_hints - enable/disable
globally or for local buffer
g:ycm_clear_inlay_hints_in_insert_mode - set to 1 to remove all inlay
hints when entering insert mode and reinstate them when leaving insert mode

Toggling

Inlay hints can add a lot of text to the screen and may be distracting. You can
toggle them on/off instantly, by mapping something to
(YCMToggleInlayHints), for example:

viml

nnoremap <silent> <localleader>h <Plug>(YCMToggleInlayHints)

No default mapping is provided for this due to the personal nature of mappings.

General Semantic Completion

You can use Ctrl+Space to trigger the completion suggestions anywhere, even
without a string prefix. This is useful to see which top-level functions are
available for use.

C-family Semantic Completion

NOTE: YCM originally used the libclang based engine for C-family, but
users should migrate to clangd, as it provides more features and better
performance. Users who rely on override_filename in their .ycm_extra_conf.py
will need to stay on the old libclang engine. Instructions on how to stay on
the old engine are available on the wiki.

Some of the features of clangd:

Project wide indexing: Clangd has both dynamic and static index support.
The dynamic index stores up-to-date symbols coming from any files you are
currently editing, whereas static index contains project-wide symbol
information. This symbol information is used for code completion and code
navigation. Whereas libclang is limited to the current translation unit(TU).
Code navigation: Clangd provides all the GoTo requests libclang provides and it
improves those using the above-mentioned index information to contain
project-wide information rather than just the current TU.
Rename: Clangd can perform semantic rename operations on the current
file, whereas libclang doesn't support such functionality.
Code Completion: Clangd can perform code completions at a lower latency
than libclang; also, it has information about all the symbols in your
project so it can suggest items outside your current TU and also provides
proper #include insertions for those items.
Signature help: Clangd provides signature help so that you can see the
names and types of arguments when calling functions.
Format Code: Clangd provides code formatting either for the selected
lines or the whole file, whereas libclang doesn't have such functionality.
Performance: Clangd has faster re-parse and code completion times
compared to libclang.

Installation

On supported architectures, the install.py script will download a suitable
clangd (--clangd-completer) or libclang (--clang-completer) for you.
Supported architectures are:

Linux glibc >= 2.39 (Intel, armv7-a, aarch64) - built on ubuntu 24.04
MacOS >=10.15 (Intel, arm64)
- For Intel, compatibility per clang.llvm.org downloads
- For arm64, macOS 10.15+
Windows (Intel) - compatibility per clang.llvm.org downloads

clangd:

Typically, clangd is installed by the YCM installer (either with --all or with
--clangd-completer). This downloads a pre-built clangd binary for your
architecture. If your OS or architecture is not supported or is too old, you can
install a compatible clangd and use g:ycm_clangd_binary_path to point to
it.

libclang:

libclang can be enabled also with --all or --clang-completer. As with
clangd, YCM will try and download a version of libclang that is suitable for
your environment, but again if your environment can't be supported, you can
build or acquire libclang for yourself and specify it when building, as:

text

$ EXTRA_CMAKE_ARGS='-DPATH_TO_LLVM_ROOT=/path/to/your/llvm' ./install.py --clang-completer --system-libclang

Please note that if using custom clangd or libclang it must match the
version that YCM requires. Currently YCM requires clang 17.0.1.

Compile flags

In order to perform semantic analysis such as code completion, GoTo, and
diagnostics, YouCompleteMe uses clangd, which makes use of
clang compiler, sometimes also referred to as LLVM. Like any compiler,
clang also requires a set of compile flags in order to parse your code. Simply
put: If clang can't parse your code, YouCompleteMe can't provide semantic
analysis.

There are 2 methods that can be used to provide compile flags to clang:

Option 1: Use a [compilation database][compdb]

The easiest way to get YCM to compile your code is to use a compilation
database. A compilation database is usually generated by your build system
(e.g. CMake) and contains the compiler invocation for each compilation unit in
your project.

For information on how to generate a compilation database, see the clang
documentation. In short:

If using CMake, add -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=ON when configuring (or
add set( CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON ) to CMakeLists.txt) and copy or
symlink the generated database to the root of your project.
If using Ninja, check out the compdb tool (-t compdb) in its
docs.
If using GNU make, check out compiledb or Bear.
For other build systems, check out
.ycm_extra_conf.py below.

If no .ycm_extra_conf.py is found,
YouCompleteMe automatically tries to load a compilation database if there is
one.

YCM looks for a file named compile_commands.json in the directory of the
opened file or in any directory above it in the hierarchy (recursively); when
the file is found before a local .ycm_extra_conf.py, YouCompleteMe stops
searching the directories and lets clangd take over and handle the flags.

Option 2: Provide the flags manually

If you don't have a compilation database or aren't able to generate one,
you have to tell YouCompleteMe how to compile your code some other way.

Every C-family project is different. It is not possible for YCM to guess what
compiler flags to supply for your project. Fortunately, YCM provides a mechanism
for you to generate the flags for a particular file with arbitrary complexity.
This is achieved by requiring you to provide a Python module that implements a
trivial function that, given the file name as an argument, returns a list of
compiler flags to use to compile that file.

YCM looks for a .ycm_extra_conf.py file in the directory of the opened file or
in any directory above it in the hierarchy (recursively); when the file is
found, it is loaded (only once!) as a Python module. YCM calls a Settings
method in that module which should provide it with the information necessary to
compile the current file. You can also provide a path to a global configuration
file with the
g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf option,
which will be used as a fallback. To prevent the execution of malicious code
from a file you didn't write YCM will ask you once per .ycm_extra_conf.py if
it is safe to load. This can be disabled and you can white-/blacklist files. See
the g:ycm_confirm_extra_conf and
g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist options
respectively.

This system was designed this way so that the user can perform any arbitrary
sequence of operations to produce a list of compilation flags YCM should hand
to Clang.

NOTE: It is highly recommended to include -x <language> flag to libclang.
This is so that the correct language is detected, particularly for header files.
Common values are -x c for C, -x c++ for C++, -x objc for Objective-C, and
-x cuda for CUDA.

To give you an impression, if your C++ project is trivial, and your usual
compilation command is: g++ -Wall -Wextra -Werror -o FILE.o FILE.cc, then the
following .ycm_extra_conf.py is enough to get semantic analysis from
YouCompleteMe:

python

def Settings( **kwargs ):
  return {
    'flags': [ '-x', 'c++', '-Wall', '-Wextra', '-Werror' ],
  }

As you can see from the trivial example, YCM calls the Settings method which
returns a dictionary with a single element 'flags'. This element is a list
of compiler flags to pass to libclang for the current file. The absolute path of
that file is accessible under the filename key of the kwargs dictionary.
That's it! This is actually enough for most projects, but for complex projects
it is not uncommon to integrate directly with an existing build system using the
full power of the Python language.

For a more elaborate example,
see ycmd's own .ycm_extra_conf.py. You should be able to
use it as a starting point. Don't just copy/paste that file somewhere and
expect things to magically work; your project needs different flags. Hint:
just replace the strings in the flags variable with compilation flags
necessary for your project. That should be enough for 99% of projects.

You could also consider using YCM-Generator to generate the
ycm_extra_conf.py file.

Errors during compilation

If Clang encounters errors when compiling the header files that your file
includes, then it's probably going to take a long time to get completions. When
the completion menu finally appears, it's going to have a large number of
unrelated completion strings (type/function names that are not actually
members). This is because Clang fails to build a precompiled preamble for your
file if there are any errors in the included headers and that preamble is key to
getting fast completions.

Call the :YcmDiags command to see if any errors or warnings were detected in
your file.

Java Semantic Completion

Java Quick Start

Ensure that you have enabled the Java completer. See the
installation guide for details.
Create a project file (gradle or maven) file in the root directory of your
Java project, by following the instructions below.
(Optional) Configure the LSP server. The jdt.ls
configuration options can be found in their codebase.
If you previously used Eclim or Syntastic for Java, disable them for Java.
Edit a Java file from your project.

Java Project Files

In order to provide semantic analysis, the Java completion engine requires
knowledge of your project structure. In particular, it needs to know the class
path to use, when compiling your code. Fortunately jdt.ls
supports eclipse project files,
maven projects and gradle projects.

NOTE: Our recommendation is to use either Maven or Gradle projects.

Diagnostic display - Syntastic

The native support for Java includes YCM's native real-time diagnostics display.
This can conflict with other diagnostics plugins like Syntastic, so when
enabling Java support, please manually disable Syntastic Java diagnostics.

Add the following to your vimrc:

viml

let g:syntastic_java_checkers = []

Diagnostic display - Eclim

The native support for Java includes YCM's native real-time diagnostics display.
This can conflict with other diagnostics plugins like Eclim, so when enabling
Java support, please manually disable Eclim Java diagnostics.

Add the following to your vimrc:

viml

let g:EclimFileTypeValidate = 0

NOTE: We recommend disabling Eclim entirely when editing Java with YCM's
native Java support. This can be done temporarily with :EclimDisable.

Eclipse Projects

Eclipse-style projects require two files: .project and
.classpath.

If your project already has these files due to previously being set up within
Eclipse, then no setup is required. jdt.ls should load the project just
fine (it's basically eclipse after all).

However, if not, it is possible (easy in fact) to craft them manually, though it
is not recommended. You're better off using Gradle or Maven (see below).

A simple eclipse style project example can be found in
the ycmd test directory. Normally all that is required is to copy these files to
the root of your project and to edit the .classpath to add additional
libraries, such as:

xml

<classpathentry kind="lib" path="/path/to/external/jar" />
  <classpathentry kind="lib" path="/path/to/external/java/source" />

It may also be necessary to change the directory in which your source files are
located (paths are relative to the .project file itself):

xml

<classpathentry kind="src" output="target/classes" path="path/to/src/" />

NOTE: The eclipse project and classpath files are not a public interface
and it is highly recommended to use Maven or Gradle project definitions if you
don't already use Eclipse to manage your projects.

Maven Projects

Maven needs a file named pom.xml in the root of the project.
Once again a simple pom.xml can be found in the ycmd source.

The format of pom.xml files is way beyond the scope of this
document, but we do recommend using the various tools that can generate them for
you, if you're not familiar with them already.

Gradle Projects

Gradle projects require a build.gradle. Again, there is a
trivial example in ycmd's tests.

The format of build.gradle files are way beyond the scope of
this document, but we do recommend using the various tools that can generate
them for you if you're not familiar with them already.

Some users have experienced issues with their jdt.ls when using the Groovy
language for their build.gradle. As such, try using
Kotlin instead.

Troubleshooting

If you're not getting completions or diagnostics, check the server health:

The Java completion engine takes a while to start up and parse your project.
You should be able to see its progress in the command line, and
:YcmDebugInfo. Ensure that the following lines are present:

text

--   jdt.ls Java Language Server running
--   jdt.ls Java Language Server Startup Status: Ready

If the above lines don't appear after a few minutes, check the jdt.ls and ycmd
log files using :YcmToggleLogs . The jdt.ls
log file is called .log (for some reason).

If you get a message about "classpath is incomplete", then make sure you have
correctly configured the project files.

If you get messages about unresolved imports, then make sure you have
correctly configured the project files, in particular
check that the classpath is set correctly.

C# Semantic Completion

YCM relies on OmniSharp-Roslyn to provide completion and code navigation.
OmniSharp-Roslyn needs a solution file for a C# project and there are two ways
of letting YCM know about your solution files.

Automatically discovered solution files

YCM will scan all parent directories of the file currently being edited and look
for a file with .sln extension.

Manually specified solution files

If YCM loads .ycm_extra_conf.py which contains CSharpSolutionFile function,
YCM will try to use that to determine the solution file. This is useful when one
wants to override the default behaviour and specify a solution file that is not
in any of the parent directories of the currently edited file. Example:

python

def CSharpSolutionFile( filepath ):
  # `filepath` is the path of the file user is editing
  return '/path/to/solution/file' # Can be relative to the `.ycm_extra_conf.py`

If the path returned by CSharpSolutionFile is not an actual file, YCM will
fall back to the other way of finding the file.

Use with .NET 6.0 and .NET SDKs

YCM ships with older version of OmniSharp-Roslyn based on Mono runtime.
It is possible to use it with .NET 6.0 and newer, but it requires manual setup.

Download NET 6.0 version of the OmniSharp server for your system from
releases
Set g:ycm_roslyn_binary_path to the unpacked executable OmniSharp
Create a solution file if one doesn't already exist, it is currently required
by YCM for internal bookkeeping
1. Run dotnet new sln at the root of your project
2. Run dotnet sln add ...
  for all of your projects
Run :YcmRestartServer

Python Semantic Completion

YCM relies on the Jedi engine to provide completion and code navigation. By
default, it will pick the version of Python running the ycmd server and
use its sys.path. While this is fine for simple projects, this needs to be
configurable when working with virtual environments or in a project with
third-party packages. The next sections explain how to do that.

Working with virtual environments

A common practice when working on a Python project is to install its
dependencies in a virtual environment and develop the project inside that
environment. To support this, YCM needs to know the interpreter path of the
virtual environment. You can specify it by creating a .ycm_extra_conf.py file
at the root of your project with the following contents:

python

def Settings( **kwargs ):
  return {
    'interpreter_path': '/path/to/virtual/environment/python'
  }

Here, /path/to/virtual/environment/python is the path to the Python used
by the virtual environment you are working in. Typically, the executable can be
found in the Scripts folder of the virtual environment directory on Windows
and in the bin folder on other platforms.

If you don't like having to create a .ycm_extra_conf.py file at the root of
your project and would prefer to specify the interpreter path with a Vim option,
read the Configuring through Vim options
section.

Working with third-party packages

Another common practice is to put the dependencies directly into the project and
add their paths to sys.path at runtime in order to import them. YCM needs to
be told about this path manipulation to support those dependencies. This can be
done by creating a .ycm_extra_conf.py file at the root of the project. This
file must define a Settings( **kwargs ) function returning a dictionary with
the list of paths to prepend to sys.path under the sys_path key. For
instance, the following .ycm_extra_conf.py adds the paths
/path/to/some/third_party/package and /path/to/another/third_party/package
at the start of sys.path:

python

def Settings( **kwargs ):
  return {
    'sys_path': [
      '/path/to/some/third_party/package',
      '/path/to/another/third_party/package'
    ]
  }

If you would rather prepend paths to sys.path with a Vim option, read the
Configuring through Vim options section.

If you need further control on how to add paths to sys.path, you should define
the PythonSysPath( **kwargs ) function in the .ycm_extra_conf.py file. Its
keyword arguments are sys_path which contains the default sys.path, and
interpreter_path which is the path to the Python interpreter. Here's a trivial
example that inserts the /path/to/third_party/package path at the second
position of sys.path:

python

def PythonSysPath( **kwargs ):
  sys_path = kwargs[ 'sys_path' ]
  sys_path.insert( 1, '/path/to/third_party/package' )
  return sys_path

A more advanced example can be found in YCM's own
.ycm_extra_conf.py.

Configuring through Vim options

You may find it inconvenient to have to create a .ycm_extra_conf.py file at the
root of each one of your projects in order to set the path to the Python
interpreter and/or add paths to sys.path and would prefer to be able to
configure those through Vim options. Don't worry, this is possible by using the
g:ycm_extra_conf_vim_data option and
creating a global extra configuration file. Let's take an example. Suppose that
you want to set the interpreter path with the g:ycm_python_interpreter_path
option and prepend paths to sys.path with the g:ycm_python_sys_path option.
Suppose also that you want to name the global extra configuration file
global_extra_conf.py and that you want to put it in your HOME folder. You
should then add the following lines to your vimrc:

viml

let g:ycm_python_interpreter_path = ''
let g:ycm_python_sys_path = []
let g:ycm_extra_conf_vim_data = [
  \  'g:ycm_python_interpreter_path',
  \  'g:ycm_python_sys_path'
  \]
let g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf = '~/global_extra_conf.py'

Then, create the ~/global_extra_conf.py file with the following contents:

python

def Settings( **kwargs ):
  client_data = kwargs[ 'client_data' ]
  return {
    'interpreter_path': client_data[ 'g:ycm_python_interpreter_path' ],
    'sys_path': client_data[ 'g:ycm_python_sys_path' ]
  }

That's it. You are done. Note that you don't need to restart the server when
setting one of the options. YCM will automatically pick the new values.

Rust Semantic Completion

YCM uses rust-analyzer for Rust semantic completion.

NOTE: Previously, YCM used rls for rust completion. This is no longer
supported, as the Rust community has decided on rust-analyzer as the future
of Rust tooling.

Completions and GoTo commands within the current crate and its dependencies
should work out of the box with no additional configuration (provided that you
built YCM with the --rust-completer flag; see the Installation
section for details). The install script takes care of
installing the Rust source code, so no configuration is necessary.

rust-analyzer supports a myriad of options. These are configured using LSP
configuration, and are documented here.

Go Semantic Completion

Completions and GoTo commands should work out of the box (provided that you
built YCM with the --go-completer flag; see the Installation
section for details). The server only works for projects with
the "canonical" layout.

gopls also has a load of documented options.

You can set these in your .ycm_extra_conf.py. For example, to set the build tags:

python

def Settings( **kwargs ):
  if kwargs[ 'language' ] == 'go':
    return {
       'ls': {
         'build.buildFlags': [ '-tags=debug' ]
       }
    }

JavaScript and TypeScript Semantic Completion

NOTE: YCM originally used the Tern engine for JavaScript but due to
Tern not being maintained anymore by its main author and the TSServer
engine offering more features, YCM is moving to TSServer. This won't affect
you if you were already using Tern but you are encouraged to do the switch
by deleting the third_party/ycmd/third_party/tern_runtime/node_modules
directory in YCM folder. If you are a new user but still want to use Tern,
you should pass the --js-completer option to the install.py script during
installation. Further instructions on how to set up YCM with Tern are
available on the wiki.

All JavaScript and TypeScript features are provided by the TSServer engine,
which is included in the TypeScript SDK. To enable these features, install
Node.js 18+ and npm and call the install.py script with the
--ts-completer flag.

TSServer relies on the jsconfig.json file for JavaScript
and the tsconfig.json file for TypeScript to analyze your
project. Ensure the file exists at the root of your project.

To get diagnostics in JavaScript, set the checkJs option to true in your
jsconfig.json file:

json

{
    "compilerOptions": {
        "checkJs": true
    }
}

Semantic Completion for Other Languages

C-family, C#, Go, Java, Python, Rust, and JavaScript/TypeScript languages are
supported natively by YouCompleteMe using the Clang, OmniSharp-Roslyn,
Gopls, jdt.ls, Jedi, rust-analyzer, and TSServer engines,
respectively. Check the installation section for instructions
to enable these features if desired.

Plugging an arbitrary LSP server

Similar to other LSP clients, YCM can use an arbitrary LSP server with the help
of g:ycm_language_server option. An
example of a value of this option would be:

viml

let g:ycm_language_server = 
  \ [ 
  \   {
  \     'name': 'yaml',
  \     'cmdline': [ '/path/to/yaml/server/yaml-language-server', '--stdio' ],
  \     'filetypes': [ 'yaml' ]
  \   },
  \   {
  \     'name': 'csharp',
  \     'cmdline': [ 'OmniSharp', '-lsp' ],
  \     'filetypes': [ 'csharp' ],
  \     'project_root_files': [ '*.csproj', '*.sln' ]
  \   },
  \   {
  \     'name': 'godot',
  \     'filetypes': [ 'gdscript' ],
  \     'port': 6008,
  \     'project_root_files': [ 'project.godot' ]
  \    }
  \ ]

Each dictionary contains the following keys: name, cmdline, port,
filetypes, capabilities, project_root_files, additional_workspace_dirs,
triggerCharacters, and settings. The full description of each key can be
found in the ycmd repository.

See the LSP Examples project for more
examples of configuring the likes of PHP, Ruby, Kotlin, and D.

LSP Configuration

Many LSP servers allow some level of user configuration. YCM enables this with
the help of .ycm_extra_conf.py files. Here's an example of jdt.ls user
examples of configuring the likes of PHP, Ruby, Kotlin, D, and many, many more.

python

def Settings( **kwargs ):
  if kwargs[ 'language' ] == 'java':
    return {
      'ls': {
        'java.format.onType.enabled': True
      }
    }

The ls key tells YCM that the dictionary should be passed to the LSP server.
For each of the LSP server's configuration, you should look up the respective
server's documentation.

Some servers request settings from arbitrary 'sections' of configuration. There
is no concept of configuration sections in Vim, so you can specify an additional
config_sections dictionary which maps section to a dictionary of config
required by the server. For example:

python

def Settings( **kwargs ):
  if kwargs[ 'language' ] == 'java':
    return {
      'ls': {
        'java.format.onType.enabled': True
      },
      'config_sections': {
        'some section': {
          'some option': 'some value'
        }
    }

The sections and options/values are completely server-specific and rarely well
documented.

Using `omnifunc` for semantic completion

YCM will use your omnifunc (see :h omnifunc in Vim) as a source for semantic
completions if it does not have a native semantic completion engine for your
file's filetype. Vim comes with rudimentary omnifuncs for various languages like
Ruby, PHP, etc. It depends on the language.

You can get a stellar omnifunc for Ruby with Eclim. Just make sure you have
the latest Eclim installed and configured (this means Eclim >= 2.2.* and
Eclipse >= 4.2.*).

After installing Eclim remember to create a new Eclipse project within your
application by typing :ProjectCreate -n ruby inside Vim
and don't forget to have let g:EclimCompletionMethod = 'omnifunc' in your
vimrc. This will make YCM and Eclim play nice; YCM will use Eclim's omnifuncs as
the data source for semantic completions and provide the auto-triggering and
subsequence-based matching (and other YCM features) on top of it.

Writing New Semantic Completers

You have two options here: writing an omnifunc for Vim's omnicomplete system
that YCM will then use through its omni-completer, or a custom completer for YCM
using the Completer API.

Here are the differences between the two approaches:

You have to use VimScript to write the omnifunc, but get to use Python to
write for the Completer API; this by itself should make you want to use the
API.
The Completer API is a much more powerful way to integrate with YCM and it
provides a wider set of features. For instance, you can make your Completer
query your semantic back-end in an asynchronous fashion, thus not blocking
Vim's GUI thread while your completion system is processing stuff. This is
impossible with VimScript. All of YCM's completers use the Completer API.
Performance with the Completer API is better since Python executes faster than
VimScript.

If you want to use the omnifunc system, see the relevant Vim docs with :h complete-functions. For the Completer API, see the API docs.

If you want to upstream your completer into YCM's source, you should use the
Completer API.

Diagnostic Display

YCM will display diagnostic notifications for the C-family, C#, Go, Java,
JavaScript, Rust, and TypeScript languages. Since YCM continuously recompiles
your file as you type, you'll get notified of errors and warnings in your file
as fast as possible.

Here are the various pieces of the diagnostic UI:

Icons show up in the Vim gutter on lines that have a diagnostic.
Regions of text related to diagnostics are highlighted (by default, a red
wavy underline in gvim and a red background in vim).
Moving the cursor to a line with a diagnostic echoes the diagnostic text.
Vim's location list is automatically populated with diagnostic data (off by
default, see options).

The new diagnostics (if any) will be displayed the next time you press any key
on the keyboard. So if you stop typing and just wait for the new diagnostics to
come in, that will not work. You need to press some key for the GUI to update.

Having to press a key to get the updates is unfortunate, but cannot be changed
due to the way Vim internals operate; there is no way that a background task can
update Vim's GUI after it has finished running. You have to press a key. This
will make YCM check for any pending diagnostics updates.

You can force a full, blocking compilation cycle with the
:YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics command (you may want to map that command to a
key; try putting nnoremap <F5> :YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics<CR> in your
vimrc). Calling this command will force YCM to immediately recompile your file
and display any new diagnostics it encounters. Do note that recompilation with
this command may take a while and during this time the Vim GUI will be
blocked.

YCM will display a short diagnostic message when you move your cursor to the
line with the error. You can get a detailed diagnostic message with the
<leader>d key mapping (can be changed in the options) YCM provides when your
cursor is on the line with the diagnostic.

You can also see the full diagnostic message for all the diagnostics in the
current file in Vim's locationlist, which can be opened with the :lopen and
:lclose commands (make sure you have set let g:ycm_always_populate_location_list = 1 in your vimrc). A good way to toggle
the display of the locationlist with a single key mapping is provided by
another (very small) Vim plugin called ListToggle (which also makes it
possible to change the height of the locationlist window), also written by
yours truly.

Diagnostic Highlighting Groups

You can change the styling for the highlighting groups YCM uses. For the signs
in the Vim gutter, the relevant groups are:

YcmErrorSign, which falls back to group SyntasticErrorSign and then
error if they exist
YcmWarningSign, which falls back to group SyntasticWarningSign and then
todo if they exist

You can also style the line that has the warning/error with these groups:

YcmErrorLine, which falls back to group SyntasticErrorLine if it exists
YcmWarningLine, which falls back to group SyntasticWarningLine if it
exists

Finally, you can also style the popup for the detailed diagnostics (it is shown
if g:ycm_show_detailed_diag_in_popup is set) using the group YcmErrorPopup,
which falls back to ErrorMsg.

Note that the line highlighting groups only work when the
g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_signs
option is set. If you want highlighted lines but no signs in the Vim gutter,
set the signcolumn option to no in your vimrc:

viml

set signcolumn=no

The syntax groups used to highlight regions of text with errors/warnings:

YcmErrorSection, which falls back to group SyntasticError if it exists and
then SpellBad
YcmWarningSection, which falls back to group SyntasticWarning if it exists
and then SpellCap

Here's how you'd change the style for a group:

viml

highlight YcmErrorLine guibg=#3f0000

Symbol Search

This feature requires Vim and is not supported in Neovim

YCM provides a way to search for and jump to a symbol in the current project or
document when using supported languages.

You can search for symbols in the current workspace when the GoToSymbol
request is supported and the current document when GoToDocumentOutline is
supported.

Here's a quick demo:

As you can see, you can type and YCM filters down the list as you type. The
current set of matches are displayed in a popup window in the centre of the
screen and you can select an entry with the keyboard, to jump to that position.
Any matches are then added to the quickfix list.

To enable:

nmap <something> (YCMFindSymbolInWorkspace)
nmap <something> (YCMFindSymbolInDocument)

e.g.

nmap <leader>yfw (YCMFindSymbolInWorkspace)
nmap <leader>yfd (YCMFindSymbolInDocument)

When searching, YCM opens a prompt buffer at the top of the screen for the
input and puts you in insert mode. This means that you can hit <Esc> to go
into normal mode and use any other input commands that are supported in prompt
buffers. As you type characters, the search is updated.

Initially, results are queried from all open filetypes. You can hit <C-f> to
switch to just the current filetype while the popup is open.

While the popup is open, the following keys are intercepted:

<C-j>, <Down>, <C-n>, <Tab> - select the next item
<C-k>, ``, <C-p>, <S-Tab> - select the previous item
``, <kPageUp> - jump up one screenful of items
``, <kPageDown> - jump down one screenful of items
<Home>, <kHome> - jump to first item
<End>, <kEnd> - jump to last item
<CR> - jump to the selected item
<C-c> cancel/dismiss the popup
<C-f> - toggle results from all file types or just the current filetype

The search is also cancelled if you leave the prompt buffer window at any time,
so you can use window commands <C-w>... for example.

NOTE: Pressing <Esc> does not close the popup - you must use Ctrl-c
for that, or use a window command (e.g. <Ctrl-w>j) or the mouse to leave the
prompt buffer window.

Type/Call Hierarchy

This feature requires Vim and is not supported in Neovim

NOTE: This feature is highly experimental and offered in the hope that it is
useful. Please help us by reporting issues and offering feedback.

YCM provides a way to view and navigate hierarchies. The following hierarchies
are supported:

Type hierachy (YCMTypeHierarchy): Display subtypes and supertypes
of the symbol under cursor. Expand down to subtypes and up to supertypes.
Call hierarchy (YCMCallHierarchy): Display callees and callers of
the symbol under cursor. Expand down to callers and up to callees.

Take a look at this
for brief demo.

Hierarchy UI can be initiated by mapping something to the indicated plug
mappings, for example:

viml

nmap <leader>yth <Plug>(YCMTypeHierarchy)
nmap <leader>ych <Plug>(YCMCallHierarchy)

This opens a "modal" popup showing the current element in the hierarchy tree.
The current tree root is aligned to the left and child and parent nodes are
expanded to the right. Expand the tree "down" with <Tab> and "up" with <S-Tab>.

The "root" of the tree can be re-focused to the selected item with
<S-Tab> and further <S-Tab> will show the parents of the selected item. This
can take a little getting used to, but it's particularly important with multiple
inheritance where a "child" of the current root may actually have other,
invisible, parent links. <S-Tab> on that row will show these by setting the
display root to the selected item.

When the hierarchy is displayed, the following keys are intercepted:

<Tab>: Drill into the hierarchy at the selected item: expand and show
children of the selected item.
<S-Tab>: Show parents of the selected item. When applied to sub-types, this
will re-root the tree at that type, so that all parent types (are displayed).
Similar for callers.
<CR>: Jump to the symbol currently selected.
<Down>, <C-n>, <C-j>, j: Select the next item
``, <C-p>, <C-k>, k; Select the previous item
Any other key: closes the popup without jumping to any location

Note: you might think the call hierarchy tree is inverted, but we think
this way round is more intuitive because this is the typical way that call
stacks are displayed (with the current function at the top, and its callers
below).

Commands

The `:YcmRestartServer` command

If the ycmd completion server suddenly stops for some reason, you can
restart it with this command.

The `:YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics` command

Calling this command will force YCM to immediately recompile your file
and display any new diagnostics it encounters. Do note that recompilation with
this command may take a while and during this time the Vim GUI will be
blocked.

You may want to map this command to a key; try putting nnoremap <F5> :YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics<CR> in your vimrc.

The `:YcmDiags` command

Calling this command will fill Vim's locationlist with errors or warnings if
any were detected in your file and then open it. If a given error or warning can
be fixed by a call to :YcmCompleter FixIt, then (FixIt available) is
appended to the error or warning text. See the FixIt completer subcommand for
more information.

NOTE: The absence of (FixIt available) does not strictly imply a fix-it
is not available as not all completers are able to provide this indication. For
example, the c-sharp completer provides many fix-its but does not add this
additional indication.

The g:ycm_open_loclist_on_ycm_diags option can be used to prevent the location
list from opening, but still have it filled with new diagnostic data. See the
Options section for details.

The `:YcmShowDetailedDiagnostic` command

This command shows the full diagnostic text when the user's cursor is on the
line with the diagnostic.

An options argument can be passed. If the argument is popup the diagnostic
text will be displayed in a popup at the cursor position.

If you prefer the detailed diagnostic to always be shown in a popup, then
let g:ycm_show_detailed_diag_in_popup=1.

The `:YcmDebugInfo` command

This will print out various debug information for the current file. Useful to
see what compile commands will be used for the file if you're using the semantic
completion engine.

The `:YcmToggleLogs` command

This command presents the list of logfiles created by YCM, the ycmd
server, and the semantic engine server for the current filetype, if any.
One of these logfiles can be opened in the editor (or closed if already open) by
entering the corresponding number or by clicking on it with the mouse.
Additionally, this command can take the logfile names as arguments. Use the
<TAB> key (or any other key defined by the wildchar option) to complete the
arguments or to cycle through them (depending on the value of the wildmode
option). Each logfile given as an argument is directly opened (or closed if
already open) in the editor. Only for debugging purposes.

The `:YcmCompleter` command

This command gives access to a number of additional IDE-like
features in YCM, for things like semantic GoTo, type
information, FixIt, and refactoring.

This command accepts a range that can either be specified through a selection in
one of Vim's visual modes (see :h visual-use) or on the command line. For
instance, :2,5YcmCompleter will apply the command from line 2 to line 5. This
is useful for the Format subcommand.

Call YcmCompleter without further arguments for a list of the commands you can
call for the current completer.

See the file type feature summary for an overview of
the features available for each file type. See the YcmCompleter subcommands
section for more information on the available subcommands and their usage.

Some commands, like Format accept a range, like :%YcmCompleter Format.

Some commands like GetDoc and the various GoTo commands respect modifiers,
like :rightbelow YcmCompleter GetDoc, :vertical YcmCompleter GoTo.

YcmCompleter Subcommands

NOTE: See the docs for the YcmCompleter command before tackling this
section.

The invoked subcommand is automatically routed to the currently active semantic
completer, so :YcmCompleter GoToDefinition will invoke the GoToDefinition
subcommand on the Python semantic completer if the currently active file is a
Python one and on the Clang completer if the currently active file is a C-family
language one.

You may also want to map the subcommands to something less verbose; for
instance, nnoremap <leader>jd :YcmCompleter GoTo<CR>
maps the <leader>jd sequence to the longer subcommand invocation.

GoTo Commands

These commands are useful for jumping around and exploring code. When moving
the cursor, the subcommands add entries to Vim's jumplist so you can use
CTRL-O to jump back to where you were before invoking the command (and
CTRL-I to jump forward; see :h jumplist for details). If there is more
than one destination, the quickfix list (see :h quickfix) is populated with
the available locations and opened to the full width at the bottom of the screen.
You can change this behavior by using the YcmQuickFixOpened
autocommand.

The `GoToInclude` subcommand

Looks up the current line for a header and jumps to it.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda

The `GoToAlternateFile` subcommand

Jump to the associated file, as defined by the language server. Typically this
will jump you to the associated header file for a C or C++ translation unit.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda (clangd only)

The `GoToDeclaration` subcommand

Looks up the symbol under the cursor and jumps to its declaration.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript, python, rust, typescript

The `GoToDefinition` subcommand

Looks up the symbol under the cursor and jumps to its definition.

NOTE: For C-family languages this only works in certain situations,
namely when the definition of the symbol is in the current translation unit. A
translation unit consists of the file you are editing and all the files you are
including with #include directives (directly or indirectly) in that file.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript, python, rust, typescript

The `GoTo` subcommand

This command tries to perform the "most sensible" GoTo operation it can.
Currently, this means that it tries to look up the symbol under the cursor and
jumps to its definition if possible; if the definition is not accessible from
the current translation unit, jumps to the symbol's declaration. For
C-family languages, it first tries to look up the current line for a header and
jump to it. For C#, implementations are also considered and preferred.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript, python, rust, typescript

The `GoToImprecise` subcommand

WARNING: This command trades correctness for speed!

Same as the GoTo command except that it doesn't recompile the file with
libclang before looking up nodes in the AST. This can be very useful when you're
editing files that take time to compile but you know that you haven't made any
changes since the last parse that would lead to incorrect jumps. When you're
just browsing around your codebase, this command can spare you quite a bit of
latency.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda

The `GoToSymbol ` subcommand

Finds the definition of all symbols matching a specified string. Note that this
does not use any sort of smart/fuzzy matching. However, an interactive symbol
search is also available.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, java, javascript, python, typescript

The `GoToReferences` subcommand

This command attempts to find all of the references within the project to the
identifier under the cursor and populates the quickfix list with those
locations.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, java, javascript, python, typescript, rust

The `GoToImplementation` subcommand

Looks up the symbol under the cursor and jumps to its implementation (i.e.
non-interface). If there are multiple implementations, instead provides a list
of implementations to choose from.

Supported in filetypes: cs, go, java, rust, typescript, javascript

The `GoToImplementationElseDeclaration` subcommand

Looks up the symbol under the cursor and jumps to its implementation if one,
else jump to its declaration. If there are multiple implementations, instead
provides a list of implementations to choose from.

Supported in filetypes: cs

The `GoToType` subcommand

Looks up the symbol under the cursor and jumps to the definition of its type
e.g. if the symbol is an object, go to the definition of its class.

Supported in filetypes: go, java, javascript, typescript

The `GoToDocumentOutline` subcommand

Provides a list of symbols in the current document, in the quickfix list. See also
interactive symbol search.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, go, java, rust

The `GoToCallers` and `GoToCallees` subcommands

Note: A much more powerful call and type hierarchy can be viewd interactively.
See interactive type and call hierarchy.

Populate the quickfix list with the callers, or callees respectively, of the
function associated with the current cursor position. The semantics of this
differ depending on the filetype and language server.

Only supported for LSP servers that provide the callHierarchyProvider
capability.

Semantic Information Commands

These commands are useful for finding static information about the code, such
as the types of variables, viewing declarations, and documentation strings.

The `GetType` subcommand

Echos the type of the variable or method under the cursor, and where it differs,
the derived type.

For example:

c++

std::string s;

Invoking this command on s returns std::string => std::basic_string<char>

NOTE: Causes re-parsing of the current translation unit.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, java, javascript, go, python, typescript, rust

The `GetTypeImprecise` subcommand

WARNING: This command trades correctness for speed!

Same as the GetType command except that it doesn't recompile the file with
libclang before looking up nodes in the AST. This can be very useful when you're
editing files that take time to compile but you know that you haven't made any
changes since the last parse that would lead to incorrect type. When you're
just browsing around your codebase, this command can spare you quite a bit of
latency.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda

The `GetParent` subcommand

Echos the semantic parent of the point under the cursor.

The semantic parent is the item that semantically contains the given position.

For example:

c++

class C {
    void f();
};

void C::f() {

}

In the out-of-line definition of C::f, the semantic parent is the class C,
of which this function is a member.

In the example above, both declarations of C::f have C as their semantic
context, while the lexical context of the first C::f is C and the lexical
context of the second C::f is the translation unit.

For global declarations, the semantic parent is the translation unit.

NOTE: Causes re-parsing of the current translation unit.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda

The `GetDoc` subcommand

Displays the preview window populated with quick info about the identifier
under the cursor. Depending on the file type, this includes things like:

The type or declaration of identifier,
Doxygen/javadoc comments,
Python docstrings,
etc.

The documentation is opened in the preview window, and options like
previewheight are respected. If you would like to customise the height and
position of this window, we suggest a custom command that:

Sets previewheight temporarily
Runs the GetDoc command with supplied modifiers
Restores previewheight.

For example:

viml

command -count ShowDocWithSize
  \ let g:ph=&previewheight 
  \ <bar> set previewheight=<count>
  \ <bar> <mods> YcmCompleter GetDoc
  \ <bar> let &previewheight=g:ph

You can then use something like :botright vertical 80ShowDocWithSize. Here's an
example of that: https://asciinema.org/a/hE6Pi1gU6omBShwFna8iwGEe9

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript, python, typescript, rust

The `GetDocImprecise` subcommand

WARNING: This command trades correctness for speed!

Same as the GetDoc command except that it doesn't recompile the file with
libclang before looking up nodes in the AST. This can be very useful when you're
editing files that take long to compile but you know that you haven't made any
changes since the last parse that would lead to incorrect docs. When you're
just browsing around your codebase, this command can spare you quite a bit of
latency.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda

Refactoring Commands

These commands make changes to your source code in order to perform refactoring
or code correction. YouCompleteMe does not perform any action which cannot be
undone, and never saves or writes files to the disk.

The `FixIt` subcommand

Where available, attempts to make changes to the buffer to correct diagnostics,
or perform refactoring, on the current line or selection. Where multiple
suggestions are available (such as when there are multiple ways to resolve a
given warning, or where multiple diagnostics are reported for the current line,
or multiple refactoring tweaks are available), the options are presented and
one can be selected.

Completers that provide diagnostics may also provide trivial modifications to
the source in order to correct the diagnostic. Examples include syntax errors
such as missing trailing semi-colons, spurious characters, or other errors which
the semantic engine can deterministically suggest corrections. A small demo
presenting how diagnostics can be fixed with clangd:

Completers (LSPs) may also provide refactoring tweaks, which may be available
even when no diagnostic is presented for the current line. These include
function extraction, variable extraction, switch population, constructor
generation, ... The tweaks work for a selection as well. Consult your LSP for
available refactorings. A demonstration of refactoring capabilities with clangd:

If no fix-it is available for the current line, or there is no diagnostic on the
current line, this command has no effect on the current buffer. If any
modifications are made, the number of changes made to the buffer is echo'd and
the user may use the editor's undo command to revert.

When a diagnostic is available, and g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic is enabled,
then the text (FixIt) is appended to the echo'd diagnostic when the
completer is able to add this indication. The text (FixIt available) is
also appended to the diagnostic text in the output of the :YcmDiags command
for any diagnostics with available fix-its (where the completer can provide this
indication).

NOTE: Causes re-parsing of the current translation unit.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript, rust, typescript

The `RefactorRename ` subcommand

In supported file types, this command attempts to perform a semantic rename of
the identifier under the cursor. This includes renaming declarations,
definitions, and usages of the identifier, or any other language-appropriate
action. The specific behavior is defined by the semantic engine in use.

Similar to FixIt, this command applies automatic modifications to your source
files. Rename operations may involve changes to multiple files, which may or may
not be open in Vim buffers at the time. YouCompleteMe handles all of this for
you. The behavior is described in the following section.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, java, javascript, python, typescript, rust, cs

Python refactorings

The following additional commands are supported for Python:

RefactorInline
RefactorExtractVariable
RefactorExtractFunction

See the jedi docs for what they do.

Supported in filetypes: python

Multi-file Refactor

When a Refactor or FixIt command touches multiple files, YouCompleteMe attempts
to apply those modifications to any existing open, visible buffer in the current
tab. If no such buffer can be found, YouCompleteMe opens the file in a new
small horizontal split at the top of the current window, applies the change,
and then hides the window. NOTE: The buffer remains open, and must be
manually saved. A confirmation dialog is opened prior to doing this to remind
you that this is about to happen.

Once the modifications have been made, the quickfix list (see :help quickfix)
is populated with the locations of all modifications. This can be used to review
all automatic changes made by using :copen. Typically, use the CTRL-W <enter> combination to open the selected file in a new split. It is possible to
customize how the quickfix window is opened by using the YcmQuickFixOpened
autocommand.

The buffers are not saved automatically. That is, you must save the modified
buffers manually after reviewing the changes from the quickfix list. Changes
can be undone using Vim's powerful undo features (see :help undo). Note
that Vim's undo is per-buffer, so to undo all changes, the undo commands must
be applied in each modified buffer separately.

NOTE: While applying modifications, Vim may find files that are already
open and have a swap file. The command is aborted if you select Abort or Quit in
any such prompts. This leaves the Refactor operation partially complete and must
be manually corrected using Vim's undo features. The quickfix list is not
populated in this case. Inspect :buffers or equivalent (see :help buffers)
to see the buffers that were opened by the command.

The `Format` subcommand

This command formats the whole buffer or some part of it according to the value
of the Vim options shiftwidth and expandtab (see :h 'sw' and :h et
respectively). To format a specific part of your document, you can either select
it in one of Vim's visual modes (see :h visual-use) and run the command or
directly enter the range on the command line, e.g. :2,5YcmCompleter Format to
format it from line 2 to line 5.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, java, javascript, go, typescript, rust, cs

The `OrganizeImports` subcommand

This command removes unused imports and sorts imports in the current file. It
can also group imports from the same module in TypeScript and resolve imports
in Java.

Supported in filetypes: java, javascript, typescript

Miscellaneous Commands

These commands are for general administration, rather than IDE-like features.
They cover things like the semantic engine server instance and compilation
flags.

The `ExecuteCommand ` subcommand

Some LSP completers (currently only Java completers) support executing
server-specific commands. Consult the jdt.ls documentation to find out
what commands are supported and which arguments are expected.

The support for ExecuteCommand was implemented to support plugins like
Vimspector to debug java, but isn't limited to that specific use case.

The `RestartServer` subcommand

Restarts the downstream semantic engine server for those semantic engines that
work as separate servers that YCM talks to.

Supported in filetypes: c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript, rust, typescript

The `ReloadSolution` subcommand

Instruct the Omnisharp-Roslyn server to clear its cache and reload all files
from the disk. This is useful when files are added, removed, or renamed in the
solution, files are changed outside of Vim, or whenever Omnisharp-Roslyn cache
is out-of-sync.

Supported in filetypes: cs

Functions

The `youcompleteme#GetErrorCount` function

Get the number of YCM Diagnostic errors. If no errors are present, this function
returns 0.

For example:

viml

call youcompleteme#GetErrorCount()

Both this function and youcompleteme#GetWarningCount can be useful when
integrating YCM with other Vim plugins. For example, a lightline user could
add a diagnostics section to their statusline which would display the number of
errors and warnings.

The `youcompleteme#GetWarningCount` function

Get the number of YCM Diagnostic warnings. If no warnings are present, this
function returns 0.

For example:

viml

call youcompleteme#GetWarningCount()

The `youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse( ... )` function

Run a completer subcommand and return the result as
a string. This can be useful for example to display the GetDoc output in a
popup window, e.g.:

viml

let s:ycm_hover_popup = -1
function s:Hover()
  let response = youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse( 'GetDoc' )
  if response == ''
    return
  endif

  call popup_hide( s:ycm_hover_popup )
  let s:ycm_hover_popup = popup_atcursor( balloon_split( response ), {} )
endfunction

" CursorHold triggers in normal mode after a delay
autocmd CursorHold * call s:Hover()
" Or, if you prefer, a mapping:
nnoremap <silent> <leader>D :call <SID>Hover()<CR>

NOTE: This is only an example, for real hover support, see
g:ycm_auto_hover.

If the completer subcommand result is not a string (for example, it's a FixIt or
a Location), or if the completer subcommand raises an error, an empty string is
returned, so that calling code does not have to check for complex error
conditions.

The arguments to the function are the same as the arguments to the
:YcmCompleter ex command, e.g. the name of the subcommand, followed by any
additional subcommand arguments. As with the YcmCompleter command, if the
first argument is ft=<filetype> the request is targeted at the specified
filetype completer. This is an advanced usage and not necessary in most cases.

NOTE: The request is run synchronously and blocks Vim until the response is
received, so we do not recommend running this as part of an autocommand that
triggers frequently.

The `youcompleteme#GetCommandResponseAsync( callback, ... )` function

This works exactly like youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse, except that instead
of returning the result, you supply a callback argument. This argument must be
a FuncRef to a function taking a single argument response. This callback
will be called with the command response at some point later, or immediately.

As with youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse(), this function will call the
callback with '' (an empty string) if the request is not sent, or if there was
some sort of error.

Here's an example that's similar to the one above:

viml

let s:ycm_hover_popup = -1
function! s:ShowDataPopup( response ) abort
  if response == ''
    return
  endif

  call popup_hide( s:ycm_hover_popup )
  let s:ycm_hover_popup = popup_atcursor( balloon_split( response ), {} )
endfunction

function! s:GetData() abort
  call youcompleteme#GetCommandResponseAsync(
    \ function( 's:ShowDataPopup' ),
    \ 'GetDoc' )
endfunction

autocommand CursorHold * call s:GetData()

Again, see g:ycm_auto_hover for proper hover
support.

NOTE: The callback may be called immediately, in the stack frame that called
this function.

NOTE: Only one command request can be outstanding at once. Attempting to
request a second response while the first is outstanding will result in the
second callback being immediately called with ''.

Autocommands

The `YcmLocationOpened` autocommand

This User autocommand is fired when YCM opens the location list window in
response to the YcmDiags command. By default, the location list window is
opened to the bottom of the current window and its height is set to fit all
entries. This behavior can be overridden by using the YcmLocationOpened
autocommand which is triggered while the cursor is in the location list window.
For instance:

viml

function! s:CustomizeYcmLocationWindow()
  " Move the window to the top of the screen.
  wincmd K
  " Set the window height to 5.
  5wincmd _
  " Switch back to the working window.
  wincmd p
endfunction

autocmd User YcmLocationOpened call s:CustomizeYcmLocationWindow()

The `YcmQuickFixOpened` autocommand

This User autocommand is fired when YCM opens the quickfix window in response
to the GoTo* and RefactorRename subcommands. By default, the quickfix window
is opened to full width at the bottom of the screen and its height is set to fit
all entries. This behavior can be overridden by using the YcmQuickFixOpened
autocommand which is triggered while the cursor is in the quickfix window. For
instance:

viml

function! s:CustomizeYcmQuickFixWindow()
  " Move the window to the top of the screen.
  wincmd K
  " Set the window height to 5.
  5wincmd _
endfunction

autocmd User YcmQuickFixOpened call s:CustomizeYcmQuickFixWindow()

Options

All options have reasonable defaults so if the plug-in works after installation
you don't need to change any options. These options can be configured in your
vimrc script by including a line like this:

viml

let g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion = 1

Note that after changing an option in your vimrc script you have to
restart ycmd with the :YcmRestartServer command for the changes to take
effect.

The `g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion` option

This option controls the number of characters the user needs to type before
identifier-based completion suggestions are triggered. For example, if the
option is set to 2, then when the user types a second alphanumeric character
after a whitespace character, completion suggestions will be triggered. This
option is NOT used for semantic completion.

Setting this option to a high number like 99 effectively turns off the
identifier completion engine and just leaves the semantic engine.

Default: 2

viml

let g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion = 2

The `g:ycm_min_num_identifier_candidate_chars` option

This option controls the minimum number of characters that a completion
candidate coming from the identifier completer must have to be shown in the
popup menu.

A special value of 0 means there is no limit.

NOTE: This option only applies to the identifier completer; it has no effect
on the various semantic completers.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_min_num_identifier_candidate_chars = 0

The `g:ycm_max_num_candidates` option

This option controls the maximum number of semantic completion suggestions shown
in the completion menu. This only applies to suggestions from semantic
completion engines; see the g:ycm_max_identifier_candidates
option to limit the number of
suggestions from the identifier-based engine.

A special value of 0 means there is no limit.

NOTE: Setting this option to 0 or to a value greater than 100 is not
recommended as it will slow down completion when there is a very large number
of suggestions.

Default: 50

viml

let g:ycm_max_num_candidates = 50

The `g:ycm_max_num_candidates_to_detail` option

Some completion engines require completion candidates to be 'resolved' in order
to get detailed info such as inline documentation, method signatures, etc. This
information is displayed by YCM in the preview window, or if completeopt
contains popup, in the info popup next to the completion menu.

By default, if the info popup is in use, and there are more than 10 candidates,
YCM will defer resolving candidates until they are selected in the completion
menu. Otherwise, YCM must resolve the details upfront, which can be costly.

If neither popup nor preview are in completeopt, YCM disables resolving
altogether as the information would not be displayed.

This setting can be used to override these defaults and controls the number of
completion candidates that should be resolved upfront. Typically users do not
need to change this, as YCM will work out an appropriate value based on your
completeopt and g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt settings. However, you may
override this calculation by setting this value to a number:

-1 - Resolve all candidates upfront
0 - Never resolve any candidates upfront.
> 0 - Resolve up to this many candidates upfront. If the number of
candidates is greater than this value, no candidates are resolved.

In the latter two cases, if completeopt contains popup, then candidates are
resolved on demand asynchronously.

Default:

0 if neither popup nor preview are in completeopt.
10 if popup is in completeopt.
-1 if preview is in completeopt.

Example:

viml

let g:ycm_max_num_candidates_to_detail = 0

The `g:ycm_max_num_identifier_candidates` option

This option controls the maximum number of completion suggestions from the
identifier-based engine shown in the completion menu.

A special value of 0 means there is no limit.

NOTE: Setting this option to 0 or to a value greater than 100 is not
recommended as it will slow down completion when there is a very large number
of suggestions.

Default: 10

viml

let g:ycm_max_num_identifier_candidates = 10

The `g:ycm_auto_trigger` option

When set to 0, this option turns off YCM's identifier completer (the
as-you-type popup) and the semantic triggers (the popup you'd get after typing
. or -> in say C++). You can still force semantic completion with the
<C-Space> shortcut.

If you want to just turn off the identifier completer but keep the semantic
triggers, you should set g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion to a high
number like 99.

When g:ycm_auto_trigger is 0, YCM sets the completefunc, so that you can
manually trigger normal completion using C-x C-u.

If you want to map something else to trigger completion, such as C-d,
then you can map it to (YCMComplete). For example:

viml

let g:ycm_auto_trigger = 0
imap <c-d> <plug>(YCMComplete)

NOTE: It's not possible to map one of the keys in
g:ycm_key_list_select_completion (or similar) to (YCMComplete). In
practice that means that you can't use <Tab> for this.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_auto_trigger = 1

The `g:ycm_filetype_whitelist` option

This option controls for which Vim filetypes (see :h filetype) should YCM be
turned on. The option value should be a Vim dictionary with keys being filetype
strings (like python, cpp, etc.) and values being unimportant (the
dictionary is used like a hash set, meaning that only the keys matter).

The * key is special and matches all filetypes. By default, the whitelist
contains only this * key.

YCM also has a g:ycm_filetype_blacklist option that lists filetypes for which
YCM shouldn't be turned on. YCM will work only in filetypes that both the
whitelist and the blacklist allow (the blacklist "allows" a filetype by not
having it as a key).

For example, let's assume you want YCM to work in files with the cpp filetype.
The filetype should then be present in the whitelist either directly (cpp key
in the whitelist) or indirectly through the special * key. It should not be
present in the blacklist.

Filetypes that are blocked by either of the lists will be completely ignored
by YCM, meaning that neither the identifier-based completion engine nor the
semantic engine will operate in them.

You can get the filetype of the current file in Vim with :set ft?.

Default: {'*': 1}

viml

let g:ycm_filetype_whitelist = {'*': 1}

** Completion in buffers with no filetype **

There is one exception to the above rule. YCM supports completion in buffers
with no filetype set, but this must be explicitly whitelisted. To identify
buffers with no filetype, we use the ycm_nofiletype pseudo-filetype. To enable
completion in buffers with no filetype, set:

viml

let g:ycm_filetype_whitelist = {
  \ '*': 1,
  \ 'ycm_nofiletype': 1
  \ }

The `g:ycm_filetype_blacklist` option

This option controls for which Vim filetypes (see :h filetype) should YCM be
turned off. The option value should be a Vim dictionary with keys being filetype
strings (like python, cpp, etc.) and values being unimportant (the
dictionary is used like a hash set, meaning that only the keys matter).

See the g:ycm_filetype_whitelist option for more details on how this works.

Default: [see next line]

viml

let g:ycm_filetype_blacklist = {
      \ 'tagbar': 1,
      \ 'notes': 1,
      \ 'markdown': 1,
      \ 'netrw': 1,
      \ 'unite': 1,
      \ 'text': 1,
      \ 'vimwiki': 1,
      \ 'pandoc': 1,
      \ 'infolog': 1,
      \ 'leaderf': 1,
      \ 'mail': 1
      \}

In addition, ycm_nofiletype (representing buffers with no filetype set)
is blacklisted if ycm_nofiletype is not explicitly whitelisted (using
g:ycm_filetype_whitelist).

The `g:ycm_filetype_specific_completion_to_disable` option

This option controls for which Vim filetypes (see :h filetype) should the YCM
semantic completion engine be turned off. The option value should be a Vim
dictionary with keys being filetype strings (like python, cpp, etc.) and
values being unimportant (the dictionary is used like a hash set, meaning that
only the keys matter). The listed filetypes will be ignored by the YCM semantic
completion engine, but the identifier-based completion engine will still trigger
in files of those filetypes.

Note that even if semantic completion is not turned off for a specific filetype,
you will not get semantic completion if the semantic engine does not support
that filetype.

You can get the filetype of the current file in Vim with :set ft?.

Default: [see next line]

viml

let g:ycm_filetype_specific_completion_to_disable = {
      \ 'gitcommit': 1
      \}

The `g:ycm_filepath_blacklist` option

This option controls for which Vim filetypes (see :h filetype) should filepath
completion be disabled. The option value should be a Vim dictionary with keys
being filetype strings (like python, cpp, etc.) and values being unimportant
(the dictionary is used like a hash set, meaning that only the keys matter).

The * key is special and matches all filetypes. Use this key if you want to
completely disable filepath completion:

viml

let g:ycm_filepath_blacklist = {'*': 1}

You can get the filetype of the current file in Vim with :set ft?.

Default: [see next line]

viml

let g:ycm_filepath_blacklist = {
      \ 'html': 1,
      \ 'jsx': 1,
      \ 'xml': 1,
      \}

The `g:ycm_show_diagnostics_ui` option

When set, this option turns on YCM's diagnostic display features. See the
Diagnostic display section in the User Manual for more details.

Specific parts of the diagnostics UI (like the gutter signs, text highlighting,
diagnostic echo, and auto location list population) can be individually turned on
or off. See the other options below for details.

Note that YCM's diagnostics UI is only supported for C-family languages.

When set, this option also makes YCM remove all Syntastic checkers set for the
c, cpp, objc, objcpp, and cuda filetypes since this would conflict
with YCM's own diagnostics UI.

If you're using YCM's identifier completer in C-family languages but cannot use
the clang-based semantic completer for those languages and want to use the GCC
Syntastic checkers, unset this option.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_show_diagnostics_ui = 1

The `g:ycm_error_symbol` option

YCM will use the value of this option as the symbol for errors in the Vim
gutter.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the g:syntastic_error_symbol option
before using this option's default.

Default: >>

viml

let g:ycm_error_symbol = '>>'

The `g:ycm_warning_symbol` option

YCM will use the value of this option as the symbol for warnings in the Vim
gutter.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the g:syntastic_warning_symbol option
before using this option's default.

Default: >>

viml

let g:ycm_warning_symbol = '>>'

The `g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_signs` option

When this option is set, YCM will put icons in Vim's gutter on lines that have a
diagnostic set. Turning this off will also turn off the YcmErrorLine and
YcmWarningLine highlighting.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the g:syntastic_enable_signs option
before using this option's default.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_signs = 1

The `g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_highlighting` option

When this option is set, YCM will highlight regions of text that are related to
the diagnostic that is present on a line, if any.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the g:syntastic_enable_highlighting
option before using this option's default.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_highlighting = 1

The `g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM will echo the text of the diagnostic present
on the current line when you move your cursor to that line. If a FixIt is
available for the current diagnostic, then (FixIt) is appended.

If you have a Vim that supports virtual text, you can set this option
to the string virtual-text, and the diagnostic will be displayed inline with
the text, right aligned in the window and wrapping to the next line if there is
not enough space, for example:

Virtual text diagnostic demo

NOTE: It's strongly recommended to also set
g:ycm_update_diagnostics_in_insert_mode to 0 when using virtual-text for
diagnostics. This is due to the increased amount of distraction provided by
drawing diagnostics next to your input position.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the g:syntastic_echo_current_error
option before using this option's default.

Default: 1

Valid values:

0 - disabled
1 - echo diagnostic to the command area
'virtual-text' - display the dignostic to the right of the line in the
window using virtual text

viml

let g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic = 1
" Or, when you have Vim supporting virtual text
let g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic = 'virtual-text'

The `g:ycm_auto_hover` option

This option controls whether or not YCM shows documentation in a popup at the
cursor location after a short delay. Only supported in Vim.

When this option is set to 'CursorHold', the popup is displayed on the
CursorHold autocommand. See :help CursorHold for the details, but this means
that it is displayed after updatetime milliseconds. When set to an empty
string, the popup is not automatically displayed.

In addition to this setting, there is the (YCMHover) mapping, which can
be used to manually trigger or hide the popup (it works like a toggle).
For example:

viml

nmap <leader>D <plug>(YCMHover)

After dismissing the popup with this mapping, it will not be automatically
triggered again until the cursor is moved (i.e. CursorMoved autocommand).

The displayed documentation depends on what the completer for the current
language supports. It's selected heuristically in this order of preference:

GetHover with markdown syntax
GetDoc with no syntax
GetType with the syntax of the current file.

You can customise this by manually setting up b:ycm_hover to your liking. This
buffer-local variable can be set to a dictionary with the following keys:

command: The YCM completer subcommand which should be run on hover
syntax: The syntax to use (as in set syntax=) in the popup window for
highlighting.
popup_params: The params passed to a popup window which gets opened.

For example, to use C/C++ syntax highlighting in the popup for C-family
languages, add something like this to your vimrc:

viml

augroup MyYCMCustom
  autocmd!
  autocmd FileType c,cpp let b:ycm_hover = {
    \ 'command': 'GetDoc',
    \ 'syntax': &filetype
    \ }
augroup END

You can also modify the opened popup with popup_params key.
For example, you can limit the popup's maximum width and add a border to it:

viml

augroup MyYCMCustom
  autocmd!
  autocmd FileType c,cpp let b:ycm_hover = {
    \ 'command': 'GetDoc',
    \ 'syntax': &filetype
    \ 'popup_params': {
    \     'maxwidth': 80,
    \     'border': [],
    \     'borderchars': ['─', '│', '─', '│', '┌', '┐', '┘', '└'],
    \   },
    \ }
augroup END

See :help popup_create-arguments for the list of available popup window options.

Default: 'CursorHold'

The `g:ycm_filter_diagnostics` option

This option controls which diagnostics will be rendered by YCM. This option
holds a dictionary of key-values, where the keys are Vim's filetype strings
delimited by commas and values are dictionaries describing the filter.

A filter is a dictionary of key-values, where the keys are the type of filter,
and the value is a list of arguments to that filter. In the case of just a
single item in the list, you may omit the brackets and just provide the argument
directly. If any filter matches a diagnostic, it will be dropped and YCM will
not render it.

The following filter types are supported:

"regex": Accepts a string regular expression. This type matches
when the regex (treated as case-insensitive) is found anywhere in the diagnostic
text (re.search, not re.match)
"level": Accepts a string level, either "warning" or "error." This type
matches when the diagnostic has the same level, that is,
specifying level: "error" will remove all errors from the diagnostics.

NOTE: The regex syntax is NOT Vim's, it's Python's.

Default: {}

The following example will do, for Java filetype only:

Remove all error level diagnostics, and,
Also remove anything that contains ta<something>co

viml

let g:ycm_filter_diagnostics = {
  \ "java": {
  \      "regex": [ "ta.+co", ... ],
  \      "level": "error",
  \      ...
  \    }
  \ }

The `g:ycm_always_populate_location_list` option

When this option is set, YCM will populate the location list automatically every
time it gets new diagnostic data. This option is off by default so as not to
interfere with other data you might have placed in the location list.

See :help location-list in Vim to learn more about the location list.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the
g:syntastic_always_populate_loc_list option before using this option's
default.

Note: if YCM's errors aren't visible, it might be that YCM is updating an older location list. See :help :lhistory and :lolder.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_always_populate_location_list = 0

The `g:ycm_open_loclist_on_ycm_diags` option

When this option is set, :YcmDiags will automatically open the location list
after forcing a compilation and filling the list with diagnostic data.

See :help location-list in Vim to learn more about the location list.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_open_loclist_on_ycm_diags = 1

The `g:ycm_complete_in_comments` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM will show the completion menu even when
typing inside comments.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_complete_in_comments = 0

The `g:ycm_complete_in_strings` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM will show the completion menu even when
typing inside strings.

Note that this is turned on by default so that you can use the filename
completion inside strings. This is very useful for instance in C-family files
where typing #include " will trigger the start of filename completion. If you
turn off this option, you will turn off filename completion in such situations
as well.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_complete_in_strings = 1

The `g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_comments_and_strings` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM's identifier completer will also collect
identifiers from strings and comments. Otherwise, the text in comments and
strings will be ignored.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_comments_and_strings = 0

The `g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_tags_files` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM's identifier completer will also collect
identifiers from tags files. The list of tags files to examine is retrieved from
the tagfiles() Vim function which examines the tags Vim option. See :h 'tags' for details.

YCM will re-index your tags files if it detects that they have been modified.

The only supported tag format is the Exuberant Ctags format. The
format from "plain" ctags is NOT supported. Ctags needs to be called with the
--fields=+l option (that's a lowercase L, not a one) because YCM needs the
language:<lang> field in the tags output.

See the FAQ for pointers if YCM does not appear to read your tag files.

This option is off by default because it makes Vim slower if your tags are on a
network directory.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_tags_files = 0

The `g:ycm_seed_identifiers_with_syntax` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM's identifier completer will seed its
identifier database with the keywords of the programming language you're
writing.

Since the keywords are extracted from the Vim syntax file for the filetype, all
keywords may not be collected, depending on how the syntax file was written.
Usually at least 95% of the keywords are successfully extracted.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_seed_identifiers_with_syntax = 0

The `g:ycm_extra_conf_vim_data` option

If you're using semantic completion for C-family files, this option might come
handy; it's a way of sending data from Vim to your Settings function in
your .ycm_extra_conf.py file.

This option is supposed to be a list of VimScript expression strings that are
evaluated for every request to the ycmd server and then passed to your
Settings function as a client_data keyword argument.

For instance, if you set this option to ['v:version'], your Settings
function will be called like this:

python

# The '801' value is of course contingent on Vim 8.1; in 8.0 it would be '800'
Settings( ..., client_data = { 'v:version': 801 } )

So the client_data parameter is a dictionary mapping Vim expression strings to
their values at the time of the request.

The correct way to define parameters for your Settings function:

python

def Settings( **kwargs ):

You can then get to client_data with kwargs['client_data'].

Default: []

viml

let g:ycm_extra_conf_vim_data = []

The `g:ycm_server_python_interpreter` option

YCM will by default search for an appropriate Python interpreter on your system.
You can use this option to override that behavior and force the use of a
specific interpreter of your choosing.

NOTE: This interpreter is only used for the ycmd server. The YCM
client running inside Vim always uses the Python interpreter that's embedded
inside Vim.

Default: ''

viml

let g:ycm_server_python_interpreter = ''

The `g:ycm_keep_logfiles` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM and the ycmd completion server will
keep the logfiles around after shutting down (they are deleted on shutdown by
default).

To see where the log files are, call :YcmDebugInfo.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_keep_logfiles = 0

The `g:ycm_log_level` option

The logging level that YCM and the ycmd completion server use. Valid
values are the following, from most verbose to least verbose:

debug
info
warning
error
critical

Note that debug is very verbose.

Default: info

viml

let g:ycm_log_level = 'info'

The `g:ycm_auto_start_csharp_server` option

When set to 1, the OmniSharp-Roslyn server will be automatically started
(once per Vim session) when you open a C# file.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_auto_start_csharp_server = 1

The `g:ycm_auto_stop_csharp_server` option

When set to 1, the OmniSharp-Roslyn server will be automatically stopped upon
closing Vim.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_auto_stop_csharp_server = 1

The `g:ycm_csharp_server_port` option

When g:ycm_auto_start_csharp_server is set to 1, specifies the port for
the OmniSharp-Roslyn server to listen on. When set to 0 uses an unused port provided
by the OS.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_csharp_server_port = 0

The `g:ycm_csharp_insert_namespace_expr` option

By default, when YCM inserts a namespace, it will insert the using statement
under the nearest using statement. You may prefer that the using statement is
inserted somewhere, for example, to preserve sorting. If so, you can set this
option to override this behavior.

When this option is set, instead of inserting the using statement itself, YCM
will set the global variable g:ycm_namespace_to_insert to the namespace to
insert, and then evaluate this option's value as an expression. The option's
expression is responsible for inserting the namespace - the default insertion
will not occur.

Default: ''

viml

let g:ycm_csharp_insert_namespace_expr = ''

The `g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM will add the preview string to Vim's
completeopt option (see :h completeopt). If your completeopt option
already has preview set, there will be no effect. Alternatively, when set to
popup and your version of Vim supports popup windows (see :help popup), the
popup string will be used instead. You can see the current state of your
completeopt setting with :set completeopt? (yes, the question mark is
important).

When preview is present in completeopt, YCM will use the preview window at
the top of the file to store detailed information about the current completion
candidate (but only if the candidate came from the semantic engine). For
instance, it would show the full function prototype and all the function
overloads in the window if the current completion is a function name.

When popup is present in completeopt, YCM will instead use a popup
window to the side of the completion popup for storing detailed information
about the current completion candidate. In addition, YCM may truncate the
detailed completion information in order to give the popup sufficient room
to display that detailed information.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt = 0

The `g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_completion` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM will auto-close the preview window after
the user accepts the offered completion string. If there is no preview window
triggered because there is no preview string in completeopt, this option is
irrelevant. See the g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt option for more details.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_completion = 0

The `g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_insertion` option

When this option is set to 1, YCM will auto-close the preview window after
the user leaves insert mode. This option is irrelevant if
g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_completion is set or if no preview
window is triggered. See the g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt option for more
details.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_insertion = 0

The `g:ycm_max_diagnostics_to_display` option

This option controls the maximum number of diagnostics shown to the user when
errors or warnings are detected in the file. This option is only relevant for
the C-family, C#, Java, JavaScript, and TypeScript languages.

A special value of 0 means there is no limit.

Default: 30

viml

let g:ycm_max_diagnostics_to_display = 30

The `g:ycm_key_list_select_completion` option

This option controls the key mappings used to select the first completion
string. Invoking any of them repeatedly cycles forward through the completion
list.

Some users like adding <Enter> to this list.

Default: ['<TAB>', '<Down>']

viml

let g:ycm_key_list_select_completion = ['<TAB>', '<Down>']

The `g:ycm_key_list_previous_completion` option

This option controls the key mappings used to select the previous completion
string. Invoking any of them repeatedly cycles backward through the completion
list.

Note that one of the defaults is <S-TAB> which means Shift-TAB. That mapping
will probably only work in GUI Vim (Gvim or MacVim) and not in plain console Vim
because the terminal usually does not forward modifier key combinations to Vim.

Default: ['<S-TAB>', '']

viml

let g:ycm_key_list_previous_completion = ['<S-TAB>', '<Up>']

The `g:ycm_key_list_stop_completion` option

This option controls the key mappings used to close the completion menu. This is
useful when the menu is blocking the view, when you need to insert the <TAB>
character, or when you want to expand a snippet from UltiSnips and navigate
through it.

Default: ['<C-y>']

viml

let g:ycm_key_list_stop_completion = ['<C-y>']

The `g:ycm_key_invoke_completion` option

This option controls the key mapping used to invoke the completion menu for
semantic completion. By default, semantic completion is triggered automatically
after typing characters appropriate for the language, such as ., ->, ::,
etc. in insert mode (if semantic completion support has been compiled in). This
key mapping can be used to trigger semantic completion anywhere. Useful for
searching for top-level functions and classes.

Console Vim (not Gvim or MacVim) passes <Nul> to Vim when the user types
<C-Space> so YCM will make sure that <Nul> is used in the map command when
you're editing in console Vim, and <C-Space> in GUI Vim. This means that you
can just press <C-Space> in both the console and GUI Vim and YCM will do the right
thing.

Setting this option to an empty string will make sure no mapping is created.

Default: <C-Space>

viml

let g:ycm_key_invoke_completion = '<C-Space>'

The `g:ycm_key_detailed_diagnostics` option

This option controls the key mapping used to show the full diagnostic text when
the user's cursor is on the line with the diagnostic. It basically calls
:YcmShowDetailedDiagnostic.

Setting this option to an empty string will make sure no mapping is created.

If you prefer the detailed diagnostic to be shown in a popup, then
let g:ycm_show_detailed_diag_in_popup=1.

Default: <leader>d

viml

let g:ycm_key_detailed_diagnostics = '<leader>d'

Makes :YcmShowDetailedDiagnostic always show in a popup rather than echoing to
the command line.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_show_detailed_diag_in_popup = 0

The `g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf` option

Normally, YCM searches for a .ycm_extra_conf.py file for compilation flags
(see the User Guide for more details on how this works). This option specifies
a fallback path to a config file which is used if no .ycm_extra_conf.py is
found.

You can place such a global file anywhere in your filesystem.

Default: ''

viml

let g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf = ''

The `g:ycm_confirm_extra_conf` option

When this option is set to 1 YCM will ask once per .ycm_extra_conf.py file
if it is safe to be loaded. This is to prevent the execution of malicious code
from a .ycm_extra_conf.py file you didn't write.

To selectively get YCM to ask/not ask about loading certain .ycm_extra_conf.py
files, see the g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist option.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_confirm_extra_conf = 1

The `g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist` option

This option is a list that may contain several globbing patterns. If a pattern
starts with a ! all .ycm_extra_conf.py files matching that pattern will be
blacklisted, that is they won't be loaded and no confirmation dialog will be
shown. If a pattern does not start with a ! all files matching that pattern
will be whitelisted. Note that this option is not used when confirmation is
disabled using g:ycm_confirm_extra_conf and that items earlier in the list
will take precedence over the later ones.

Rules:

* matches everything
? matches any single character
[seq] matches any character in seq
[!seq] matches any char not in seq

Example:

viml

let g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist = ['~/dev/*','!~/*']

The first rule will match everything contained in the ~/dev directory so
.ycm_extra_conf.py files from there will be loaded.
The second rule will match everything in the home directory so a
.ycm_extra_conf.py file from there won't be loaded.
As the first rule takes precedence everything in the home directory excluding
the ~/dev directory will be blacklisted.

NOTE: The glob pattern is first expanded with Python's
os.path.expanduser() and then resolved with os.path.abspath() before being
matched against the filename.

Default: []

viml

let g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist = []

The `g:ycm_filepath_completion_use_working_dir` option

By default, YCM's filepath completion will interpret relative paths like ../
as being relative to the folder of the file of the currently active buffer.
Setting this option will force YCM to always interpret relative paths as being
relative to Vim's current working directory.

Default: 0

viml

let g:ycm_filepath_completion_use_working_dir = 0

The `g:ycm_semantic_triggers` option

This option controls the character-based triggers for the various semantic
completion engines. The option holds a dictionary of key-values, where the keys
are Vim's filetype strings delimited by commas and values are lists of strings,
where the strings are the triggers.

Setting key-value pairs on the dictionary adds semantic triggers to the
internal default set (listed below). You cannot remove the default triggers,
only add new ones.

A "trigger" is a sequence of one or more characters that trigger semantic
completion when typed. For instance, C++ (cpp filetype) has . listed as a
trigger. So when the user types foo., the semantic engine will trigger and
serve foo's list of member functions and variables. Since C++ also has ->
listed as a trigger, the same thing would happen when the user typed foo->.

It's also possible to use a regular expression as a trigger. You have to prefix
your trigger with re! to signify it's a regex trigger. For instance,
re!\w+\. would only trigger after the \w+\. regex matches.

NOTE: The regex syntax is NOT Vim's, it's Python's.

Default: [see next line]

viml

let g:ycm_semantic_triggers =  {
  \   'c': ['->', '.'],
  \   'objc': ['->', '.', 're!\[[_a-zA-Z]+\w*\s', 're!^\s*[^\W\d]\w*\s',
  \            're!\[.*\]\s'],
  \   'ocaml': ['.', '#'],
  \   'cpp,cuda,objcpp': ['->', '.', '::'],
  \   'perl': ['->'],
  \   'php': ['->', '::'],
  \   'cs,d,elixir,go,groovy,java,javascript,julia,perl6,python,scala,typescript,vb': ['.'],
  \   'ruby,rust': ['.', '::'],
  \   'lua': ['.', ':'],
  \   'erlang': [':'],
  \ }

The `g:ycm_cache_omnifunc` option

Some omnicompletion engines do not work well with the YCM cache—in particular,
they might not produce all possible results for a given prefix. By unsetting
this option you can ensure that the omnicompletion engine is re-queried on every
keypress. That will ensure all completions will be presented but might cause
stuttering and lag if the omnifunc is slow.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_cache_omnifunc = 1

The `g:ycm_use_ultisnips_completer` option

By default, YCM will query the UltiSnips plugin for possible completions of
snippet triggers. This option can turn that behavior off.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_use_ultisnips_completer = 1

The `g:ycm_goto_buffer_command` option

Defines where GoTo* commands result should be opened. Can take one of the
following values: 'same-buffer', 'split', or 'split-or-existing-window'.
If this option is set to the 'same-buffer' but current buffer can not be
switched (when buffer is modified and nohidden option is set), then result
will be opened in a split. When the option is set to
'split-or-existing-window', if the result is already open in a window of the
current tab page (or any tab pages with the :tab modifier; see below), it will
jump to that window. Otherwise, the result will be opened in a split as if the
option was set to 'split'.

To customize the way a new window is split, prefix the GoTo* command with one
of the following modifiers: :aboveleft, :belowright, :botright,
:leftabove, :rightbelow, :topleft, and :vertical. For instance, to
split vertically to the right of the current window, run the command:

viml

:rightbelow vertical YcmCompleter GoTo

To open in a new tab page, use the :tab modifier with the 'split' or
'split-or-existing-window' options e.g.:

viml

:tab YcmCompleter GoTo

Default: 'same-buffer'

viml

let g:ycm_goto_buffer_command = 'same-buffer'

The `g:ycm_disable_for_files_larger_than_kb` option

Defines the max size (in Kb) for a file to be considered for completion. If this
option is set to 0 then no check is made on the size of the file you're opening.

Default: 1000

viml

let g:ycm_disable_for_files_larger_than_kb = 1000

The `g:ycm_use_clangd` option

This option controls whether clangd should be used as a completion engine for
C-family languages. Can take one of the following values: 1, 0, with
meanings:

1: YCM will use clangd if clangd binary exists in third party or it was
provided with ycm_clangd_binary_path option.
0: YCM will never use clangd completer.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_use_clangd = 1

The `g:ycm_clangd_binary_path` option

When ycm_use_clangd option is set to 1, this option sets the path to
clangd binary.

Default: ''

viml

let g:ycm_clangd_binary_path = ''

The `g:ycm_clangd_args` option

This option controls the command line arguments passed to the clangd binary. It
appends new options and overrides the existing ones.

Default: []

viml

let g:ycm_clangd_args = []

The `g:ycm_clangd_uses_ycmd_caching` option

This option controls which ranking and filtering algorithm to use for completion
items. It can take values:

1: Uses ycmd's caching and filtering logic.
0: Uses clangd's caching and filtering logic.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_clangd_uses_ycmd_caching = 1

The `g:ycm_language_server` option

This option lets YCM use an arbitrary Language Server Protocol (LSP) server, not
unlike many other completion systems. The officially supported completers are
favoured over custom LSP ones, so overriding an existing completer means first
making sure YCM won't choose that existing completer in the first place.

A simple working example of this option can be found in the section called
"Semantic Completion for Other Languages".

Many working examples can be found in the YCM lsp-examples repository.

Default: []

viml

let g:ycm_language_server = []

The `g:ycm_disable_signature_help` option

This option allows you to disable all signature help for all completion engines.
There is no way to disable it per-completer.

Default: 0

viml

" Disable signature help
let g:ycm_disable_signature_help = 1

The `g:ycm_signature_help_disable_syntax` option

Set this to 1 to disable syntax highlighting in the signature help popup. Thiis
can help if your colourscheme doesn't work well with the default highliting and
inverse video.

Default: 0

viml

" Disable signature help syntax highliting
let g:ycm_signature_help_disable_syntax = 1

The `g:ycm_gopls_binary_path` option

In case the system-wide gopls binary is newer than the bundled one, setting
this option to the path of the system-wide gopls would make YCM use that one
instead.

If the path is just gopls, YCM will search in $PATH.

The `g:ycm_gopls_args` option

Similar to the g:ycm_clangd_args, this option allows
passing additional flags to the gopls command line.

Default: []

viml

let g:ycm_gopls_args = []

The `g:ycm_rls_binary_path` and `g:ycm_rustc_binary_path` options

YCM no longer uses RLS for rust, and these options are therefore no longer
supported.

To use a custom rust-analyzer, see g:ycm_rust_toolchain_root.

The `g:ycm_rust_toolchain_root` option

Optionally specify the path to a custom rust toolchain including at least a
supported version of rust-analyzer.

The `g:ycm_tsserver_binary_path` option

Similar to the gopls path, this option
tells YCM where is the TSServer executable located.

The `g:ycm_roslyn_binary_path` option

Similar to the gopls path, this option
tells YCM where is the Omnisharp-Roslyn executable located.

The `g:ycm_update_diagnostics_in_insert_mode` option

With async diagnostics, LSP servers might send new diagnostics mid-typing.
If seeing these new diagnostics while typing is not desired, this option can
be set to 0.

When this option is set to 0, diagnostic signs, virtual text, and highlights
are cleared when entering insert mode and replaced when leaving insert mode.
This reduces visual noise while editing.

In addition, this option is recommended when g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic is
set to virtual-text as it prevents updating the virtual text while you are
typing.

Default: 1

viml

let g:ycm_update_diagnostics_in_insert_mode = 1

FAQ

The FAQ section has been moved to the wiki.

Contributor Code of Conduct

Please note that this project is released with a Contributor Code of
Conduct. By participating in this project you agree to abide by its
terms.

Contact

If you have questions about the plugin or need help, please join the Gitter
room or use the ycm-users mailing list.

If you have bug reports or feature suggestions, please use the issue
tracker. Before you do, please carefully read
CONTRIBUTING.md as this asks for important diagnostics which
the team will use to help get you going.

The latest version of the plugin is available at
https://ycm-core.github.io/YouCompleteMe/.

The author's homepage is https://val.markovic.io.

Please do NOT go to #vim, Reddit, or Stack Overflow for support. Please
contact the YouCompleteMe maintainers directly using the contact
details.

License

This software is licensed under the GPL v3 license.
© 2015-2018 YouCompleteMe contributors

Sponsorship

If you like YCM so much that you're willing to part with your hard-earned cash, please consider donating to one of the following charities, which are meaningful to the current maintainers (in no particular order):

Please note: The YCM maintainers do not specifically endorse nor necessarily have any relationship with the above charities. Disclosure: It is noted that one key maintainer is a family with Trustees of Greyhound Rescue Wales.

Overview (`test/README.md`)

Quick Start

Running the tests in docker

To run the tests in the almost exactly the same environment as CI, use docker.
This is recommended to ensure that the tests pass in CI, rather than just on
your machine.

Make sure you have docker installed (duh)
Run ./docker/manual/run.
You should now be in the container. Your YCM checkout is now mounted in
$HOME/YouCompleteMe
Run the following setup:
- cd YouCompleteMe
- python3 install.py --ts-completer --clangd-completer --java-completer
- sudo -H pip3 install -r python/test_requirements.txt
Run the tests:
- ./test/run_vim_tests

Running the tests locally

The CI tests run in the container, so it's
probably best to run your tests there too, but not strictly required.

To run locally, you have to be on MacOS or Linux. Sorry, Windows testing is
not supported. However, there is a docker image
in which you can run the tests.

Ensure you have at least the Vim version in YCM_VIM_VERSION (in
test/docker/ci/image/Dockerfile)
Ensure ycmd is compiled with python3 and clangd is enabled
python3 install.py --ts-completer --clangd-completer --java-completer
Install the test python deps (pip install -r python/test_requirements.txt)
Run ./test/run_vim_tests

Running the tests in Windows (WSL)

NOTE: This environment isn't officially supported, and the preferred mechanism to run the tests is to use docker.

Install Ubuntu 20.04 WSL from Windows Store and launch it
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get install build-essential default-jdk vim-nox cmake python3-dev nodejs python3-pip npm
clone the plugin, and build ycmd, e.g.

text

git clone --recursive https://github.com/ycm-core/YouCompleteMe
cd YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --ts-completer --clangd-completer --java-completer

Install the test python deps: pip3 install --user -r python/test_requirements.txt
Run ./test/run_vim_tests

Overview

The test framework is based on the "new style" Vim tests. These are the tests
that are used to test Vim itself. There is good info on this in :help testing.

There's also some useful info in Vim's test
readme.

In short, the test framework runs Vim, sources the test script, then executes
all of the test functions. This is done as follows :

text

vim --clean --not-a-term -S lib/run_test.vim <test script>.test.vim

The important thing to know is that run_test.vim is sourced and it in turn
sources the test script, which contains the test functions, which are named
Test_*.

Test functions should use the vim built-in assert functions to report errors
(see :help new-style-testing) and should attempt to reset any changes they
make at the end of the function.

You can add set-up and tear-down functions, and can skip tests by throwing a
message starting with the word 'Skipped' (e.g. throw "SKipped: <message>").

Test Framework

The test framework has the following components:

A vim 'plugin' (in test/lib) containing the framework itself, comprising:
- run_test.vim, which wraps the test functions and executes them, reporting
  failures.
- Some basic support functions in plugin/shared.vim (from Vim)
- Some screendump support functions in plugin/screendump.vim (from Vim)
- Some YCM-specific autoloaded functions in autoload/youcompleteme/test/*
A script to run the tests, including specific test script and function
The actual test scripts in test/*.test.vim
CI integration for azure.

Test Scripts

The basic structure of a test is as follows:

viml

function! SetUp()
  " ... set g:ycm_* options here...
  call youcompleteme#test#setup#SetUp()
endfunction

function! TearDown()
  call youcompleteme#test#setup#CleanUp()
endfunction

function! Test_MyTest()
  " test goes here, e.g.
  aseert_true( pyxeval( 'ycm_state.ServerIsHealthy()' ) )
endfunction

" Optional per-test setup/teardown
function! SetUp_Test_MyOtherTest()
  let s:old_ycm_use_clangd = g:ycm_use_clangd
  let g:ycm_use_clangd=1
endfunction

function! TearDown_Test_MyOtherTest()
  let g:ycm_use_clangd=s:old_ycm_use_clangd
endfunction

function! Test_MyOtherTest()
  assert_false( 0 )
endfunction

Test scripts are placed in src/test and are named *.test.vim. Each
test script can contain any number of individual tests, each of which is
a Vim function named Test_<test name>. Test functions are run in
arbitrary order, so must not rely on each other.

Each test script is a fixture, but setup and teardown is done for each and every
test. Global (one-time) setup can be done at script level, but this is not
recommended.

Set up and tear down functions are run before and after tests. You can
define one for the whole script, which is run before every test, and a
per-test setup/tear down function which is run before both the global
setup function and the test function.

To explain, for each function in the script named Test_<test name>,
run_test.vim does the following:

If there is a function named SetUp_Test_<test name>, call it
If there is a function named SetUp, call it
Call Test_<test name>
If there is a function named TearDown, call it
If there is a function named TearDown_Test_<test name>, call it

If the v:errors list is non-empty at the end of the tests, the test
test name is marked as failed.

If any of these functions raises an exception, it is added to v:errors, unless
the test is called Test_nocatch_<test name>, in which case exceptions are not
caught be the test and should be handled by the test function itself.

If a test fails, run_test.vim attempts to print out all of the log files that
YCM's ycm_state object knows about.

The test plugin

The "plugin" provides a handful of things, some of which were simply ported from
Vim's test framework, and some were written specifically for YCM.

Ported from Vim

These are general purpose functions which are commonly used:

WaitForAssert: This one is the most useful. It takes a callable (usually a
lambda) and waits for it to return 0, but allows the Vim event loop to run in
between calls. This is key to ensuring that the YCM code can execute while the
script is actively trying to test it. NOTE: It waits for the function to
return 0, NOT for the assert to be true/v:errors to be empty!

YCM-specific

The autoload functions perform some useful common YCM-specific stuff such as
setup and teardown, and will likely be built out over time as the suite
increases in size and complexity.

Tips and tricks

Things that you need to know to write tests effectively:

Don't forget to :%bwipeout! at the end of each test function.
Understand the arguments to feedkeys. Importantly, if you want it to behave
the way you think it should, use feedkey( "...", 'xt' ). This makes it wait
for the input to be actually read before returning, which is important for
tests. See :help feedkeys for the other options.
Remember that test scripts a vim functions. I know that sounds obvious, but
things like "insert mode completions" are hard to test with functions which
are typically not invoked in insert mode. In order to actually do anything
in insert mode, you need to do the following:
- If you want TextChangedI to fire,
  call test_override( 'char_avail', 1)
- Normally, feedkeys would exit insert mode if you enter it. Tell it not to
  by passing the ! flag.
- Now that you've left Vim in insert mode, your test will hang forever unless
  you exit insert mode, so define a function and call it via a timer
  or other async callback which performs the actual asserts, and ends by
  calling feedkeys( "\<ESC>" ) to exit insert mode.
- Check completion.test.vim for an example.
Remember that the assert* functions don't throw exceptions. They return 0
on success, and return nonzero on failure, populating v:errors.
Throwing exceptions in tests does fail the test, but this is not recommended
because it skips the (local) teardown code.
If you're writing a test function, it needs to conform as follows:
- Only adding to v:errors (e.g. call add(v:errors, 'test')) will cause the
  test to fail.
- Don't throw exceptions. This will cause fiddly issues.
- Return 0 on success and 1 on failure. This allows it to be used with
  WaitForAssert

Restricting what is run

run_vim_tests takes arguments of the form <test script>:<test function filter>.

For example to just run the "MyOtherTest" test in the mytests.test.vim:

text

$ run_vim_tests mytests.test.vim:MyOtherTest

The filter is a Vim regexp. The same script file can be listed multiple times,
as in:

text

$ run_vim_tests 'mytests.test.vim:MyTest' 'mytests.test.vim:MyOtherTest'

Coverage

The test suite supports covimerage coverage testing. Just set the COVERAGE
environment variable when running run_vim_tests.

This generates coverage for both the python code and the vimscript code.

For python, there is some initialisation code in run_test.vim which starts up
coverage and saves the result to .coverage.python.

For vim script, we use covimerage which takes the vim :profile data (also
initialised in run_test.vim) and converts it to coverage-style data in
.coverage.vim (this is done by run_vim_tests after running all the tests).

Finally, we upload that data to codecov. This combines .coverage.python and
.coverage.vim into .coverage and uploads it.

To get a local summary:

pip install --user -r python/test_requirements.txt
COVERAGE=true ./test/run_vim_tests
coverage combine -a
coverage report or coverage html

Docker

We generate and push 2 containers:

youcompleteme/ycm-vim-py3:test and youcompleteme/ycm-vim-py3:manual

The :test tags are the containers that are used by Azure pipelines to run the
tests and contains essentially Ubuntu LTS + the YCM dependencies and a build of
Vim at a specific version built with python3 (-py3) support.

The :manual tags extend the :test tags with a user account that largely
matches the one created by Azure to run our tests. It also installs a basic
vimrc so that you can do manual testing too.

Building

To rebuild and push all of the containers:

cd test/docker
./rebuild_all

This script essentially runs ./rebuild and ./push in each of the ci and
manual directories (corresponding to the :test and :manual tags
respectively).

Those scripts are just simple wrappers for docker build and docker push
because it's easy to forget the exact syntax.

Doc Youcompleteme (`doc/youcompleteme.txt`)

youcompleteme YouCompleteMe: a code-completion engine for Vim

===============================================================================
Contents ~

Introduction |youcompleteme-introduction|
Help, Advice, Support |youcompleteme-help-advice-support|
Vundle |youcompleteme-vundle|
Contents |youcompleteme-contents|
Intro |youcompleteme-intro|
Installation |youcompleteme-installation|
Requirements |youcompleteme-requirements|
1. Supported Vim Versions |youcompleteme-supported-vim-versions|
2. Supported Python runtime |youcompleteme-supported-python-runtime|
3. Supported Compilers |youcompleteme-supported-compilers|
4. Individual completer requirements |youcompleteme-individual-completer-requirements|
macOS |youcompleteme-macos|
1. Quick start, installing all completers |youcompleteme-quick-start-installing-all-completers|
2. Explanation for the quick start |youcompleteme-explanation-for-quick-start|
Linux 64-bit |youcompleteme-linux-64-bit|
1. Quick start, installing all completers
2. Explanation for the quick start
Windows |youcompleteme-windows|
1. Quick start, installing all completers
2. Explanation for the quick start
Full Installation Guide |youcompleteme-full-installation-guide|
Quick Feature Summary |youcompleteme-quick-feature-summary|
General (all languages) |youcompleteme-general|
C-family languages (C, C++, Objective C, Objective C++, CUDA) |youcompleteme-c-family-languages|
C♯ |youcompleteme-c|
Python |youcompleteme-python|
Go |youcompleteme-go|
JavaScript and TypeScript |youcompleteme-javascript-typescript|
Rust |youcompleteme-rust|
Java |youcompleteme-java|
User Guide |youcompleteme-user-guide|
General Usage |youcompleteme-general-usage|
Client-Server Architecture |youcompleteme-client-server-architecture|
Completion String Ranking |youcompleteme-completion-string-ranking|
Signature Help |youcompleteme-signature-help|
1. Dismiss signature help |youcompleteme-dismiss-signature-help|
Semantic highlighting |youcompleteme-semantic-highlighting|
1. Customising the highlight groups |youcompleteme-customising-highlight-groups|
Inlay hints |youcompleteme-inlay-hints|
Highlight groups |youcompleteme-highlight-groups|
Options |youcompleteme-options|
Toggling |youcompleteme-toggling|
General Semantic Completion |youcompleteme-general-semantic-completion|
C-family Semantic Completion |youcompleteme-c-family-semantic-completion|
1. Installation
2. Compile flags |youcompleteme-compile-flags|
3. Option 1: Use a compilation database [53] |youcompleteme-option-1-use-compilation-database-53|
4. Option 2: Provide the flags manually |youcompleteme-option-2-provide-flags-manually|
5. Errors during compilation |youcompleteme-errors-during-compilation|
Java Semantic Completion |youcompleteme-java-semantic-completion|
1. Java Quick Start |youcompleteme-java-quick-start|
2. Java Project Files |youcompleteme-java-project-files|
3. Diagnostic display - Syntastic |youcompleteme-diagnostic-display-syntastic|
4. Diagnostic display - Eclim |youcompleteme-diagnostic-display-eclim|
5. Eclipse Projects |youcompleteme-eclipse-projects|
6. Maven Projects |youcompleteme-maven-projects|
7. Gradle Projects |youcompleteme-gradle-projects|
8. Troubleshooting |youcompleteme-troubleshooting|
C# Semantic Completion |youcompleteme-c-semantic-completion|
1. Automatically discovered solution files |youcompleteme-automatically-discovered-solution-files|
2. Manually specified solution files |youcompleteme-manually-specified-solution-files|
3. Use with .NET 6.0 and .NET SDKs |youcompleteme-use-with-.net-6.0-.net-sdks|
Python Semantic Completion |youcompleteme-python-semantic-completion|
1. Working with virtual environments |youcompleteme-working-with-virtual-environments|
2. Working with third-party packages |youcompleteme-working-with-third-party-packages|
3. Configuring through Vim options |youcompleteme-configuring-through-vim-options|
Rust Semantic Completion |youcompleteme-rust-semantic-completion|
Go Semantic Completion |youcompleteme-go-semantic-completion|
JavaScript and TypeScript Semantic Completion |youcompleteme-javascript-typescript-semantic-completion|
Semantic Completion for Other Languages |youcompleteme-semantic-completion-for-other-languages|
1. Plugging an arbitrary LSP server |youcompleteme-plugging-an-arbitrary-lsp-server|
2. LSP Configuration |youcompleteme-lsp-configuration|
3. Using 'omnifunc' for semantic completion |youcompleteme-using-omnifunc-for-semantic-completion|
Writing New Semantic Completers |youcompleteme-writing-new-semantic-completers|
Diagnostic Display |youcompleteme-diagnostic-display|
1. Diagnostic Highlighting Groups |youcompleteme-diagnostic-highlighting-groups|
Symbol Search |youcompleteme-symbol-search|
1. Closing the popup |youcompleteme-closing-popup|
Type/Call Hierarchy |youcompleteme-type-call-hierarchy|
Commands |youcompleteme-commands|
The |:YcmRestartServer| command
The |:YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics| command
The |:YcmDiags| command
The |:YcmShowDetailedDiagnostic| command
The |:YcmDebugInfo| command
The |:YcmToggleLogs| command
The |:YcmCompleter| command
YcmCompleter Subcommands |youcompleteme-ycmcompleter-subcommands|
GoTo Commands |youcompleteme-goto-commands|
1. The |GoToInclude| subcommand
2. The |GoToAlternateFile| subcommand
3. The |GoToDeclaration| subcommand
4. The |GoToDefinition| subcommand
5. The |GoTo| subcommand
6. The |GoToImprecise| subcommand
7. The 'GoToSymbol ' subcommand |GoToSymbol-symbol-query|
8. The |GoToReferences| subcommand
9. The |GoToImplementation| subcommand
10. The |GoToImplementationElseDeclaration| subcommand
11. The |GoToType| subcommand
12. The |GoToDocumentOutline| subcommand
13. The |GoToCallers| and 'GoToCallees' subcommands
Semantic Information Commands |youcompleteme-semantic-information-commands|
1. The |GetType| subcommand
2. The |GetTypeImprecise| subcommand
3. The |GetParent| subcommand
4. The |GetDoc| subcommand
5. The |GetDocImprecise| subcommand
Refactoring Commands |youcompleteme-refactoring-commands|
1. The |FixIt| subcommand
2. The 'RefactorRename ' subcommand |RefactorRename-new-name|
3. Python refactorings |youcompleteme-python-refactorings|
4. Multi-file Refactor |youcompleteme-multi-file-refactor|
5. The |Format| subcommand
6. The |OrganizeImports| subcommand
Miscellaneous Commands |youcompleteme-miscellaneous-commands|
1. The 'ExecuteCommand ' subcommand |ExecuteCommand-args|
2. The |RestartServer| subcommand
3. The |ReloadSolution| subcommand
Functions |youcompleteme-functions|
The |youcompleteme#GetErrorCount| function
The |youcompleteme#GetWarningCount| function
The 'youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse( ... )' function |youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse()|
The 'youcompleteme#GetCommandResponseAsync( callback, ... )' function |youcompleteme#GetCommandResponseAsync()|
Autocommands |youcompleteme-autocommands|
The |YcmLocationOpened| autocommand
The |YcmQuickFixOpened| autocommand
Options
The |g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion| option
The |g:ycm_min_num_identifier_candidate_chars| option
The |g:ycm_max_num_candidates| option
The |g:ycm_max_num_candidates_to_detail| option
The |g:ycm_max_num_identifier_candidates| option
The |g:ycm_auto_trigger| option
The |g:ycm_filetype_whitelist| option
The |g:ycm_filetype_blacklist| option
The |g:ycm_filetype_specific_completion_to_disable| option
The |g:ycm_filepath_blacklist| option
The |g:ycm_show_diagnostics_ui| option
The |g:ycm_error_symbol| option
The |g:ycm_warning_symbol| option
The |g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_signs| option
The |g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_highlighting| option
The |g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic| option
The |g:ycm_auto_hover| option
The |g:ycm_filter_diagnostics| option
The |g:ycm_always_populate_location_list| option
The |g:ycm_open_loclist_on_ycm_diags| option
The |g:ycm_complete_in_comments| option
The |g:ycm_complete_in_strings| option
The |g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_comments_and_strings| option
The |g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_tags_files| option
The |g:ycm_seed_identifiers_with_syntax| option
The |g:ycm_extra_conf_vim_data| option
The |g:ycm_server_python_interpreter| option
The |g:ycm_keep_logfiles| option
The |g:ycm_log_level| option
The |g:ycm_auto_start_csharp_server| option
The |g:ycm_auto_stop_csharp_server| option
The |g:ycm_csharp_server_port| option
The |g:ycm_csharp_insert_namespace_expr| option
The |g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt| option
The |g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_completion| option
The |g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_insertion| option
The |g:ycm_max_diagnostics_to_display| option
The |g:ycm_key_list_select_completion| option
The |g:ycm_key_list_previous_completion| option
The |g:ycm_key_list_stop_completion| option
The |g:ycm_key_invoke_completion| option
The |g:ycm_key_detailed_diagnostics| option
The |g:ycm_show_detailed_diag_in_popup| option
The |g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf| option
The |g:ycm_confirm_extra_conf| option
The |g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist| option
The |g:ycm_filepath_completion_use_working_dir| option
The |g:ycm_semantic_triggers| option
The |g:ycm_cache_omnifunc| option
The |g:ycm_use_ultisnips_completer| option
The |g:ycm_goto_buffer_command| option
The |g:ycm_disable_for_files_larger_than_kb| option
The |g:ycm_use_clangd| option
The |g:ycm_clangd_binary_path| option
The |g:ycm_clangd_args| option
The |g:ycm_clangd_uses_ycmd_caching| option
The |g:ycm_language_server| option
The |g:ycm_disable_signature_help| option
The |g:ycm_signature_help_disable_syntax| option
The |g:ycm_gopls_binary_path| option
The |g:ycm_gopls_args| option
The |g:ycm_rls_binary_path| and 'g:ycm_rustc_binary_path' options
The |g:ycm_rust_toolchain_root| option
The |g:ycm_tsserver_binary_path| option
The |g:ycm_roslyn_binary_path| option
The |g:ycm_update_diagnostics_in_insert_mode| option
FAQ |youcompleteme-faq|
Contributor Code of Conduct |youcompleteme-contributor-code-of-conduct|
Contact |youcompleteme-contact|
License |youcompleteme-license|
Sponsorship |youcompleteme-sponsorship|
References |youcompleteme-references|

===============================================================================
youcompleteme-introduction
Introduction ~

Image: Gitter room [1] Image: Build status [3] Image: Coverage status [5]

text

*youcompleteme-help-advice-support*

Help, Advice, Support ~

Looking for help, advice, or support? Having problems getting YCM to work?

First carefully read the installation instructions for your OS. We recommend
you use the supplied 'install.py' - the "full" installation guide is for rare,
advanced use cases and most users should use 'install.py'.

If the server isn't starting and you're getting a "YouCompleteMe unavailable"
error, check the Troubleshooting [7] guide.

Next, check the User Guide section on the semantic completer that you are
using. For C/C++/Objective-C/Objective-C++/CUDA, you must read this section.

Finally, check the FAQ [8].

If, after reading the installation and user guides, and checking the FAQ,
you're still having trouble, check the contacts section below for how to get in
touch.

Please do NOT go to #vim on Freenode for support. Please contact the
YouCompleteMe maintainers directly using the contact details below.

===============================================================================
youcompleteme-vundle
Vundle ~

Please note that the below instructions suggest using Vundle. Currently there
are problems with Vundle, so here are some alternative instructions [9] using
Vim packages.

text

*youcompleteme-contents*

Contents ~

Intro
Installation
- Requirements
- macOS
- Linux 64-bit
- Windows
- Full Installation Guide
Quick Feature Summary
User Guide
- General Usage
- Client-Server Architecture
- Completion String Ranking
- General Semantic Completion
- Signature Help
- Semantic Highlighting
- Inlay Hints
- C-family Semantic Completion
- Java Semantic Completion
- C# Semantic Completion
- Python Semantic Completion
- Rust Semantic Completion
- Go Semantic Completion
- JavaScript and TypeScript Semantic Completion
- Semantic Completion for Other Languages
- LSP Configuration
- Writing New Semantic Completers
- Diagnostic Display
  - Diagnostic Highlighting Groups
- Symbol Search
- Type/Call Hierarchy
Commands
- YcmCompleter subcommands
  - GoTo Commands
  - Semantic Information Commands
  - Refactoring Commands
  - Miscellaneous Commands
Functions
Autocommands
Options
FAQ
Contributor Code of Conduct
Contact
License
Sponsorship

text

*youcompleteme-intro*

Intro ~

YouCompleteMe is a fast, as-you-type, fuzzy-search code completion,
comprehension and refactoring engine for Vim [10].

It has several completion engines built-in and supports any protocol-compliant
Language Server, so can work with practically any language. YouCompleteMe
contains:

an identifier-based engine that works with every programming language,
a powerful clangd [11]-based engine that provides native semantic code
completion for C/C++/Objective-C/Objective-C++/CUDA (from now on referred
to as "the C-family languages"),
a Jedi [12]-based completion engine for Python 2 and 3,
an OmniSharp-Roslyn [13]-based completion engine for C#,
a Gopls [14]-based completion engine for Go,
a TSServer [15]-based completion engine for JavaScript and TypeScript,
a rust-analyzer [16]-based completion engine for Rust,
a jdt.ls [17]-based completion engine for Java.
a generic Language Server Protocol implementation for any language
and an omnifunc-based completer that uses data from Vim's omnicomplete
system to provide semantic completions for many other languages (Ruby, PHP,
etc.).

Image: YouCompleteMe GIF completion demo (see reference [18])

Here's an explanation of what happened in the last GIF demo above.

If the offered completions are not relevant enough, the user can continue
typing to further filter out unwanted completions.

A critical thing to notice is that the completion filtering is NOT based on
the input being a string prefix of the completion (but that works too). The
input needs to be a subsequence [19] match of a completion. This is a fancy
way of saying that any input characters need to be present in a completion
string in the order in which they appear in the input. So 'abc' is a
subsequence of 'xaybgc', but not of 'xbyxaxxc'. After the filter, a complicated
sorting system ranks the completion strings so that the most relevant ones rise
to the top of the menu (so you usually need to press TAB just once).

The demo also shows the semantic engine in use. When the user presses '.', '->'
or '::' while typing in insert mode (for C++; different triggers are used for
other languages), the semantic engine is triggered (it can also be triggered
with a keyboard shortcut; see the rest of the docs).

The last thing that you can see in the demo is YCM's diagnostic display
features (the little red X that shows up in the left gutter; inspired by
Syntastic [20]) if you are editing a C-family file. As the completer engine
compiles your file and detects warnings or errors, they will be presented in
various ways. You don't need to save your file or press any keyboard shortcut
to trigger this, it "just happens" in the background.

And that's not all...

YCM might be the only Vim completion engine with the correct Unicode support.
Though we do assume UTF-8 everywhere.

Image: YouCompleteMe GIF unicode demo (see reference [21])

YCM also provides semantic IDE-like features in a number of languages,
including:

displaying signature help (argument hints) when entering the arguments to a
function call (Vim only)
finding declarations, definitions, usages, etc. of identifiers, and an
interactive symbol finder
displaying type information for classes, variables, functions etc.,
displaying documentation for methods, members, etc. in the preview window,
or in a popup next to the cursor (Vim only)
fixing common coding errors, like missing semi-colons, typos, etc.,
semantic renaming of variables across files,
formatting code,
removing unused imports, sorting imports, etc.

For example, here's a demo of signature help:

Image: Signature Help Early Demo (see reference [22])

Below we can see YCM being able to do a few things:

Retrieve references across files
Go to declaration/definition
Expand 'auto' in C++
Fix some common errors, and provide refactorings, with |FixIt|
Not shown in the GIF are |GoToImplementation| and |GoToType| for servers
that support it.

Image: YouCompleteMe GIF subcommands demo (see reference [23])

And here's some documentation being shown in a hover popup, automatically and
manually:

Image: hover demo (see reference [24])

Features vary by file type, so make sure to check out the file type feature
summary and the full list of completer subcommands to find out what's available
for your favourite languages.

You'll also find that YCM has filepath completers (try typing './' in a file)
and a completer that integrates with UltiSnips [25].

text

*youcompleteme-installation*

Installation ~

text

*youcompleteme-requirements*

Requirements ~

=============================================================================== | _Runtime_ | _Min Version_ | _Recommended Version (full support)_ | _Python_ |

| Vim | 9.1.0016 | 9.1.0016 | 3.12 |

| Neovim | 0.5 | Vim 9.1.0016 | 3.12 |

text

*youcompleteme-supported-vim-versions*

Supported Vim Versions ~

Our policy is to support the Vim version that's in the latest LTS of Ubuntu.

Vim must have a working Python 3 runtime.

text

*youcompleteme-supported-python-runtime*

Supported Python runtime ~

YCM has two components: A server and a client. Both the server and client
require Python 3.12 or later 3.x release.

For the Vim client, Vim must be, compiled with '--enable-shared' (or
'--enable-framework' on macOS). You can check if this is working with ':py3
import sys; print( sys.version)'. It should say something like '3.12.0 (...)'.

For Neovim, you must have a python 3.12 runtime and the Neovim python
extensions. See Neovim's ':help provider-python' for how to set that up.

For the server, you must run the 'install.py' script with a python 3.12 (or
later) runtime. Anaconda etc. are not supported. YCM will remember the runtime
you used to run 'install.py' and will use that when launching the server, so if
you usually use anaconda, then make sure to use the full path to a real
cpython3, e.g. '/usr/bin/python3 install.py --all' etc.

Our policy is to support the python3 version that's available in the latest
Ubuntu LTS (similar to our Vim version policy). We don't increase the Python
runtime version without a reason, though. Typically, we do this when the
current python version we're using goes out of support. At that time we will
typically pick a version that will be supported for a number of years.

text

*youcompleteme-supported-compilers*

Supported Compilers ~

In order to provide the best possible performance and stability, ycmd has
updated its code to C++17. This requires a version bump of the minimum
supported compilers. The new requirements are:

=============================== | _Compiler_ | _Current Min_ |

| GCC | 8 |

| Clang | 7 |

| MSVC | 15.7 (VS 2017) |

YCM requires CMake 3.13 or greater. If your CMake is too old, you may be able
to simply 'pip install --user cmake' to get a really new version.

text

*youcompleteme-individual-completer-requirements*

Individual completer requirements ~

text

*youcompleteme-macos*

macOS ~

text

*youcompleteme-quick-start-installing-all-completers*

Quick start, installing all completers ~

Install YCM plugin via Vundle [26]
Install CMake, MacVim and Python 3; Note that the pre-installed macOS
system Vim is not supported (due to it having broken Python integration).

$ brew install cmake python go nodejs
<

Install mono from Mono Project [27] (NOTE: on Intel Macs you can also 'brew
install mono'. On arm Macs, you may require Rosetta)
For Java support you must install a JDK, one way to do this is with
Homebrew:

$ brew install java
$ sudo ln -sfn $(brew --prefix java)/libexec/openjdk.jdk /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/openjdk.jdk
<

Pre-installed macOS system Vim does not support Python 3. So you need to
install either a Vim that supports Python 3 OR MacVim [28] with Homebrew
[29]:
Option 1: Installing a Vim that supports Python 3

brew install vim
<

Option 2: Installing MacVim [28]

brew install macvim
<

Compile YCM.
For Intel and arm64 Macs, the bundled libclang/clangd work:

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --all
<

If you have troubles with finding system frameworks or C++ standard
library, try using the homebrew llvm:

brew install llvm
cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --system-libclang --all
<
And edit your vimrc to add the following line to use the Homebrew llvm's
clangd:

" Use homebrew's clangd
let g:ycm_clangd_binary_path = trim(system('brew --prefix llvm')).'/bin/clangd'
<

For using an arbitrary LSP server, check the relevant section

text

*youcompleteme-explanation-for-quick-start*

Explanation for the quick start ~

These instructions (using 'install.py') are the quickest way to install
YouCompleteMe, however they may not work for everyone. If the following
instructions don't work for you, check out the full installation guide.

A supported Vim version with Python 3 is required. MacVim [28] is a good
option, even if you only use the terminal. YCM won't work with the
pre-installed Vim from Apple as its Python support is broken. If you don't
already use a Vim that supports Python 3 or MacVim [28], install it with
Homebrew [29]. Install CMake as well:

brew install vim cmake
<
OR

brew install macvim cmake
<
Install YouCompleteMe with Vundle [26].

Remember: YCM is a plugin with a compiled component. If you update YCM
using Vundle and the 'ycm_core' library APIs have changed (happens rarely), YCM
will notify you to recompile it. You should then rerun the install process.

NOTE: If you want C-family completion, you MUST have the latest Xcode
installed along with the latest Command Line Tools (they are installed
automatically when you run 'clang' for the first time, or manually by running
'xcode-select --install')

Compiling YCM with semantic support for C-family languages through
clangd:

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
./install.py --clangd-completer
<
Compiling YCM without semantic support for C-family languages:

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
./install.py
<
The following additional language support options are available:

C# support: install by downloading the Mono macOS package [30] and add
'--cs-completer' when calling 'install.py'.
Go support: install Go [31] and add '--go-completer' when calling
'install.py'.
JavaScript and TypeScript support: install Node.js 18+ and npm [32] and add
'--ts-completer' when calling 'install.py'.
Rust support: add '--rust-completer' when calling 'install.py'.
Java support: install JDK 17 [33] and add '--java-completer' when calling
'install.py'.

To simply compile with everything enabled, there's a '--all' flag. So, to
install with all language features, ensure 'xbuild', 'go', 'node' and 'npm'
tools are installed and in your 'PATH', then simply run:

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
./install.py --all
<
That's it. You're done. Refer to the User Guide section on how to use YCM.
Don't forget that if you want the C-family semantic completion engine to work,
you will need to provide the compilation flags for your project to YCM. It's
all in the User Guide.

text

*youcompleteme-linux-64-bit*

Linux 64-bit ~

The following assume you're using Ubuntu 24.04.

Quick start, installing all completers ~

Install YCM plugin via Vundle [26]
Install CMake, Vim and Python

apt install build-essential cmake vim-nox python3-dev
<

Install mono-complete, go, node, java, and npm

apt install mono-complete golang nodejs openjdk-17-jdk openjdk-17-jre npm
<

Compile YCM

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --all
<

For plugging an arbitrary LSP server, check the relevant section

Explanation for the quick start ~

If your Vim version is too old, you may need to compile Vim from source [34]
(don't worry, it's easy).

Install YouCompleteMe with Vundle [26].

Remember: YCM is a plugin with a compiled component. If you update YCM
using Vundle and the 'ycm_core' library APIs have changed (which happens
rarely), YCM will notify you to recompile it. You should then rerun the
installation process.

Install development tools, CMake, and Python headers:

Fedora-like distributions:

sudo dnf install cmake gcc-c++ make python3-devel
<

Ubuntu LTS:

sudo apt install build-essential cmake3 python3-dev
<
Compiling YCM with semantic support for C-family languages through
clangd:

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --clangd-completer
<
Compiling YCM without semantic support for C-family languages:

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py
<
The following additional language support options are available:

C# support: install Mono [35] and add '--cs-completer' when calling
'install.py'.
Go support: install Go [31] and add '--go-completer' when calling
'install.py'.
JavaScript and TypeScript support: install Node.js 18+ and npm [32] and add
'--ts-completer' when calling 'install.py'.
Rust support: add '--rust-completer' when calling 'install.py'.
Java support: install JDK 17 [33] and add '--java-completer' when calling
'install.py'.

To simply compile with everything enabled, there's a '--all' flag. So, to
install with all language features, ensure 'xbuild', 'go', 'node', and 'npm'
tools are installed and in your 'PATH', then simply run:

cd ~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --all
<
That's it. You're done. Refer to the User Guide section on how to use YCM.
Don't forget that if you want the C-family semantic completion engine to work,
you will need to provide the compilation flags for your project to YCM. It's
all in the User Guide.

text

*youcompleteme-windows*

Windows ~

NOTE: Windows support is deprecated and unmaintained. We will do our
best to keep it working, but we no longer test it in CI and there is a high
likelihood of breakages.

Quick start, installing all completers ~

Install YCM plugin via Vundle [26]
Install Visual Studio Build Tools 2019 [36]
Install CMake, Vim and Python
Install go, node and npm
Compile YCM

cd YouCompleteMe
python3 install.py --all
<

Add 'set encoding=utf-8' to your vimrc [37]
For plugging an arbitrary LSP server, check the relevant section

Explanation for the quick start ~

Important: we assume that you are using the 'cmd.exe' command prompt and
that you know how to add an executable to the PATH environment variable.

Make sure you have a supported Vim version with Python 3 support. You can check
the version and which Python is supported by typing ':version' inside Vim. Look
at the features included: '+python3/dyn' for Python 3. Take note of the Vim
architecture, i.e. 32 or 64-bit. It will be important when choosing the Python
installer. We recommend using a 64-bit client. Daily updated installers of
32-bit and 64-bit Vim with Python 3 support [38] are available.

Add the following line to your vimrc [37] if not already present.:

set encoding=utf-8
<
This option is required by YCM. Note that it does not prevent you from editing
a file in another encoding than UTF-8. You can do that by specifying the
'|++enc|' argument to the ':e' command.

Install YouCompleteMe with Vundle [26].

Download and install the following software:

Python 3 [39]. Be sure to pick the version corresponding to your Vim
architecture. It is Windows x86 for a 32-bit Vim and Windows x86-64 for
a 64-bit Vim. We recommend installing Python 3. Additionally, the version
of Python you install must match up exactly with the version of Python that
Vim is looking for. Type ':version' and look at the bottom of the page at
the list of compiler flags. Look for flags that look similar to
'-DDYNAMIC_PYTHON3_DLL="python36.dll"'. This indicates that Vim is
looking for Python 3.6. You'll need one or the other installed, matching
the version number exactly.
CMake [40]. Add CMake executable to the PATH environment variable.
Build Tools for Visual Studio 2019 [36]. During setup, select C++ build
tools in Workloads.

Compiling YCM with semantic support for C-family languages through
clangd:

cd %USERPROFILE%/vimfiles/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python install.py --clangd-completer
<
Compiling YCM without semantic support for C-family languages:

cd %USERPROFILE%/vimfiles/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python install.py
<
The following additional language support options are available:

C# support: add '--cs-completer' when calling 'install.py'. Be sure that
the build utility 'msbuild' is in your PATH [41].
Go support: install Go [31] and add '--go-completer' when calling
'install.py'.
JavaScript and TypeScript support: install Node.js 18+ and npm [32] and add
'--ts-completer' when calling 'install.py'.
Rust support: add '--rust-completer' when calling 'install.py'.
Java support: install JDK 17 [33] and add '--java-completer' when calling
'install.py'.

To simply compile with everything enabled, there's a '--all' flag. So, to
install with all language features, ensure 'msbuild', 'go', 'node' and 'npm'
tools are installed and in your 'PATH', then simply run:

cd %USERPROFILE%/vimfiles/bundle/YouCompleteMe
python install.py --all
<
You can specify the Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) version using the '--msvc'
option. YCM officially supports MSVC 15 (2017), MSVC 16 (Visual Studio 2019)
and MSVC 17 (Visual Studio 17 2022).

text

*youcompleteme-full-installation-guide*

Full Installation Guide ~

The full installation guide [42] has been moved to the wiki.

text

*youcompleteme-quick-feature-summary*

Quick Feature Summary ~

text

*youcompleteme-general*

General (all languages) ~

Super-fast identifier completer including tags files and syntax elements
Intelligent suggestion ranking and filtering
File and path suggestions
Suggestions from Vim's omnifunc
UltiSnips snippet suggestions

text

*youcompleteme-c-family-languages*

C-family languages (C, C++, Objective C, Objective C++, CUDA) ~

Semantic auto-completion with automatic fixes
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to include/declaration/definition (|GoTo|, etc.)
Go to alternate file (e.g. associated header |GoToAlternateFile|)
Find Symbol ('GoToSymbol'), with interactive search
Document outline (|GoToDocumentOutline|), with interactive search
View documentation comments for identifiers (|GetDoc|)
Type information for identifiers (|GetType|)
Automatically fix certain errors (|FixIt|)
Perform refactoring (|FixIt|)
Reference finding (|GoToReferences|)
Renaming symbols ('RefactorRename ')
Code formatting (|Format|)
Semantic highlighting
Inlay hints
Type hierarchy
Call hierarchy

text

*youcompleteme-c*

C♯ ~

Semantic auto-completion
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to declaration/definition (|GoTo|, etc.)
Go to implementation (|GoToImplementation|)
Find Symbol ('GoToSymbol'), with interactive search
View documentation comments for identifiers (|GetDoc|)
Type information for identifiers (|GetType|)
Automatically fix certain errors (|FixIt|)
Perform refactoring (|FixIt|)
Management of OmniSharp-Roslyn server instance
Renaming symbols ('RefactorRename ')
Code formatting (|Format|)

text

*youcompleteme-python*

Python ~

Semantic auto-completion
Signature help
Go to definition (|GoTo|)
Find Symbol ('GoToSymbol'), with interactive search
Reference finding (|GoToReferences|)
View documentation comments for identifiers (|GetDoc|)
Type information for identifiers (|GetType|)
Renaming symbols ('RefactorRename ')

text

*youcompleteme-go*

Go ~

Semantic auto-completion
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to declaration/definition (|GoTo|, etc.)
Go to type definition (|GoToType|)
Go to implementation (|GoToImplementation|)
Document outline (|GoToDocumentOutline|), with interactive search
Automatically fix certain errors (|FixIt|)
Perform refactoring (|FixIt|)
View documentation comments for identifiers (|GetDoc|)
Type information for identifiers (|GetType|)
Code formatting (|Format|)
Management of 'gopls' server instance
Inlay hints
Call hierarchy

text

*youcompleteme-javascript-typescript*

JavaScript and TypeScript ~

Semantic auto-completion with automatic import insertion
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to definition (|GoTo|, |GoToDefinition|, and |GoToDeclaration| are
identical)
Go to type definition (|GoToType|)
Go to implementation (|GoToImplementation|)
Find Symbol ('GoToSymbol'), with interactive search
Reference finding (|GoToReferences|)
View documentation comments for identifiers (|GetDoc|)
Type information for identifiers (|GetType|)
Automatically fix certain errors and perform refactoring (|FixIt|)
Perform refactoring (|FixIt|)
Renaming symbols ('RefactorRename ')
Code formatting (|Format|)
Organize imports (|OrganizeImports|)
Management of 'TSServer' server instance
Inlay hints
Call hierarchy

text

*youcompleteme-rust*

Rust ~

Semantic auto-completion
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to declaration/definition (|GoTo|, etc.)
Go to implementation (|GoToImplementation|)
Reference finding (|GoToReferences|)
Document outline (|GoToDocumentOutline|), with interactive search
View documentation comments for identifiers (|GetDoc|)
Automatically fix certain errors (|FixIt|)
Perform refactoring (|FixIt|)
Type information for identifiers (|GetType|)
Renaming symbols ('RefactorRename ')
Code formatting (|Format|)
Management of 'rust-analyzer' server instance
Semantic highlighting
Inlay hints
Call hierarchy

text

*youcompleteme-java*

Java ~

Semantic auto-completion with automatic import insertion
Signature help
Real-time diagnostic display
Go to definition (|GoTo|, |GoToDefinition|, and |GoToDeclaration| are
identical)
Go to type definition (|GoToType|)
Go to implementation (|GoToImplementation|)
Find Symbol ('GoToSymbol'), with interactive search
Reference finding (|GoToReferences|)
Document outline (|GoToDocumentOutline|), with interactive search
View documentation comments for identifiers (|GetDoc|)
Type information for identifiers (|GetType|)
Automatically fix certain errors including code generation (|FixIt|)
Renaming symbols ('RefactorRename ')
Code formatting (|Format|)
Organize imports (|OrganizeImports|)
Detection of Java projects
Execute custom server command ('ExecuteCommand ')
Management of 'jdt.ls' server instance
Semantic highlighting
Inlay hints
Type hierarchy
Call hierarchy

text

*youcompleteme-user-guide*

User Guide ~

text

*youcompleteme-general-usage*

General Usage ~

If the offered completions are too broad, keep typing characters; YCM will
continue refining the offered completions based on your input.

Filtering is "smart-case" and "smart-diacritic [43]" sensitive; if you are
typing only lowercase letters, then it's case-insensitive. If your input
contains uppercase letters, then the uppercase letters in your query must match
uppercase letters in the completion strings (the lowercase letters still match
both). On top of that, a letter with no diacritic marks will match that letter
with or without marks:

| _matches_ | _foo_ | _fôo_ | _fOo_ | _fÔo_ |

| _foo_ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |

| _fôo_ | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ |

| _fOo_ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |

| _fÔo_ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |

There are also several semantic engines in YCM. There are libclang-based and
clangd-based completers that provide semantic completion for C-family
languages. There's a Jedi-based completer for semantic completion for Python.
There's also an omnifunc-based completer that uses data from Vim's omnicomplete
system to provide semantic completions when no native completer exists for that
language in YCM.

There are also other completion engines, like the UltiSnips completer and the
filepath completer.

YCM automatically detects which completion engine would be the best in any
situation. On occasion, it queries several of them at once, merges the outputs
and presents the results to you.

text

*youcompleteme-client-server-architecture*

Client-Server Architecture ~

YCM has a client-server architecture; the Vim part of YCM is only a thin client
that talks to the ycmd HTTP+JSON server [44] that has the vast majority of YCM
logic and functionality. The server is started and stopped automatically as you
start and stop Vim.

text

*youcompleteme-completion-string-ranking*

Completion String Ranking ~

The subsequence filter removes any completions that do not match the input, but
then the sorting system kicks in. It's actually very complicated and uses lots
of factors, but suffice it to say that "word boundary" (WB) subsequence
character matches are "worth" more than non-WB matches. In effect, this means
that given an input of "gua", the completion "getUserAccount" would be ranked
higher in the list than the "Fooguxa" completion (both of which are subsequence
matches). Word-boundary characters are all capital characters, characters
preceded by an underscore, and the first letter character in the completion
string.

text

*youcompleteme-signature-help*

Signature Help ~

Valid signatures are displayed in a second popup menu and the current signature
is highlighted along with the current argument.

Signature help is triggered in insert mode automatically when
|g:ycm_auto_trigger| is enabled and is not supported when it is not enabled.

The signatures popup is hidden when there are no matching signatures or when
you leave insert mode. If you want to manually control when it is visible, you
can map something to 'YCMToggleSignatureHelp' (see below).

For more details on this feature and a few demos, check out the PR that
proposed it [45].

text

*youcompleteme-dismiss-signature-help*

Dismiss signature help ~

The signature help popup sometimes gets in the way. You can toggle its
visibility with a mapping. YCM provides the "Plug" mapping
'(YCMToggleSignatureHelp)' for this.

For example, to hide/show the signature help popup by pressing Ctrl+l in insert
mode: 'imap (YCMToggleSignatureHelp)'.

NOTE: No default mapping is provided because insert mappings are very
difficult to create without breaking or overriding some existing functionality.
Ctrl-l is not a suggestion, just an example.

text

*youcompleteme-semantic-highlighting*

Semantic highlighting ~

Semantic highlighting is the process where the buffer text is coloured
according to the underlying semantic type of the word, rather than classic
syntax highlighting based on regular expressions. This can be powerful
additional data that we can process very quickly.

This feature is only supported in Vim.

For example, here is a function with classic highlighting:

Image: highliting-classic (see reference [46])

And here is the same function with semantic highlighting:

Image: highliting-semantic (see reference [47])

As you can see, the function calls, macros, etc. are correctly identified.

This can be enabled globally with 'let g:ycm_enable_semantic_highlighting=1' or
per buffer, by setting 'b:ycm_enable_semantic_highlighting'.

text

*youcompleteme-customising-highlight-groups*

Customising the highlight groups ~

YCM uses text properties (see ':help text-prop-intro') for semantic
highlighting. In order to customise the coloring, you can define the text
properties that are used.

If you define a text property named 'YCM_HL_', then it will be used
in place of the defaults. The '' is defined as the Language Server
Protocol semantic token type, defined in the LSP Spec [48].

Some servers also use custom values. In this case, YCM prints a warning
including the token type name that you can customise.

For example, to render 'parameter' tokens using the 'Normal' highlight group,
you can do this:

call prop_type_add( 'YCM_HL_parameter', { 'highlight': 'Normal' } )
<
More generally, this pattern can be useful for customising the groups:

let MY_YCM_HIGHLIGHT_GROUP = {
\ 'typeParameter': 'PreProc',
\ 'parameter': 'Normal',
\ 'variable': 'Normal',
\ 'property': 'Normal',
\ 'enumMember': 'Normal',
\ 'event': 'Special',
\ 'member': 'Normal',
\ 'method': 'Normal',
\ 'class': 'Special',
\ 'namespace': 'Special',
\ }

for tokenType in keys( MY_YCM_HIGHLIGHT_GROUP )
call prop_type_add( 'YCM_HL_' . tokenType,
\ { 'highlight': MY_YCM_HIGHLIGHT_GROUP[ tokenType ] } )
endfor

<

text

*youcompleteme-inlay-hints*

Inlay hints ~

NOTE: Highly experimental feature, requiring Vim 9.0.214 or later (not
supported in NeoVim).

When 'g:ycm_enable_inlay_hints' (globally) or 'b:ycm_enable_inlay_hints' (for a
specific buffer) is set to '1', then YCM will insert inlay hints as supported
by the language semantic engine.

An inlay hint is text that is rendered on the screen that is not part of the
buffer and is often used to mark up the type or name of arguments, parameters,
etc. which help the developer understand the semantics of the code.

Here are some examples:

C

Image: c-inlay (see reference [49])
TypeScript

Image: ts-inlay (see reference [50])
Go

Image: go-inlay (see reference [51])

text

*youcompleteme-highlight-groups*

Highlight groups ~

By default, YCM renders the inlay hints with the 'NonText' highlight group. To
override this, define the 'YcmInlayHint' highlight yourself, e.g. in your
'.vimrc':

hi link YcmInlayHint Comment
<
Similar to semantic highlighting above, you can override specific highlighting
for different inlay hint types by defining text properties named after the kind
of inlay hint, for example:

call prop_type_add( 'YCM_INLAY_Type', #{ highlight: 'Comment' } )
<
The list of inlay hint kinds can be found in 'python/ycm/inlay_hints.py'

text

*youcompleteme-options*

Options ~

'g:ycm_enable_inlay_hints' or 'b:ycm_enable_inlay_hints' - enable/disable
globally or for local buffer
'g:ycm_clear_inlay_hints_in_insert_mode' - set to '1' to remove all inlay
hints when entering insert mode and reinstate them when leaving insert mode

text

*youcompleteme-toggling*

Toggling ~

Inlay hints can add a lot of text to the screen and may be distracting. You can
toggle them on/off instantly, by mapping something to
'(YCMToggleInlayHints)', for example:

nnoremap h (YCMToggleInlayHints)
<
No default mapping is provided for this due to the personal nature of mappings.

text

*youcompleteme-general-semantic-completion*

General Semantic Completion ~

You can use Ctrl+Space to trigger the completion suggestions anywhere, even
without a string prefix. This is useful to see which top-level functions are
available for use.

text

*youcompleteme-c-family-semantic-completion*

C-family Semantic Completion ~

NOTE: YCM originally used the 'libclang' based engine for C-family, but
users should migrate to clangd, as it provides more features and better
performance. Users who rely on 'override_filename' in their
'.ycm_extra_conf.py' will need to stay on the old 'libclang' engine.
Instructions on how to stay on the old engine are available on the wiki [52].

Some of the features of clangd:

Project wide indexing: Clangd has both dynamic and static index
support. The dynamic index stores up-to-date symbols coming from any files
you are currently editing, whereas static index contains project-wide
symbol information. This symbol information is used for code completion and
code navigation. Whereas libclang is limited to the current translation
unit(TU).
Code navigation: Clangd provides all the GoTo requests libclang
provides and it improves those using the above-mentioned index information
to contain project-wide information rather than just the current TU.
Rename: Clangd can perform semantic rename operations on the current
file, whereas libclang doesn't support such functionality.
Code Completion: Clangd can perform code completions at a lower latency
than libclang; also, it has information about all the symbols in your
project so it can suggest items outside your current TU and also provides
proper '#include' insertions for those items.
Signature help: Clangd provides signature help so that you can see the
names and types of arguments when calling functions.
Format Code: Clangd provides code formatting either for the selected
lines or the whole file, whereas libclang doesn't have such functionality.
Performance: Clangd has faster re-parse and code completion times
compared to libclang.

Installation ~

On supported architectures, the 'install.py' script will download a suitable
clangd ('--clangd-completer') or libclang ('--clang-completer') for you.
Supported architectures are:

Linux glibc >= 2.39 (Intel, armv7-a, aarch64) - built on ubuntu 24.04
MacOS >=10.15 (Intel, arm64)
For Intel, compatibility per clang.llvm.org downloads
For arm64, macOS 10.15+
Windows (Intel) - compatibility per clang.llvm.org downloads

clangd:

Typically, clangd is installed by the YCM installer (either with '--all' or
with '--clangd-completer'). This downloads a pre-built 'clangd' binary for your
architecture. If your OS or architecture is not supported or is too old, you
can install a compatible 'clangd' and use |g:ycm_clangd_binary_path| to point
to it.

libclang:

'libclang' can be enabled also with '--all' or '--clang-completer'. As with
'clangd', YCM will try and download a version of 'libclang' that is suitable
for your environment, but again if your environment can't be supported, you can
build or acquire 'libclang' for yourself and specify it when building, as:

$ EXTRA_CMAKE_ARGS='-DPATH_TO_LLVM_ROOT=/path/to/your/llvm' ./install.py --clang-completer --system-libclang
<
Please note that if using custom 'clangd' or 'libclang' it must match the
version that YCM requires. Currently YCM requires clang 17.0.1.

text

*youcompleteme-compile-flags*

Compile flags ~

In order to perform semantic analysis such as code completion, |GoTo|, and
diagnostics, YouCompleteMe uses 'clangd', which makes use of clang compiler,
sometimes also referred to as LLVM. Like any compiler, clang also requires a
set of compile flags in order to parse your code. Simply put: If clang can't
parse your code, YouCompleteMe can't provide semantic analysis.

There are 2 methods that can be used to provide compile flags to clang:

text

*youcompleteme-option-1-use-compilation-database-53*

Option 1: Use a compilation database [53] ~

The easiest way to get YCM to compile your code is to use a compilation
database. A compilation database is usually generated by your build system
(e.g. 'CMake') and contains the compiler invocation for each compilation unit
in your project.

For information on how to generate a compilation database, see the clang
documentation [53]. In short:

If using CMake, add '-DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=ON' when configuring
(or add 'set( CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON )' to 'CMakeLists.txt') and
copy or symlink the generated database to the root of your project.
If using Ninja, check out the 'compdb' tool ('-t compdb') in its docs [54].
If using GNU make, check out compiledb [55] or Bear [56].
For other build systems, check out '.ycm_extra_conf.py' below.

If no '.ycm_extra_conf.py' is found, YouCompleteMe automatically tries to load
a compilation database if there is one.

YCM looks for a file named 'compile_commands.json' in the directory of the
opened file or in any directory above it in the hierarchy (recursively); when
the file is found before a local '.ycm_extra_conf.py', YouCompleteMe stops
searching the directories and lets clangd take over and handle the flags.

text

*youcompleteme-option-2-provide-flags-manually*

Option 2: Provide the flags manually ~

If you don't have a compilation database or aren't able to generate one, you
have to tell YouCompleteMe how to compile your code some other way.

Every C-family project is different. It is not possible for YCM to guess what
compiler flags to supply for your project. Fortunately, YCM provides a
mechanism for you to generate the flags for a particular file with arbitrary
complexity. This is achieved by requiring you to provide a Python module that
implements a trivial function that, given the file name as an argument, returns
a list of compiler flags to use to compile that file.

YCM looks for a '.ycm_extra_conf.py' file in the directory of the opened file
or in any directory above it in the hierarchy (recursively); when the file is
found, it is loaded (only once!) as a Python module. YCM calls a 'Settings'
method in that module which should provide it with the information necessary to
compile the current file. You can also provide a path to a global configuration
file with the |g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf| option, which will be used as a
fallback. To prevent the execution of malicious code from a file you didn't
write YCM will ask you once per '.ycm_extra_conf.py' if it is safe to load.
This can be disabled and you can white-/blacklist files. See the
|g:ycm_confirm_extra_conf| and |g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist| options
respectively.

This system was designed this way so that the user can perform any arbitrary
sequence of operations to produce a list of compilation flags YCM should hand
to Clang.

NOTE: It is highly recommended to include '-x ' flag to libclang.
This is so that the correct language is detected, particularly for header
files. Common values are '-x c' for C, '-x c++' for C++, '-x objc' for
Objective-C, and '-x cuda' for CUDA.

To give you an impression, if your C++ project is trivial, and your usual
compilation command is: 'g++ -Wall -Wextra -Werror -o FILE.o FILE.cc', then the
following '.ycm_extra_conf.py' is enough to get semantic analysis from
YouCompleteMe:

def Settings( **kwargs ):
return {
'flags': [ '-x', 'c++', '-Wall', '-Wextra', '-Werror' ],
}
<
As you can see from the trivial example, YCM calls the 'Settings' method which
returns a dictionary with a single element "'flags'". This element is a 'list'
of compiler flags to pass to libclang for the current file. The absolute path
of that file is accessible under the 'filename' key of the 'kwargs' dictionary.
That's it! This is actually enough for most projects, but for complex projects
it is not uncommon to integrate directly with an existing build system using
the full power of the Python language.

For a more elaborate example, see ycmd's own '.ycm_extra_conf.py' [57]. You
should be able to use it as a starting point. Don't just copy/paste that
file somewhere and expect things to magically work; your project needs
different flags. Hint: just replace the strings in the 'flags' variable with
compilation flags necessary for your project. That should be enough for 99% of
projects.

You could also consider using YCM-Generator [58] to generate the
'ycm_extra_conf.py' file.

text

*youcompleteme-errors-during-compilation*

Errors during compilation ~

Call the |:YcmDiags| command to see if any errors or warnings were detected in
your file.

text

*youcompleteme-java-semantic-completion*

Java Semantic Completion ~

text

*youcompleteme-java-quick-start*

Java Quick Start ~

Ensure that you have enabled the Java completer. See the installation
guide for details.
Create a project file (gradle or maven) file in the root directory of
your Java project, by following the instructions below.
(Optional) Configure the LSP server. The jdt.ls configuration options
[59] can be found in their codebase.
If you previously used Eclim or Syntastic for Java, disable them for
Java.
Edit a Java file from your project.

text

*youcompleteme-java-project-files*

Java Project Files ~

In order to provide semantic analysis, the Java completion engine requires
knowledge of your project structure. In particular, it needs to know the class
path to use, when compiling your code. Fortunately jdt.ls [17] supports eclipse
project files [60], maven projects [61] and gradle projects [62].

NOTE: Our recommendation is to use either Maven or Gradle projects.

text

*youcompleteme-diagnostic-display-syntastic*

Diagnostic display - Syntastic ~

The native support for Java includes YCM's native real-time diagnostics
display. This can conflict with other diagnostics plugins like Syntastic, so
when enabling Java support, please manually disable Syntastic Java
diagnostics.

Add the following to your 'vimrc':

let g:syntastic_java_checkers = [] <

text

*youcompleteme-diagnostic-display-eclim*

Diagnostic display - Eclim ~

The native support for Java includes YCM's native real-time diagnostics
display. This can conflict with other diagnostics plugins like Eclim, so when
enabling Java support, please manually disable Eclim Java diagnostics.

Add the following to your 'vimrc':

let g:EclimFileTypeValidate = 0
<
NOTE: We recommend disabling Eclim entirely when editing Java with YCM's
native Java support. This can be done temporarily with ':EclimDisable'.

text

*youcompleteme-eclipse-projects*

Eclipse Projects ~

Eclipse-style projects require two files: .project [60] and .classpath [63].

If your project already has these files due to previously being set up within
Eclipse, then no setup is required. jdt.ls [17] should load the project just
fine (it's basically eclipse after all).

However, if not, it is possible (easy in fact) to craft them manually, though
it is not recommended. You're better off using Gradle or Maven (see below).

A simple eclipse style project example [64] can be found in the ycmd test
directory. Normally all that is required is to copy these files to the root of
your project and to edit the '.classpath' to add additional libraries, such as:

< It may also be necessary to change the directory in which your source files are located (paths are relative to the .project file itself): > < **NOTE**: The eclipse project and classpath files are not a public interface and it is highly recommended to use Maven or Gradle project definitions if you don't already use Eclipse to manage your projects.

text

*youcompleteme-maven-projects*

Maven Projects ~

Maven needs a file named pom.xml [61] in the root of the project. Once again a
simple pom.xml [65] can be found in the ycmd source.

The format of pom.xml [61] files is way beyond the scope of this document, but
we do recommend using the various tools that can generate them for you, if
you're not familiar with them already.

text

*youcompleteme-gradle-projects*

Gradle Projects ~

Gradle projects require a build.gradle [62]. Again, there is a trivial example
in ycmd's tests [66].

The format of build.gradle [62] files are way beyond the scope of this
document, but we do recommend using the various tools that can generate them
for you if you're not familiar with them already.

Some users have experienced issues with their jdt.ls when using the Groovy
language for their build.gradle. As such, try using Kotlin [67] instead.

text

*youcompleteme-troubleshooting*

Troubleshooting ~

If you're not getting completions or diagnostics, check the server health:

The Java completion engine takes a while to start up and parse your
project. You should be able to see its progress in the command line, and
|:YcmDebugInfo|. Ensure that the following lines are present:

-- jdt.ls Java Language Server running
-- jdt.ls Java Language Server Startup Status: Ready
<

If the above lines don't appear after a few minutes, check the jdt.ls and
ycmd log files using |:YcmToggleLogs|. The jdt.ls log file is called '.log'
(for some reason).

If you get a message about "classpath is incomplete", then make sure you have
correctly configured the project files.

If you get messages about unresolved imports, then make sure you have correctly
configured the project files, in particular check that the classpath is set
correctly.

text

*youcompleteme-c-semantic-completion*

C# Semantic Completion ~

YCM relies on OmniSharp-Roslyn [13] to provide completion and code navigation.
OmniSharp-Roslyn needs a solution file for a C# project and there are two ways
of letting YCM know about your solution files.

text

*youcompleteme-automatically-discovered-solution-files*

Automatically discovered solution files ~

YCM will scan all parent directories of the file currently being edited and
look for a file with '.sln' extension.

text

*youcompleteme-manually-specified-solution-files*

Manually specified solution files ~

If YCM loads '.ycm_extra_conf.py' which contains 'CSharpSolutionFile' function,
YCM will try to use that to determine the solution file. This is useful when
one wants to override the default behaviour and specify a solution file that is
not in any of the parent directories of the currently edited file. Example:

def CSharpSolutionFile( filepath ):
# filepath is the path of the file user is editing
return '/path/to/solution/file' # Can be relative to the .ycm_extra_conf.py
<
If the path returned by 'CSharpSolutionFile' is not an actual file, YCM will
fall back to the other way of finding the file.

text

*youcompleteme-use-with-.net-6.0-.net-sdks*

Use with .NET 6.0 and .NET SDKs ~

YCM ships with older version of OmniSharp-Roslyn based on Mono runtime. It is
possible to use it with .NET 6.0 and newer, but it requires manual setup.

Download NET 6.0 version of the OmniSharp server for your system from
releases [68]
Set |g:ycm_roslyn_binary_path| to the unpacked executable 'OmniSharp'
Create a solution file if one doesn't already exist, it is currently
required by YCM for internal bookkeeping
1. Run 'dotnet new sln' at the root of your project
2. Run 'dotnet sln add ...' for
  all of your projects
Run |:YcmRestartServer|

text

*youcompleteme-python-semantic-completion*

Python Semantic Completion ~

YCM relies on the Jedi [12] engine to provide completion and code navigation.
By default, it will pick the version of Python running the ycmd server [44] and
use its 'sys.path'. While this is fine for simple projects, this needs to be
configurable when working with virtual environments or in a project with
third-party packages. The next sections explain how to do that.

text

*youcompleteme-working-with-virtual-environments*

Working with virtual environments ~

A common practice when working on a Python project is to install its
dependencies in a virtual environment and develop the project inside that
environment. To support this, YCM needs to know the interpreter path of the
virtual environment. You can specify it by creating a '.ycm_extra_conf.py' file
at the root of your project with the following contents:

def Settings( **kwargs ):
return {
'interpreter_path': '/path/to/virtual/environment/python'
}
<
Here, '/path/to/virtual/environment/python' is the path to the Python used by
the virtual environment you are working in. Typically, the executable can be
found in the 'Scripts' folder of the virtual environment directory on Windows
and in the 'bin' folder on other platforms.

If you don't like having to create a '.ycm_extra_conf.py' file at the root of
your project and would prefer to specify the interpreter path with a Vim
option, read the Configuring through Vim options section.

text

*youcompleteme-working-with-third-party-packages*

Working with third-party packages ~

Another common practice is to put the dependencies directly into the project
and add their paths to 'sys.path' at runtime in order to import them. YCM needs
to be told about this path manipulation to support those dependencies. This can
be done by creating a '.ycm_extra_conf.py' file at the root of the project.
This file must define a 'Settings( **kwargs )' function returning a dictionary
with the list of paths to prepend to 'sys.path' under the 'sys_path' key. For
instance, the following '.ycm_extra_conf.py' adds the paths
'/path/to/some/third_party/package' and '/path/to/another/third_party/package'
at the start of 'sys.path':

def Settings( **kwargs ):
return {
'sys_path': [
'/path/to/some/third_party/package',
'/path/to/another/third_party/package'
]
}
<
If you would rather prepend paths to 'sys.path' with a Vim option, read the
Configuring through Vim options section.

If you need further control on how to add paths to 'sys.path', you should
define the 'PythonSysPath( **kwargs )' function in the '.ycm_extra_conf.py'
file. Its keyword arguments are 'sys_path' which contains the default
'sys.path', and 'interpreter_path' which is the path to the Python interpreter.
Here's a trivial example that inserts the '/path/to/third_party/package' path
at the second position of 'sys.path':

def PythonSysPath( **kwargs ):
sys_path = kwargs[ 'sys_path' ]
sys_path.insert( 1, '/path/to/third_party/package' )
return sys_path
<
A more advanced example can be found in YCM's own '.ycm_extra_conf.py' [69].

text

*youcompleteme-configuring-through-vim-options*

Configuring through Vim options ~

You may find it inconvenient to have to create a '.ycm_extra_conf.py' file at
the root of each one of your projects in order to set the path to the Python
interpreter and/or add paths to 'sys.path' and would prefer to be able to
configure those through Vim options. Don't worry, this is possible by using the
|g:ycm_extra_conf_vim_data| option and creating a global extra configuration
file. Let's take an example. Suppose that you want to set the interpreter path
with the 'g:ycm_python_interpreter_path' option and prepend paths to 'sys.path'
with the 'g:ycm_python_sys_path' option. Suppose also that you want to name the
global extra configuration file 'global_extra_conf.py' and that you want to put
it in your HOME folder. You should then add the following lines to your vimrc:

let g:ycm_python_interpreter_path = ''
let g:ycm_python_sys_path = []
let g:ycm_extra_conf_vim_data = [
\ 'g:ycm_python_interpreter_path',
\ 'g:ycm_python_sys_path'
]
let g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf = '/global_extra_conf.py'
<
Then, create the '/global_extra_conf.py' file with the following contents:

def Settings( **kwargs ):
client_data = kwargs[ 'client_data' ]
return {
'interpreter_path': client_data[ 'g:ycm_python_interpreter_path' ],
'sys_path': client_data[ 'g:ycm_python_sys_path' ]
}
<
That's it. You are done. Note that you don't need to restart the server when
setting one of the options. YCM will automatically pick the new values.

text

*youcompleteme-rust-semantic-completion*

Rust Semantic Completion ~

YCM uses rust-analyzer [16] for Rust semantic completion.

NOTE: Previously, YCM used rls [70] for rust completion. This is no longer
supported, as the Rust community has decided on rust-analyzer [16] as the
future of Rust tooling.

Completions and GoTo commands within the current crate and its dependencies
should work out of the box with no additional configuration (provided that you
built YCM with the '--rust-completer' flag; see the Installation section for
details). The install script takes care of installing the Rust source code
[71], so no configuration is necessary.

'rust-analyzer' supports a myriad of options. These are configured using LSP
configuration, and are documented here [72].

text

*youcompleteme-go-semantic-completion*

Go Semantic Completion ~

Completions and GoTo commands should work out of the box (provided that you
built YCM with the '--go-completer' flag; see the Installation section for
details). The server only works for projects with the "canonical" layout.

'gopls' also has a load of documented options [73].

You can set these in your '.ycm_extra_conf.py'. For example, to set the build
tags:

def Settings( **kwargs ):
if kwargs[ 'language' ] == 'go':
return {
'ls': {
'build.buildFlags': [ '-tags=debug' ] }
}
}

<

text

*youcompleteme-javascript-typescript-semantic-completion*

JavaScript and TypeScript Semantic Completion ~

NOTE: YCM originally used the Tern [74] engine for JavaScript but due to
Tern [74] not being maintained anymore by its main author and the TSServer [15]
engine offering more features, YCM is moving to TSServer [15]. This won't
affect you if you were already using Tern [74] but you are encouraged to do the
switch by deleting the 'third_party/ycmd/third_party/tern_runtime/node_modules'
directory in YCM folder. If you are a new user but still want to use Tern [74],
you should pass the '--js-completer' option to the 'install.py' script during
installation. Further instructions on how to set up YCM with Tern [74] are
available on the wiki [75].

All JavaScript and TypeScript features are provided by the TSServer [15]
engine, which is included in the TypeScript SDK. To enable these features,
install Node.js 18+ and npm [32] and call the 'install.py' script with the
'--ts-completer' flag.

TSServer [15] relies on the 'jsconfig.json' file [76] for JavaScript and the
'tsconfig.json' file [77] for TypeScript to analyze your project. Ensure the
file exists at the root of your project.

To get diagnostics in JavaScript, set the 'checkJs' option to 'true' in your
'jsconfig.json' file:

{
"compilerOptions": {
"checkJs": true
}
}

<

text

*youcompleteme-semantic-completion-for-other-languages*

Semantic Completion for Other Languages ~

C-family, C#, Go, Java, Python, Rust, and JavaScript/TypeScript languages are
supported natively by YouCompleteMe using the Clang [78], OmniSharp-Roslyn
[13], Gopls [14], jdt.ls [17], Jedi [12], rust-analyzer [16], and TSServer [15]
engines, respectively. Check the installation section for instructions to
enable these features if desired.

text

*youcompleteme-plugging-an-arbitrary-lsp-server*

Plugging an arbitrary LSP server ~

Similar to other LSP clients, YCM can use an arbitrary LSP server with the help
of |g:ycm_language_server| option. An example of a value of this option would
be:

let g:ycm_language_server =
\ [
\ {
\ 'name': 'yaml',
\ 'cmdline': [ '/path/to/yaml/server/yaml-language-server', '--stdio' ],
\ 'filetypes': [ 'yaml' ]
\ },
\ {
\ 'name': 'csharp',
\ 'cmdline': [ 'OmniSharp', '-lsp' ],
\ 'filetypes': [ 'csharp' ],
\ 'project_root_files': [ '.csproj', '.sln' ]
\ },
\ {
\ 'name': 'godot',
\ 'filetypes': [ 'gdscript' ],
\ 'port': 6008,
\ 'project_root_files': [ 'project.godot' ]
\ }
\ ]
<
Each dictionary contains the following keys: 'name', 'cmdline', 'port',
'filetypes', 'capabilities', 'project_root_files', 'additional_workspace_dirs',
'triggerCharacters', and 'settings'. The full description of each key can be
found in the ycmd [79] repository.

See the LSP Examples [80] project for more examples of configuring the likes of
PHP, Ruby, Kotlin, and D.

text

*youcompleteme-lsp-configuration*

LSP Configuration ~

Many LSP servers allow some level of user configuration. YCM enables this with
the help of '.ycm_extra_conf.py' files. Here's an example of jdt.ls user
examples of configuring the likes of PHP, Ruby, Kotlin, D, and many, many more.

def Settings( **kwargs ):
if kwargs[ 'language' ] == 'java':
return {
'ls': {
'java.format.onType.enabled': True
}
}
<
The 'ls' key tells YCM that the dictionary should be passed to the LSP server.
For each of the LSP server's configuration, you should look up the respective
server's documentation.

Some servers request settings from arbitrary 'sections' of configuration. There
is no concept of configuration sections in Vim, so you can specify an
additional 'config_sections' dictionary which maps section to a dictionary of
config required by the server. For example:

def Settings( **kwargs ):
if kwargs[ 'language' ] == 'java':
return {
'ls': {
'java.format.onType.enabled': True
},
'config_sections': {
'some section': {
'some option': 'some value'
}
}
<
The sections and options/values are completely server-specific and rarely well
documented.

text

*youcompleteme-using-omnifunc-for-semantic-completion*

Using 'omnifunc' for semantic completion ~

YCM will use your 'omnifunc' (see ':h omnifunc' in Vim) as a source for
semantic completions if it does not have a native semantic completion engine
for your file's filetype. Vim comes with rudimentary omnifuncs for various
languages like Ruby, PHP, etc. It depends on the language.

You can get a stellar omnifunc for Ruby with Eclim [81]. Just make sure you
have the latest Eclim installed and configured (this means Eclim '>= 2.2.'
and Eclipse '>= 4.2.').

After installing Eclim remember to create a new Eclipse project within your
application by typing ':ProjectCreate -n ruby' inside
Vim and don't forget to have "let g:EclimCompletionMethod = 'omnifunc'" in your
vimrc. This will make YCM and Eclim play nice; YCM will use Eclim's omnifuncs
as the data source for semantic completions and provide the auto-triggering and
subsequence-based matching (and other YCM features) on top of it.

text

*youcompleteme-writing-new-semantic-completers*

Writing New Semantic Completers ~

You have two options here: writing an 'omnifunc' for Vim's omnicomplete system
that YCM will then use through its omni-completer, or a custom completer for
YCM using the Completer API [82].

Here are the differences between the two approaches:

You have to use VimScript to write the omnifunc, but get to use Python to
write for the Completer API; this by itself should make you want to use the
API.
The Completer API is a much more powerful way to integrate with YCM and
it provides a wider set of features. For instance, you can make your
Completer query your semantic back-end in an asynchronous fashion, thus not
blocking Vim's GUI thread while your completion system is processing stuff.
This is impossible with VimScript. All of YCM's completers use the
Completer API.
Performance with the Completer API is better since Python executes faster
than VimScript.

If you want to use the 'omnifunc' system, see the relevant Vim docs with ':h
complete-functions'. For the Completer API, see the API docs [82].

If you want to upstream your completer into YCM's source, you should use the
Completer API.

text

*youcompleteme-diagnostic-display*

Diagnostic Display ~

Here are the various pieces of the diagnostic UI:

Icons show up in the Vim gutter on lines that have a diagnostic.
Regions of text related to diagnostics are highlighted (by default, a red
wavy underline in 'gvim' and a red background in 'vim').
Moving the cursor to a line with a diagnostic echoes the diagnostic text.
Vim's location list is automatically populated with diagnostic data (off by
default, see options).

Having to press a key to get the updates is unfortunate, but cannot be changed
due to the way Vim internals operate; there is no way that a background task
can update Vim's GUI after it has finished running. You have to press a key.
This will make YCM check for any pending diagnostics updates.

You can force a full, blocking compilation cycle with the
|:YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics| command (you may want to map that command to a
key; try putting 'nnoremap :YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics' in your
vimrc). Calling this command will force YCM to immediately recompile your file
and display any new diagnostics it encounters. Do note that recompilation with
this command may take a while and during this time the Vim GUI will be
blocked.

YCM will display a short diagnostic message when you move your cursor to the
line with the error. You can get a detailed diagnostic message with the
'd' key mapping (can be changed in the options) YCM provides when your
cursor is on the line with the diagnostic.

You can also see the full diagnostic message for all the diagnostics in the
current file in Vim's 'locationlist', which can be opened with the ':lopen' and
':lclose' commands (make sure you have set 'let
g:ycm_always_populate_location_list = 1' in your vimrc). A good way to toggle
the display of the 'locationlist' with a single key mapping is provided by
another (very small) Vim plugin called ListToggle [83] (which also makes it
possible to change the height of the 'locationlist' window), also written by
yours truly.

text

*youcompleteme-diagnostic-highlighting-groups*

Diagnostic Highlighting Groups ~

You can change the styling for the highlighting groups YCM uses. For the signs
in the Vim gutter, the relevant groups are:

'YcmErrorSign', which falls back to group 'SyntasticErrorSign' and then
'error' if they exist
'YcmWarningSign', which falls back to group 'SyntasticWarningSign' and then
'todo' if they exist

You can also style the line that has the warning/error with these groups:

'YcmErrorLine', which falls back to group 'SyntasticErrorLine' if it exists
'YcmWarningLine', which falls back to group 'SyntasticWarningLine' if it
exists

Finally, you can also style the popup for the detailed diagnostics (it is shown
if |g:ycm_show_detailed_diag_in_popup| is set) using the group 'YcmErrorPopup',
which falls back to 'ErrorMsg'.

Note that the line highlighting groups only work when the
|g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_signs| option is set. If you want highlighted lines
but no signs in the Vim gutter, set the 'signcolumn' option to 'no' in your
vimrc:

set signcolumn=no
<
The syntax groups used to highlight regions of text with errors/warnings: -
'YcmErrorSection', which falls back to group 'SyntasticError' if it exists and
then 'SpellBad' - 'YcmWarningSection', which falls back to group
'SyntasticWarning' if it exists and then 'SpellCap'

Here's how you'd change the style for a group:

highlight YcmErrorLine guibg=#3f0000 <

text

*youcompleteme-symbol-search*

Symbol Search ~

This feature requires Vim and is not supported in Neovim

YCM provides a way to search for and jump to a symbol in the current project or
document when using supported languages.

You can search for symbols in the current workspace when the 'GoToSymbol'
request is supported and the current document when |GoToDocumentOutline| is
supported.

Here's a quick demo:

Image: asciicast [84]

To enable:

'nmap (YCMFindSymbolInWorkspace)'
'nmap (YCMFindSymbolInDocument)'

e.g.

'nmap yfw (YCMFindSymbolInWorkspace)'
'nmap yfd (YCMFindSymbolInDocument)'

When searching, YCM opens a prompt buffer at the top of the screen for the
input and puts you in insert mode. This means that you can hit '' to go
into normal mode and use any other input commands that are supported in prompt
buffers. As you type characters, the search is updated.

Initially, results are queried from all open filetypes. You can hit '' to
switch to just the current filetype while the popup is open.

While the popup is open, the following keys are intercepted:

'', '', '', '' - select the next item
'', '', '', '' - select the previous item
'', '' - jump up one screenful of items
'', '' - jump down one screenful of items
'', '' - jump to first item
'', '' - jump to last item
'' - jump to the selected item
'' cancel/dismiss the popup
'' - toggle results from all file types or just the current filetype

The search is also cancelled if you leave the prompt buffer window at any time,
so you can use window commands '...' for example.

text

*youcompleteme-closing-popup*

Closing the popup ~

NOTE: Pressing '' does not close the popup - you must use 'Ctrl-c'
for that, or use a window command (e.g. 'j') or the mouse to leave the
prompt buffer window.

text

*youcompleteme-type-call-hierarchy*

Type/Call Hierarchy ~

This feature requires Vim and is not supported in Neovim

NOTE: This feature is highly experimental and offered in the hope that it
is useful. Please help us by reporting issues and offering feedback.

YCM provides a way to view and navigate hierarchies. The following hierarchies
are supported:

Type hierachy '(YCMTypeHierarchy)': Display subtypes and supertypes
of the symbol under cursor. Expand down to subtypes and up to supertypes.
Call hierarchy '(YCMCallHierarchy)': Display callees and callers of
the symbol under cursor. Expand down to callers and up to callees.

Take a look at this Image: asciicast [86] for brief demo.

Hierarchy UI can be initiated by mapping something to the indicated plug
mappings, for example:

nmap yth (YCMTypeHierarchy)
nmap ych (YCMCallHierarchy)
<
This opens a "modal" popup showing the current element in the hierarchy tree.
The current tree root is aligned to the left and child and parent nodes are
expanded to the right. Expand the tree "down" with '' and "up" with
''.

The "root" of the tree can be re-focused to the selected item with ''
and further '' will show the parents of the selected item. This can take
a little getting used to, but it's particularly important with multiple
inheritance where a "child" of the current root may actually have other,
invisible, parent links. '' on that row will show these by setting the
display root to the selected item.

When the hierarchy is displayed, the following keys are intercepted:

'': Drill into the hierarchy at the selected item: expand and show
children of the selected item.
'': Show parents of the selected item. When applied to sub-types,
this will re-root the tree at that type, so that all parent types (are
displayed). Similar for callers.
'': Jump to the symbol currently selected.
'', '', '', 'j': Select the next item
'', '', '', 'k'; Select the previous item
Any other key: closes the popup without jumping to any location

text

*youcompleteme-commands*

Commands ~

The :YcmRestartServer command

If the ycmd completion server [44] suddenly stops for some reason, you can
restart it with this command.

The :YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics command

Calling this command will force YCM to immediately recompile your file and
display any new diagnostics it encounters. Do note that recompilation with this
command may take a while and during this time the Vim GUI will be blocked.

You may want to map this command to a key; try putting 'nnoremap
:YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics' in your vimrc.

The :YcmDiags command

Calling this command will fill Vim's 'locationlist' with errors or warnings if
any were detected in your file and then open it. If a given error or warning
can be fixed by a call to ':YcmCompleter FixIt', then '(FixIt available)' is
appended to the error or warning text. See the |FixIt| completer subcommand for
more information.

NOTE: The absence of '(FixIt available)' does not strictly imply a fix-it
is not available as not all completers are able to provide this indication. For
example, the c-sharp completer provides many fix-its but does not add this
additional indication.

The |g:ycm_open_loclist_on_ycm_diags| option can be used to prevent the
location list from opening, but still have it filled with new diagnostic data.
See the Options section for details.

The :YcmShowDetailedDiagnostic command

This command shows the full diagnostic text when the user's cursor is on the
line with the diagnostic.

An options argument can be passed. If the argument is 'popup' the diagnostic
text will be displayed in a popup at the cursor position.

If you prefer the detailed diagnostic to always be shown in a popup, then 'let
g:ycm_show_detailed_diag_in_popup=1'.

The :YcmDebugInfo command

This will print out various debug information for the current file. Useful to
see what compile commands will be used for the file if you're using the
semantic completion engine.

The :YcmToggleLogs command

This command presents the list of logfiles created by YCM, the ycmd server
[44], and the semantic engine server for the current filetype, if any. One of
these logfiles can be opened in the editor (or closed if already open) by
entering the corresponding number or by clicking on it with the mouse.
Additionally, this command can take the logfile names as arguments. Use the
'' key (or any other key defined by the 'wildchar' option) to complete the
arguments or to cycle through them (depending on the value of the 'wildmode'
option). Each logfile given as an argument is directly opened (or closed if
already open) in the editor. Only for debugging purposes.

The :YcmCompleter command

This command gives access to a number of additional IDE-like features in YCM,
for things like semantic GoTo, type information, FixIt, and refactoring.

This command accepts a range that can either be specified through a selection
in one of Vim's visual modes (see ':h visual-use') or on the command line. For
instance, ':2,5YcmCompleter' will apply the command from line 2 to line 5. This
is useful for the |Format| subcommand.

Call 'YcmCompleter' without further arguments for a list of the commands you
can call for the current completer.

See the file type feature summary for an overview of the features available for
each file type. See the YcmCompleter subcommands section for more information
on the available subcommands and their usage.

Some commands, like |Format| accept a range, like ':%YcmCompleter Format'.

Some commands like |GetDoc| and the various |GoTo| commands respect modifiers,
like ':rightbelow YcmCompleter GetDoc', ':vertical YcmCompleter GoTo'.

text

*youcompleteme-ycmcompleter-subcommands*

YcmCompleter Subcommands ~

NOTE: See the docs for the 'YcmCompleter' command before tackling this
section.

The invoked subcommand is automatically routed to the currently active semantic
completer, so ':YcmCompleter GoToDefinition' will invoke the |GoToDefinition|
subcommand on the Python semantic completer if the currently active file is a
Python one and on the Clang completer if the currently active file is a
C-family language one.

You may also want to map the subcommands to something less verbose; for
instance, 'nnoremap jd :YcmCompleter GoTo' maps the 'jd'
sequence to the longer subcommand invocation.

text

*youcompleteme-goto-commands*

GoTo Commands ~

These commands are useful for jumping around and exploring code. When moving
the cursor, the subcommands add entries to Vim's 'jumplist' so you can use
'CTRL-O' to jump back to where you were before invoking the command (and
'CTRL-I' to jump forward; see ':h jumplist' for details). If there is more than
one destination, the quickfix list (see ':h quickfix') is populated with the
available locations and opened to the full width at the bottom of the screen.
You can change this behavior by using the |YcmQuickFixOpened| autocommand.

The GoToInclude subcommand

Looks up the current line for a header and jumps to it.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda'

The GoToAlternateFile subcommand

Jump to the associated file, as defined by the language server. Typically this
will jump you to the associated header file for a C or C++ translation unit.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda' (clangd only)

The GoToDeclaration subcommand

Looks up the symbol under the cursor and jumps to its declaration.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript,
python, rust, typescript'

The GoToDefinition subcommand

Looks up the symbol under the cursor and jumps to its definition.

NOTE: For C-family languages this only works in certain situations,
namely when the definition of the symbol is in the current translation unit. A
translation unit consists of the file you are editing and all the files you are
including with '#include' directives (directly or indirectly) in that file.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript,
python, rust, typescript'

The GoTo subcommand

This command tries to perform the "most sensible" GoTo operation it can.
Currently, this means that it tries to look up the symbol under the cursor and
jumps to its definition if possible; if the definition is not accessible from
the current translation unit, jumps to the symbol's declaration. For C-family
languages, it first tries to look up the current line for a header and jump to
it. For C#, implementations are also considered and preferred.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript,
python, rust, typescript'

The GoToImprecise subcommand

WARNING: This command trades correctness for speed!

Same as the |GoTo| command except that it doesn't recompile the file with
libclang before looking up nodes in the AST. This can be very useful when
you're editing files that take time to compile but you know that you haven't
made any changes since the last parse that would lead to incorrect jumps. When
you're just browsing around your codebase, this command can spare you quite a
bit of latency.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda'

text

*GoToSymbol-symbol-query*

The 'GoToSymbol ' subcommand ~

Finds the definition of all symbols matching a specified string. Note that this
does not use any sort of smart/fuzzy matching. However, an interactive symbol
search is also available.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, java, javascript,
python, typescript'

The GoToReferences subcommand

This command attempts to find all of the references within the project to the
identifier under the cursor and populates the quickfix list with those
locations.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, java, javascript, python,
typescript, rust'

The GoToImplementation subcommand

Looks up the symbol under the cursor and jumps to its implementation (i.e.
non-interface). If there are multiple implementations, instead provides a list
of implementations to choose from.

Supported in filetypes: 'cs, go, java, rust, typescript, javascript'

The GoToImplementationElseDeclaration subcommand

Supported in filetypes: 'cs'

The GoToType subcommand

Looks up the symbol under the cursor and jumps to the definition of its type
e.g. if the symbol is an object, go to the definition of its class.

Supported in filetypes: 'go, java, javascript, typescript'

The GoToDocumentOutline subcommand

Provides a list of symbols in the current document, in the quickfix list. See
also interactive symbol search.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, go, java, rust'

The GoToCallers and 'GoToCallees' subcommands

Note: A much more powerful call and type hierarchy can be viewd interactively.
See interactive type and call hierarchy.

Only supported for LSP servers that provide the 'callHierarchyProvider'
capability.

text

*youcompleteme-semantic-information-commands*

Semantic Information Commands ~

These commands are useful for finding static information about the code, such
as the types of variables, viewing declarations, and documentation strings.

The GetType subcommand

Echos the type of the variable or method under the cursor, and where it
differs, the derived type.

For example:

std::string s;
<
Invoking this command on 's' returns 'std::string => std::basic_string'

NOTE: Causes re-parsing of the current translation unit.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, java, javascript, go,
python, typescript, rust'

The GetTypeImprecise subcommand

WARNING: This command trades correctness for speed!

Same as the |GetType| command except that it doesn't recompile the file with
libclang before looking up nodes in the AST. This can be very useful when
you're editing files that take time to compile but you know that you haven't
made any changes since the last parse that would lead to incorrect type. When
you're just browsing around your codebase, this command can spare you quite a
bit of latency.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda'

The GetParent subcommand

Echos the semantic parent of the point under the cursor.

The semantic parent is the item that semantically contains the given position.

For example:

class C {
void f();
};

void C::f() {

}
<
In the out-of-line definition of 'C::f', the semantic parent is the class 'C',
of which this function is a member.

In the example above, both declarations of 'C::f' have 'C' as their semantic
context, while the lexical context of the first 'C::f' is 'C' and the lexical
context of the second 'C::f' is the translation unit.

For global declarations, the semantic parent is the translation unit.

NOTE: Causes re-parsing of the current translation unit.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda'

The GetDoc subcommand

Displays the preview window populated with quick info about the identifier
under the cursor. Depending on the file type, this includes things like:

The type or declaration of identifier,
Doxygen/javadoc comments,
Python docstrings,
etc.

The documentation is opened in the preview window, and options like
'previewheight' are respected. If you would like to customise the height and
position of this window, we suggest a custom command that:

Sets 'previewheight' temporarily
Runs the |GetDoc| command with supplied modifiers
Restores 'previewheight'.

For example:

command -count ShowDocWithSize
\ let g:ph=&previewheight
\ set previewheight=
\ YcmCompleter GetDoc
\ let &previewheight=g:ph
<
You can then use something like ':botright vertical 80ShowDocWithSize'. Here's
an example of that: https://asciinema.org/a/hE6Pi1gU6omBShwFna8iwGEe9

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript,
python, typescript, rust'

The GetDocImprecise subcommand

WARNING: This command trades correctness for speed!

Same as the |GetDoc| command except that it doesn't recompile the file with
libclang before looking up nodes in the AST. This can be very useful when
you're editing files that take long to compile but you know that you haven't
made any changes since the last parse that would lead to incorrect docs. When
you're just browsing around your codebase, this command can spare you quite a
bit of latency.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda'

text

*youcompleteme-refactoring-commands*

Refactoring Commands ~

The FixIt subcommand

Completers that provide diagnostics may also provide trivial modifications to
the source in order to correct the diagnostic. Examples include syntax errors
such as missing trailing semi-colons, spurious characters, or other errors
which the semantic engine can deterministically suggest corrections. A small
demo presenting how diagnostics can be fixed with clangd:

Image: YcmCompleter-FixIt-OnDiagnostic (see reference [88])

Completers (LSPs) may also provide refactoring tweaks, which may be available
even when no diagnostic is presented for the current line. These include
function extraction, variable extraction, 'switch' population, constructor
generation, ... The tweaks work for a selection as well. Consult your LSP for
available refactorings. A demonstration of refactoring capabilities with
clangd:

Image: YouCompleter-FixIt-Refactoring (see reference [89])

If no fix-it is available for the current line, or there is no diagnostic on
the current line, this command has no effect on the current buffer. If any
modifications are made, the number of changes made to the buffer is echo'd and
the user may use the editor's undo command to revert.

When a diagnostic is available, and |g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic| is enabled,
then the text '(FixIt)' is appended to the echo'd diagnostic when the completer
is able to add this indication. The text '(FixIt available)' is also appended
to the diagnostic text in the output of the |:YcmDiags| command for any
diagnostics with available fix-its (where the completer can provide this
indication).

NOTE: Causes re-parsing of the current translation unit.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript,
rust, typescript'

text

*RefactorRename-new-name*

The 'RefactorRename ' subcommand ~

Similar to |FixIt|, this command applies automatic modifications to your source
files. Rename operations may involve changes to multiple files, which may or
may not be open in Vim buffers at the time. YouCompleteMe handles all of this
for you. The behavior is described in the following section.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, java, javascript, python,
typescript, rust, cs'

text

*youcompleteme-python-refactorings*

Python refactorings ~

The following additional commands are supported for Python:

'RefactorInline'
'RefactorExtractVariable'
'RefactorExtractFunction'

See the jedi docs [90] for what they do.

Supported in filetypes: 'python'

text

*youcompleteme-multi-file-refactor*

Multi-file Refactor ~

When a Refactor or FixIt command touches multiple files, YouCompleteMe attempts
to apply those modifications to any existing open, visible buffer in the
current tab. If no such buffer can be found, YouCompleteMe opens the file in a
new small horizontal split at the top of the current window, applies the
change, and then hides the window. NOTE: The buffer remains open, and
must be manually saved. A confirmation dialog is opened prior to doing this to
remind you that this is about to happen.

Once the modifications have been made, the quickfix list (see ':help quickfix')
is populated with the locations of all modifications. This can be used to
review all automatic changes made by using ':copen'. Typically, use the 'CTRL-W
' combination to open the selected file in a new split. It is possible
to customize how the quickfix window is opened by using the |YcmQuickFixOpened|
autocommand.

The buffers are not saved automatically. That is, you must save the modified
buffers manually after reviewing the changes from the quickfix list. Changes
can be undone using Vim's powerful undo features (see ':help undo'). Note that
Vim's undo is per-buffer, so to undo all changes, the undo commands must be
applied in each modified buffer separately.

NOTE: While applying modifications, Vim may find files that are already
open and have a swap file. The command is aborted if you select Abort or Quit
in any such prompts. This leaves the Refactor operation partially complete and
must be manually corrected using Vim's undo features. The quickfix list is
not populated in this case. Inspect ':buffers' or equivalent (see ':help
buffers') to see the buffers that were opened by the command.

The Format subcommand

This command formats the whole buffer or some part of it according to the value
of the Vim options 'shiftwidth' and 'expandtab' (see ":h 'sw'" and ':h et'
respectively). To format a specific part of your document, you can either
select it in one of Vim's visual modes (see ':h visual-use') and run the
command or directly enter the range on the command line, e.g. ':2,5YcmCompleter
Format' to format it from line 2 to line 5.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, java, javascript, go,
typescript, rust, cs'

The OrganizeImports subcommand

This command removes unused imports and sorts imports in the current file. It
can also group imports from the same module in TypeScript and resolve imports
in Java.

Supported in filetypes: 'java, javascript, typescript'

text

*youcompleteme-miscellaneous-commands*

Miscellaneous Commands ~

These commands are for general administration, rather than IDE-like features.
They cover things like the semantic engine server instance and compilation
flags.

text

*ExecuteCommand-args*

The 'ExecuteCommand ' subcommand ~

Some LSP completers (currently only Java completers) support executing
server-specific commands. Consult the jdt.ls [17] documentation to find out
what commands are supported and which arguments are expected.

The support for 'ExecuteCommand' was implemented to support plugins like
Vimspector [91] to debug java, but isn't limited to that specific use case.

The RestartServer subcommand

Restarts the downstream semantic engine server for those semantic engines that
work as separate servers that YCM talks to.

Supported in filetypes: 'c, cpp, objc, objcpp, cuda, cs, go, java, javascript,
rust, typescript'

The ReloadSolution subcommand

Supported in filetypes: 'cs'

text

*youcompleteme-functions*

Functions ~

The youcompleteme#GetErrorCount function

Get the number of YCM Diagnostic errors. If no errors are present, this
function returns 0.

For example:

call youcompleteme#GetErrorCount()
<
Both this function and |youcompleteme#GetWarningCount| can be useful when
integrating YCM with other Vim plugins. For example, a lightline [92] user
could add a diagnostics section to their statusline which would display the
number of errors and warnings.

The youcompleteme#GetWarningCount function

Get the number of YCM Diagnostic warnings. If no warnings are present, this
function returns 0.

For example:

call youcompleteme#GetWarningCount() <

text

*youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse()*

The 'youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse( ... )' function ~

Run a completer subcommand and return the result as a string. This can be
useful for example to display the |GetDoc| output in a popup window, e.g.:

let s:ycm_hover_popup = -1
function s:Hover()
let response = youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse( 'GetDoc' )
if response == ''
return
endif

text

call popup_hide( s:ycm_hover_popup )
let s:ycm_hover_popup = popup_atcursor( balloon_split( response ), {} )

endfunction

" CursorHold triggers in normal mode after a delay
autocmd CursorHold * call s:Hover()
" Or, if you prefer, a mapping:
nnoremap D :call Hover()
<
NOTE: This is only an example, for real hover support, see
|g:ycm_auto_hover|.

If the completer subcommand result is not a string (for example, it's a FixIt
or a Location), or if the completer subcommand raises an error, an empty string
is returned, so that calling code does not have to check for complex error
conditions.

The arguments to the function are the same as the arguments to the
|:YcmCompleter| ex command, e.g. the name of the subcommand, followed by any
additional subcommand arguments. As with the 'YcmCompleter' command, if the
first argument is 'ft=' the request is targeted at the specified
filetype completer. This is an advanced usage and not necessary in most cases.

NOTE: The request is run synchronously and blocks Vim until the response is
received, so we do not recommend running this as part of an autocommand that
triggers frequently.

text

*youcompleteme#GetCommandResponseAsync()*

The 'youcompleteme#GetCommandResponseAsync( callback, ... )' function ~

This works exactly like 'youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse', except that instead
of returning the result, you supply a 'callback' argument. This argument must
be a 'FuncRef' to a function taking a single argument 'response'. This callback
will be called with the command response at some point later, or immediately.

As with |youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse()|, this function will call the
callback with "''" (an empty string) if the request is not sent, or if there
was some sort of error.

Here's an example that's similar to the one above:

let s:ycm_hover_popup = -1
function! s:ShowDataPopup( response ) abort
if response == ''
return
endif

text

call popup_hide( s:ycm_hover_popup )
let s:ycm_hover_popup = popup_atcursor( balloon_split( response ), {} )

endfunction

function! s:GetData() abort
call youcompleteme#GetCommandResponseAsync(
\ function( 's:ShowDataPopup' ),
\ 'GetDoc' )
endfunction

autocommand CursorHold * call s:GetData()
<
Again, see |g:ycm_auto_hover| for proper hover support.

NOTE: The callback may be called immediately, in the stack frame that
called this function.

text

*youcompleteme-autocommands*

Autocommands ~

The YcmLocationOpened autocommand

This 'User' autocommand is fired when YCM opens the location list window in
response to the 'YcmDiags' command. By default, the location list window is
opened to the bottom of the current window and its height is set to fit all
entries. This behavior can be overridden by using the |YcmLocationOpened|
autocommand which is triggered while the cursor is in the location list window.
For instance:

function! s:CustomizeYcmLocationWindow()
" Move the window to the top of the screen.
wincmd K
" Set the window height to 5.
5wincmd _
" Switch back to the working window.
wincmd p
endfunction

autocmd User YcmLocationOpened call s:CustomizeYcmLocationWindow() <

The YcmQuickFixOpened autocommand

This 'User' autocommand is fired when YCM opens the quickfix window in response
to the 'GoTo*' and 'RefactorRename' subcommands. By default, the quickfix
window is opened to full width at the bottom of the screen and its height is
set to fit all entries. This behavior can be overridden by using the
|YcmQuickFixOpened| autocommand which is triggered while the cursor is in the
quickfix window. For instance:

function! s:CustomizeYcmQuickFixWindow()
" Move the window to the top of the screen.
wincmd K
" Set the window height to 5.
5wincmd _
endfunction

autocmd User YcmQuickFixOpened call s:CustomizeYcmQuickFixWindow() <

Options ~

All options have reasonable defaults so if the plug-in works after installation
you don't need to change any options. These options can be configured in your
vimrc script [37] by including a line like this:

let g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion = 1
<
Note that after changing an option in your vimrc script [37] you have to
restart ycmd [44] with the |:YcmRestartServer| command for the changes to take
effect.

The g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion option

This option controls the number of characters the user needs to type before
identifier-based completion suggestions are triggered. For example, if the
option is set to '2', then when the user types a second alphanumeric character
after a whitespace character, completion suggestions will be triggered. This
option is NOT used for semantic completion.

Setting this option to a high number like '99' effectively turns off the
identifier completion engine and just leaves the semantic engine.

Default: '2'

let g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion = 2 <

The g:ycm_min_num_identifier_candidate_chars option

This option controls the minimum number of characters that a completion
candidate coming from the identifier completer must have to be shown in the
popup menu.

A special value of '0' means there is no limit.

NOTE: This option only applies to the identifier completer; it has no
effect on the various semantic completers.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_min_num_identifier_candidate_chars = 0 <

The g:ycm_max_num_candidates option

This option controls the maximum number of semantic completion suggestions
shown in the completion menu. This only applies to suggestions from semantic
completion engines; see the 'g:ycm_max_identifier_candidates' option to limit
the number of suggestions from the identifier-based engine.

A special value of '0' means there is no limit.

NOTE: Setting this option to '0' or to a value greater than '100' is not
recommended as it will slow down completion when there is a very large number
of suggestions.

Default: '50'

let g:ycm_max_num_candidates = 50 <

The g:ycm_max_num_candidates_to_detail option

Some completion engines require completion candidates to be 'resolved' in order
to get detailed info such as inline documentation, method signatures, etc. This
information is displayed by YCM in the preview window, or if 'completeopt'
contains 'popup', in the info popup next to the completion menu.

If neither 'popup' nor 'preview' are in 'completeopt', YCM disables resolving
altogether as the information would not be displayed.

This setting can be used to override these defaults and controls the number of
completion candidates that should be resolved upfront. Typically users do not
need to change this, as YCM will work out an appropriate value based on your
'completeopt' and |g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt| settings. However, you may
override this calculation by setting this value to a number:

'-1' - Resolve all candidates upfront
'0' - Never resolve any candidates upfront.
'> 0' - Resolve up to this many candidates upfront. If the number of
candidates is greater than this value, no candidates are resolved.

In the latter two cases, if 'completeopt' contains 'popup', then candidates are
resolved on demand asynchronously.

Default:

'0' if neither 'popup' nor 'preview' are in 'completeopt'.
'10' if 'popup' is in completeopt.
'-1' if 'preview' is in completeopt.

Example:

let g:ycm_max_num_candidates_to_detail = 0 <

The g:ycm_max_num_identifier_candidates option

This option controls the maximum number of completion suggestions from the
identifier-based engine shown in the completion menu.

A special value of '0' means there is no limit.

NOTE: Setting this option to '0' or to a value greater than '100' is not
recommended as it will slow down completion when there is a very large number
of suggestions.

Default: '10'

let g:ycm_max_num_identifier_candidates = 10 <

The g:ycm_auto_trigger option

When set to '0', this option turns off YCM's identifier completer (the
as-you-type popup) and the semantic triggers (the popup you'd get after
typing '.' or '->' in say C++). You can still force semantic completion with
the '' shortcut.

If you want to just turn off the identifier completer but keep the semantic
triggers, you should set |g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion| to a high
number like '99'.

When |g:ycm_auto_trigger| is '0', YCM sets the 'completefunc', so that you can
manually trigger normal completion using 'C-x C-u'.

If you want to map something else to trigger completion, such as 'C-d', then
you can map it to '(YCMComplete)'. For example:

let g:ycm_auto_trigger = 0
imap (YCMComplete)
<
NOTE: It's not possible to map one of the keys in
|g:ycm_key_list_select_completion| (or similar) to '(YCMComplete)'. In
practice that means that you can't use '' for this.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_auto_trigger = 1 <

The g:ycm_filetype_whitelist option

This option controls for which Vim filetypes (see ':h filetype') should YCM be
turned on. The option value should be a Vim dictionary with keys being filetype
strings (like 'python', 'cpp', etc.) and values being unimportant (the
dictionary is used like a hash set, meaning that only the keys matter).

The '' key is special and matches all filetypes. By default, the whitelist
contains only this '' key.

YCM also has a |g:ycm_filetype_blacklist| option that lists filetypes for which
YCM shouldn't be turned on. YCM will work only in filetypes that both the
whitelist and the blacklist allow (the blacklist "allows" a filetype by not
having it as a key).

For example, let's assume you want YCM to work in files with the 'cpp'
filetype. The filetype should then be present in the whitelist either directly
('cpp' key in the whitelist) or indirectly through the special '*' key. It
should not be present in the blacklist.

Filetypes that are blocked by either of the lists will be completely ignored by
YCM, meaning that neither the identifier-based completion engine nor the
semantic engine will operate in them.

You can get the filetype of the current file in Vim with ':set ft?'.

Default: "{'*': 1}"

let g:ycm_filetype_whitelist = {'*': 1}
<
** Completion in buffers with no filetype **

There is one exception to the above rule. YCM supports completion in buffers
with no filetype set, but this must be explicitly whitelisted. To identify
buffers with no filetype, we use the 'ycm_nofiletype' pseudo-filetype. To
enable completion in buffers with no filetype, set:

let g:ycm_filetype_whitelist = {
\ '*': 1,
\ 'ycm_nofiletype': 1
\ }

<

The g:ycm_filetype_blacklist option

This option controls for which Vim filetypes (see ':h filetype') should YCM be
turned off. The option value should be a Vim dictionary with keys being
filetype strings (like 'python', 'cpp', etc.) and values being unimportant (the
dictionary is used like a hash set, meaning that only the keys matter).

See the |g:ycm_filetype_whitelist| option for more details on how this works.

Default: '[see next line]'

let g:ycm_filetype_blacklist = {
\ 'tagbar': 1,
\ 'notes': 1,
\ 'markdown': 1,
\ 'netrw': 1,
\ 'unite': 1,
\ 'text': 1,
\ 'vimwiki': 1,
\ 'pandoc': 1,
\ 'infolog': 1,
\ 'leaderf': 1,
\ 'mail': 1
}
<
In addition, 'ycm_nofiletype' (representing buffers with no filetype set) is
blacklisted if 'ycm_nofiletype' is not explicitly whitelisted (using
|g:ycm_filetype_whitelist|).

The g:ycm_filetype_specific_completion_to_disable option

This option controls for which Vim filetypes (see ':h filetype') should the YCM
semantic completion engine be turned off. The option value should be a Vim
dictionary with keys being filetype strings (like 'python', 'cpp', etc.) and
values being unimportant (the dictionary is used like a hash set, meaning that
only the keys matter). The listed filetypes will be ignored by the YCM semantic
completion engine, but the identifier-based completion engine will still
trigger in files of those filetypes.

Note that even if semantic completion is not turned off for a specific
filetype, you will not get semantic completion if the semantic engine does not
support that filetype.

You can get the filetype of the current file in Vim with ':set ft?'.

Default: '[see next line]'

let g:ycm_filetype_specific_completion_to_disable = {
\ 'gitcommit': 1
}

<

The g:ycm_filepath_blacklist option

This option controls for which Vim filetypes (see ':h filetype') should
filepath completion be disabled. The option value should be a Vim dictionary
with keys being filetype strings (like 'python', 'cpp', etc.) and values being
unimportant (the dictionary is used like a hash set, meaning that only the keys
matter).

The '*' key is special and matches all filetypes. Use this key if you want to
completely disable filepath completion:

let g:ycm_filepath_blacklist = {'*': 1}
<
You can get the filetype of the current file in Vim with ':set ft?'.

Default: '[see next line]'

let g:ycm_filepath_blacklist = {
\ 'html': 1,
\ 'jsx': 1,
\ 'xml': 1,
}

<

The g:ycm_show_diagnostics_ui option

When set, this option turns on YCM's diagnostic display features. See the
Diagnostic display section in the User Manual for more details.

Specific parts of the diagnostics UI (like the gutter signs, text highlighting,
diagnostic echo, and auto location list population) can be individually turned
on or off. See the other options below for details.

Note that YCM's diagnostics UI is only supported for C-family languages.

When set, this option also makes YCM remove all Syntastic checkers set for the
'c', 'cpp', 'objc', 'objcpp', and 'cuda' filetypes since this would conflict
with YCM's own diagnostics UI.

If you're using YCM's identifier completer in C-family languages but cannot use
the clang-based semantic completer for those languages and want to use the
GCC Syntastic checkers, unset this option.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_show_diagnostics_ui = 1 <

The g:ycm_error_symbol option

YCM will use the value of this option as the symbol for errors in the Vim
gutter.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the 'g:syntastic_error_symbol' option
before using this option's default.

Default: '>>'

let g:ycm_error_symbol = '>>' <

The g:ycm_warning_symbol option

YCM will use the value of this option as the symbol for warnings in the Vim
gutter.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the 'g:syntastic_warning_symbol' option
before using this option's default.

Default: '>>'

let g:ycm_warning_symbol = '>>' <

The g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_signs option

When this option is set, YCM will put icons in Vim's gutter on lines that have
a diagnostic set. Turning this off will also turn off the 'YcmErrorLine' and
'YcmWarningLine' highlighting.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the 'g:syntastic_enable_signs' option
before using this option's default.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_signs = 1 <

The g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_highlighting option

When this option is set, YCM will highlight regions of text that are related to
the diagnostic that is present on a line, if any.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the 'g:syntastic_enable_highlighting'
option before using this option's default.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_highlighting = 1 <

The g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic option

When this option is set to 1, YCM will echo the text of the diagnostic present
on the current line when you move your cursor to that line. If a |FixIt| is
available for the current diagnostic, then '(FixIt)' is appended.

If you have a Vim that supports virtual text, you can set this option to the
string 'virtual-text', and the diagnostic will be displayed inline with the
text, right aligned in the window and wrapping to the next line if there is not
enough space, for example:

Image: Virtual text diagnostic demo (see reference [93])

Image: Virtual text diagnostic demo (see reference [94])

NOTE: It's strongly recommended to also set
|g:ycm_update_diagnostics_in_insert_mode| to '0' when using 'virtual-text' for
diagnostics. This is due to the increased amount of distraction provided by
drawing diagnostics next to your input position.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the 'g:syntastic_echo_current_error'
option before using this option's default.

Default: '1'

Valid values:

'0' - disabled
'1' - echo diagnostic to the command area
"'virtual-text'" - display the dignostic to the right of the line in the
window using virtual text

let g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic = 1 " Or, when you have Vim supporting virtual text let g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic = 'virtual-text' <

The g:ycm_auto_hover option

This option controls whether or not YCM shows documentation in a popup at the
cursor location after a short delay. Only supported in Vim.

When this option is set to "'CursorHold'", the popup is displayed on the
'CursorHold' autocommand. See ':help CursorHold' for the details, but this
means that it is displayed after 'updatetime' milliseconds. When set to an
empty string, the popup is not automatically displayed.

In addition to this setting, there is the '(YCMHover)' mapping, which can
be used to manually trigger or hide the popup (it works like a toggle). For
example:

nmap D (YCMHover)
<
After dismissing the popup with this mapping, it will not be automatically
triggered again until the cursor is moved (i.e. 'CursorMoved' autocommand).

The displayed documentation depends on what the completer for the current
language supports. It's selected heuristically in this order of preference:

'GetHover' with 'markdown' syntax
|GetDoc| with no syntax
|GetType| with the syntax of the current file.

You can customise this by manually setting up 'b:ycm_hover' to your liking.
This buffer-local variable can be set to a dictionary with the following keys:

'command': The YCM completer subcommand which should be run on hover
'syntax': The syntax to use (as in 'set syntax=') in the popup window for
highlighting.
'popup_params': The params passed to a popup window which gets opened.

For example, to use C/C++ syntax highlighting in the popup for C-family
languages, add something like this to your vimrc:

augroup MyYCMCustom
autocmd!
autocmd FileType c,cpp let b:ycm_hover = {
\ 'command': 'GetDoc',
\ 'syntax': &filetype
\ }
augroup END
<
You can also modify the opened popup with 'popup_params' key. For example, you
can limit the popup's maximum width and add a border to it:

augroup MyYCMCustom
autocmd!
autocmd FileType c,cpp let b:ycm_hover = {
\ 'command': 'GetDoc',
\ 'syntax': &filetype
\ 'popup_params': {
\ 'maxwidth': 80,
\ 'border': [],
\ 'borderchars': ['─', '│', '─', '│', '┌', '┐', '┘', '└'],
\ },
\ }
augroup END
<
See ':help popup_create-arguments' for the list of available popup window
options.

Default: "'CursorHold'"

The g:ycm_filter_diagnostics option

A filter is a dictionary of key-values, where the keys are the type of filter,
and the value is a list of arguments to that filter. In the case of just a
single item in the list, you may omit the brackets and just provide the
argument directly. If any filter matches a diagnostic, it will be dropped and
YCM will not render it.

The following filter types are supported:

"regex": Accepts a string regular expression [95]. This type matches when
the regex (treated as case-insensitive) is found anywhere in the diagnostic
text ('re.search', not 're.match')
"level": Accepts a string level, either "warning" or "error." This type
matches when the diagnostic has the same level, that is, specifying 'level:
"error"' will remove all errors from the diagnostics.

NOTE: The regex syntax is NOT Vim's, it's Python's [95].

Default: '{}'

The following example will do, for Java filetype only: - Remove all error
level diagnostics, and, - Also remove anything that contains 'taco'

let g:ycm_filter_diagnostics = {
\ "java": {
\ "regex": [ "ta.+co", ... ],
\ "level": "error",
\ ...
\ }
\ }

<

The g:ycm_always_populate_location_list option

When this option is set, YCM will populate the location list automatically
every time it gets new diagnostic data. This option is off by default so as not
to interfere with other data you might have placed in the location list.

See ':help location-list' in Vim to learn more about the location list.

This option is part of the Syntastic compatibility layer; if the option is not
set, YCM will fall back to the value of the
'g:syntastic_always_populate_loc_list' option before using this option's
default.

Note: if YCM's errors aren't visible, it might be that YCM is updating an older
location list. See ':help :lhistory' and ':lolder'.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_always_populate_location_list = 0 <

The g:ycm_open_loclist_on_ycm_diags option

When this option is set, |:YcmDiags| will automatically open the location list
after forcing a compilation and filling the list with diagnostic data.

See ':help location-list' in Vim to learn more about the location list.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_open_loclist_on_ycm_diags = 1 <

The g:ycm_complete_in_comments option

When this option is set to '1', YCM will show the completion menu even when
typing inside comments.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_complete_in_comments = 0 <

The g:ycm_complete_in_strings option

When this option is set to '1', YCM will show the completion menu even when
typing inside strings.

Note that this is turned on by default so that you can use the filename
completion inside strings. This is very useful for instance in C-family files
where typing '#include "' will trigger the start of filename completion. If you
turn off this option, you will turn off filename completion in such situations
as well.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_complete_in_strings = 1 <

The g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_comments_and_strings option

When this option is set to '1', YCM's identifier completer will also collect
identifiers from strings and comments. Otherwise, the text in comments and
strings will be ignored.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_comments_and_strings = 0 <

The g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_tags_files option

When this option is set to '1', YCM's identifier completer will also collect
identifiers from tags files. The list of tags files to examine is retrieved
from the 'tagfiles()' Vim function which examines the 'tags' Vim option. See
":h 'tags'" for details.

YCM will re-index your tags files if it detects that they have been modified.

The only supported tag format is the Exuberant Ctags format [96]. The format
from "plain" ctags is NOT supported. Ctags needs to be called with the
'--fields=+l' option (that's a lowercase 'L', not a one) because YCM needs the
'language:' field in the tags output.

See the FAQ for pointers if YCM does not appear to read your tag files.

This option is off by default because it makes Vim slower if your tags are on a
network directory.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_tags_files = 0 <

The g:ycm_seed_identifiers_with_syntax option

When this option is set to '1', YCM's identifier completer will seed its
identifier database with the keywords of the programming language you're
writing.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_seed_identifiers_with_syntax = 0 <

The g:ycm_extra_conf_vim_data option

If you're using semantic completion for C-family files, this option might come
handy; it's a way of sending data from Vim to your 'Settings' function in your
'.ycm_extra_conf.py' file.

This option is supposed to be a list of VimScript expression strings that are
evaluated for every request to the ycmd server [44] and then passed to your
'Settings' function as a 'client_data' keyword argument.

For instance, if you set this option to "['v:version']", your 'Settings'
function will be called like this:

The '801' value is of course contingent on Vim 8.1; in 8.0 it would be '800'

Settings( ..., client_data = { 'v:version': 801 } )
<
So the 'client_data' parameter is a dictionary mapping Vim expression strings
to their values at the time of the request.

The correct way to define parameters for your 'Settings' function:

def Settings( **kwargs ):
<
You can then get to 'client_data' with "kwargs['client_data']".

Default: '[]'

let g:ycm_extra_conf_vim_data = [] <

The g:ycm_server_python_interpreter option

YCM will by default search for an appropriate Python interpreter on your
system. You can use this option to override that behavior and force the use of
a specific interpreter of your choosing.

NOTE: This interpreter is only used for the ycmd server [44]. The YCM
client running inside Vim always uses the Python interpreter that's embedded
inside Vim.

Default: "''"

let g:ycm_server_python_interpreter = '' <

The g:ycm_keep_logfiles option

When this option is set to '1', YCM and the ycmd completion server [44] will
keep the logfiles around after shutting down (they are deleted on shutdown by
default).

To see where the log files are, call |:YcmDebugInfo|.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_keep_logfiles = 0 <

The g:ycm_log_level option

The logging level that YCM and the ycmd completion server [44] use. Valid
values are the following, from most verbose to least verbose: - 'debug' -
'info' - 'warning' - 'error' - 'critical'

Note that 'debug' is very verbose.

Default: 'info'

let g:ycm_log_level = 'info' <

The g:ycm_auto_start_csharp_server option

When set to '1', the OmniSharp-Roslyn server will be automatically started
(once per Vim session) when you open a C# file.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_auto_start_csharp_server = 1 <

The g:ycm_auto_stop_csharp_server option

When set to '1', the OmniSharp-Roslyn server will be automatically stopped upon
closing Vim.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_auto_stop_csharp_server = 1 <

The g:ycm_csharp_server_port option

When g:ycm_auto_start_csharp_server is set to '1', specifies the port for the
OmniSharp-Roslyn server to listen on. When set to '0' uses an unused port
provided by the OS.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_csharp_server_port = 0 <

The g:ycm_csharp_insert_namespace_expr option

By default, when YCM inserts a namespace, it will insert the 'using' statement
under the nearest 'using' statement. You may prefer that the 'using' statement
is inserted somewhere, for example, to preserve sorting. If so, you can set
this option to override this behavior.

When this option is set, instead of inserting the 'using' statement itself, YCM
will set the global variable 'g:ycm_namespace_to_insert' to the namespace to
insert, and then evaluate this option's value as an expression. The option's
expression is responsible for inserting the namespace - the default insertion
will not occur.

Default: ''

let g:ycm_csharp_insert_namespace_expr = '' <

The g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt option

When this option is set to '1', YCM will add the 'preview' string to Vim's
'completeopt' option (see ':h completeopt'). If your 'completeopt' option
already has 'preview' set, there will be no effect. Alternatively, when set to
'popup' and your version of Vim supports popup windows (see ':help popup'), the
'popup' string will be used instead. You can see the current state of your
'completeopt' setting with ':set completeopt?' (yes, the question mark is
important).

When 'preview' is present in 'completeopt', YCM will use the 'preview' window
at the top of the file to store detailed information about the current
completion candidate (but only if the candidate came from the semantic engine).
For instance, it would show the full function prototype and all the function
overloads in the window if the current completion is a function name.

When 'popup' is present in 'completeopt', YCM will instead use a 'popup' window
to the side of the completion popup for storing detailed information about the
current completion candidate. In addition, YCM may truncate the detailed
completion information in order to give the popup sufficient room to display
that detailed information.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt = 0 <

The g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_completion option

When this option is set to '1', YCM will auto-close the 'preview' window after
the user accepts the offered completion string. If there is no 'preview' window
triggered because there is no 'preview' string in 'completeopt', this option is
irrelevant. See the |g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt| option for more details.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_completion = 0 <

The g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_insertion option

When this option is set to '1', YCM will auto-close the 'preview' window after
the user leaves insert mode. This option is irrelevant if
|g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_completion| is set or if no 'preview'
window is triggered. See the |g:ycm_add_preview_to_completeopt| option for more
details.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_insertion = 0 <

The g:ycm_max_diagnostics_to_display option

A special value of '0' means there is no limit.

Default: '30'

let g:ycm_max_diagnostics_to_display = 30 <

The g:ycm_key_list_select_completion option

This option controls the key mappings used to select the first completion
string. Invoking any of them repeatedly cycles forward through the completion
list.

Some users like adding '' to this list.

Default: "['', '']"

let g:ycm_key_list_select_completion = ['', ''] <

The g:ycm_key_list_previous_completion option

This option controls the key mappings used to select the previous completion
string. Invoking any of them repeatedly cycles backward through the completion
list.

Note that one of the defaults is '' which means Shift-TAB. That mapping
will probably only work in GUI Vim (Gvim or MacVim) and not in plain console
Vim because the terminal usually does not forward modifier key combinations to
Vim.

Default: "['', '']"

let g:ycm_key_list_previous_completion = ['', ''] <

The g:ycm_key_list_stop_completion option

This option controls the key mappings used to close the completion menu. This
is useful when the menu is blocking the view, when you need to insert the
'' character, or when you want to expand a snippet from UltiSnips [25] and
navigate through it.

Default: "['']"

let g:ycm_key_list_stop_completion = [''] <

The g:ycm_key_invoke_completion option

This option controls the key mapping used to invoke the completion menu for
semantic completion. By default, semantic completion is triggered automatically
after typing characters appropriate for the language, such as '.', '->', '::',
etc. in insert mode (if semantic completion support has been compiled in). This
key mapping can be used to trigger semantic completion anywhere. Useful for
searching for top-level functions and classes.

Console Vim (not Gvim or MacVim) passes '' to Vim when the user types
'' so YCM will make sure that '' is used in the map command when
you're editing in console Vim, and '' in GUI Vim. This means that you
can just press '' in both the console and GUI Vim and YCM will do the
right thing.

Setting this option to an empty string will make sure no mapping is created.

Default: ''

let g:ycm_key_invoke_completion = '' <

The g:ycm_key_detailed_diagnostics option

This option controls the key mapping used to show the full diagnostic text when
the user's cursor is on the line with the diagnostic. It basically calls
|:YcmShowDetailedDiagnostic|.

Setting this option to an empty string will make sure no mapping is created.

If you prefer the detailed diagnostic to be shown in a popup, then 'let
g:ycm_show_detailed_diag_in_popup=1'.

Default: 'd'

let g:ycm_key_detailed_diagnostics = 'd' <

The g:ycm_show_detailed_diag_in_popup option

Makes |:YcmShowDetailedDiagnostic| always show in a popup rather than echoing
to the command line.

Default: 0

The g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf option

Normally, YCM searches for a '.ycm_extra_conf.py' file for compilation flags
(see the User Guide for more details on how this works). This option specifies
a fallback path to a config file which is used if no '.ycm_extra_conf.py' is
found.

You can place such a global file anywhere in your filesystem.

Default: "''"

let g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf = '' <

The g:ycm_confirm_extra_conf option

When this option is set to '1' YCM will ask once per '.ycm_extra_conf.py' file
if it is safe to be loaded. This is to prevent the execution of malicious code
from a '.ycm_extra_conf.py' file you didn't write.

To selectively get YCM to ask/not ask about loading certain
'.ycm_extra_conf.py' files, see the |g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist| option.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_confirm_extra_conf = 1 <

The g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist option

This option is a list that may contain several globbing patterns. If a pattern
starts with a '!' all '.ycm_extra_conf.py' files matching that pattern will be
blacklisted, that is they won't be loaded and no confirmation dialog will be
shown. If a pattern does not start with a '!' all files matching that pattern
will be whitelisted. Note that this option is not used when confirmation is
disabled using |g:ycm_confirm_extra_conf| and that items earlier in the list
will take precedence over the later ones.

Rules:

'*' matches everything
'?' matches any single character
'[seq]' matches any character in seq
'[!seq]' matches any char not in seq

Example:

let g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist = ['~~/dev/*','!~~/*']
<

The first rule will match everything contained in the '~/dev' directory so
'.ycm_extra_conf.py' files from there will be loaded.
The second rule will match everything in the home directory so a
'.ycm_extra_conf.py' file from there won't be loaded.
As the first rule takes precedence everything in the home directory
excluding the '~/dev' directory will be blacklisted.

NOTE: The glob pattern is first expanded with Python's
'os.path.expanduser()' and then resolved with 'os.path.abspath()' before being
matched against the filename.

Default: '[]'

let g:ycm_extra_conf_globlist = [] <

The g:ycm_filepath_completion_use_working_dir option

By default, YCM's filepath completion will interpret relative paths like '../'
as being relative to the folder of the file of the currently active buffer.
Setting this option will force YCM to always interpret relative paths as being
relative to Vim's current working directory.

Default: '0'

let g:ycm_filepath_completion_use_working_dir = 0 <

The g:ycm_semantic_triggers option

Setting key-value pairs on the dictionary adds semantic triggers to the
internal default set (listed below). You cannot remove the default triggers,
only add new ones.

A "trigger" is a sequence of one or more characters that trigger semantic
completion when typed. For instance, C++ ('cpp' filetype) has '.' listed as a
trigger. So when the user types 'foo.', the semantic engine will trigger and
serve 'foo''s list of member functions and variables. Since C++ also has '->'
listed as a trigger, the same thing would happen when the user typed 'foo->'.

It's also possible to use a regular expression as a trigger. You have to prefix
your trigger with 're!' to signify it's a regex trigger. For instance,
're!\w+.' would only trigger after the '\w+.' regex matches.

NOTE: The regex syntax is NOT Vim's, it's Python's [95].

Default: '[see next line]'

let g:ycm_semantic_triggers = {
\ 'c': ['->', '.'],
\ 'objc': ['->', '.', 're![[_a-zA-Z]+\w*\s', 're!^\s*[^\W\d]\w*\s',
\ 're![.*]\s'],
\ 'ocaml': ['.', '#'],
\ 'cpp,cuda,objcpp': ['->', '.', '::'],
\ 'perl': ['->'],
\ 'php': ['->', '::'],
\ 'cs,d,elixir,go,groovy,java,javascript,julia,perl6,python,scala,typescript,vb': ['.'],
\ 'ruby,rust': ['.', '::'],
\ 'lua': ['.', ':'],
\ 'erlang': [':'],
\ }

<

The g:ycm_cache_omnifunc option

Some omnicompletion engines do not work well with the YCM cache—in particular,
they might not produce all possible results for a given prefix. By unsetting
this option you can ensure that the omnicompletion engine is re-queried on
every keypress. That will ensure all completions will be presented but might
cause stuttering and lag if the omnifunc is slow.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_cache_omnifunc = 1 <

The g:ycm_use_ultisnips_completer option

By default, YCM will query the UltiSnips plugin for possible completions of
snippet triggers. This option can turn that behavior off.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_use_ultisnips_completer = 1 <

The g:ycm_goto_buffer_command option

Defines where 'GoTo*' commands result should be opened. Can take one of the
following values: "'same-buffer'", "'split'", or "'split-or-existing-window'".
If this option is set to the "'same-buffer'" but current buffer can not be
switched (when buffer is modified and 'nohidden' option is set), then result
will be opened in a split. When the option is set to
"'split-or-existing-window'", if the result is already open in a window of the
current tab page (or any tab pages with the ':tab' modifier; see below), it
will jump to that window. Otherwise, the result will be opened in a split as if
the option was set to "'split'".

To customize the way a new window is split, prefix the 'GoTo*' command with one
of the following modifiers: ':aboveleft', ':belowright', ':botright',
':leftabove', ':rightbelow', ':topleft', and ':vertical'. For instance, to
split vertically to the right of the current window, run the command:

:rightbelow vertical YcmCompleter GoTo
<
To open in a new tab page, use the ':tab' modifier with the "'split'" or
"'split-or-existing-window'" options e.g.:

:tab YcmCompleter GoTo
<
Default: "'same-buffer'"

let g:ycm_goto_buffer_command = 'same-buffer' <

The g:ycm_disable_for_files_larger_than_kb option

Defines the max size (in Kb) for a file to be considered for completion. If
this option is set to 0 then no check is made on the size of the file you're
opening.

Default: 1000

let g:ycm_disable_for_files_larger_than_kb = 1000 <

The g:ycm_use_clangd option

This option controls whether clangd should be used as a completion engine
for C-family languages. Can take one of the following values: '1', '0', with
meanings:

'1': YCM will use clangd if clangd binary exists in third party or it was
provided with 'ycm_clangd_binary_path' option.
'0': YCM will never use clangd completer.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_use_clangd = 1 <

The g:ycm_clangd_binary_path option

When 'ycm_use_clangd' option is set to '1', this option sets the path to
clangd binary.

Default: "''"

let g:ycm_clangd_binary_path = '' <

The g:ycm_clangd_args option

This option controls the command line arguments passed to the clangd binary. It
appends new options and overrides the existing ones.

Default: '[]'

let g:ycm_clangd_args = [] <

The g:ycm_clangd_uses_ycmd_caching option

This option controls which ranking and filtering algorithm to use for
completion items. It can take values:

'1': Uses ycmd's caching and filtering logic.
'0': Uses clangd's caching and filtering logic.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_clangd_uses_ycmd_caching = 1 <

The g:ycm_language_server option

This option lets YCM use an arbitrary Language Server Protocol (LSP) server,
not unlike many other completion systems. The officially supported completers
are favoured over custom LSP ones, so overriding an existing completer means
first making sure YCM won't choose that existing completer in the first place.

A simple working example of this option can be found in the section called
"Semantic Completion for Other Languages".

Many working examples can be found in the YCM lsp-examples [80] repository.

Default: '[]'

let g:ycm_language_server = [] <

The g:ycm_disable_signature_help option

This option allows you to disable all signature help for all completion
engines. There is no way to disable it per-completer.

Default: '0'

" Disable signature help let g:ycm_disable_signature_help = 1 <

The g:ycm_signature_help_disable_syntax option

Set this to 1 to disable syntax highlighting in the signature help popup. Thiis
can help if your colourscheme doesn't work well with the default highliting and
inverse video.

Default: '0'

" Disable signature help syntax highliting let g:ycm_signature_help_disable_syntax = 1 <

The g:ycm_gopls_binary_path option

In case the system-wide 'gopls' binary is newer than the bundled one, setting
this option to the path of the system-wide 'gopls' would make YCM use that one
instead.

If the path is just 'gopls', YCM will search in '$PATH'.

The g:ycm_gopls_args option

Similar to the |g:ycm_clangd_args|, this option allows passing additional flags
to the 'gopls' command line.

Default: '[]'

let g:ycm_gopls_args = [] <

The g:ycm_rls_binary_path and 'g:ycm_rustc_binary_path' options

YCM no longer uses RLS for rust, and these options are therefore no longer
supported.

To use a custom rust-analyzer, see |g:ycm_rust_toolchain_root|.

The g:ycm_rust_toolchain_root option

Optionally specify the path to a custom rust toolchain including at least a
supported version of 'rust-analyzer'.

The g:ycm_tsserver_binary_path option

Similar to the 'gopls' path, this option tells YCM where is the TSServer
executable located.

The g:ycm_roslyn_binary_path option

Similar to the 'gopls' path, this option tells YCM where is the
Omnisharp-Roslyn executable located.

The g:ycm_update_diagnostics_in_insert_mode option

With async diagnostics, LSP servers might send new diagnostics mid-typing. If
seeing these new diagnostics while typing is not desired, this option can be
set to 0.

When this option is set to '0', diagnostic signs, virtual text, and highlights
are cleared when entering insert mode and replaced when leaving insert mode.
This reduces visual noise while editing.

In addition, this option is recommended when |g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic| is
set to 'virtual-text' as it prevents updating the virtual text while you are
typing.

Default: '1'

let g:ycm_update_diagnostics_in_insert_mode = 1 <

text

*youcompleteme-faq*

FAQ ~

The FAQ section has been moved to the wiki [8].

text

*youcompleteme-contributor-code-of-conduct*

Contributor Code of Conduct ~

Please note that this project is released with a Contributor Code of Conduct
[97]. By participating in this project you agree to abide by its terms.

text

*youcompleteme-contact*

Contact ~

If you have questions about the plugin or need help, please join the Gitter
room [1] or use the ycm-users [98] mailing list.

If you have bug reports or feature suggestions, please use the issue tracker
[99]. Before you do, please carefully read CONTRIBUTING.md [100] as this asks
for important diagnostics which the team will use to help get you going.

The latest version of the plugin is available at
https://ycm-core.github.io/YouCompleteMe/.

The author's homepage is https://val.markovic.io.

Please do NOT go to #vim, Reddit, or Stack Overflow for support. Please
contact the YouCompleteMe maintainers directly using the contact details.

text

*youcompleteme-license*

License ~

text

*youcompleteme-sponsorship*

Sponsorship ~

If you like YCM so much that you're willing to part with your hard-earned cash,
please consider donating to one of the following charities, which are
meaningful to the current maintainers (in no particular order):

Hector's Greyhound Rescue [102]
Be Humane [103]
Cancer Research UK [104]
ICCF Holland [105]
Any charity of your choosing.

Please note: The YCM maintainers do not specifically endorse nor necessarily
have any relationship with the above charities. Disclosure: It is noted that
one key maintainer is a family with Trustees of Greyhound Rescue Wales.

===============================================================================
youcompleteme-references
References ~

vim: ft=help

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Overview (`README.md`) Copy Section

YouCompleteMe: a code-completion engine for Vim

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Supported Vim Versions

Supported Python runtime

Supported Compilers

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Quick start, installing all completers

Explanation for the quick start

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Quick start, installing all completers

Explanation for the quick start

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Quick start, installing all completers

Explanation for the quick start

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C-family languages (C, C++, Objective C, Objective C++, CUDA) Copy Section

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Java Copy Section

User Guide Copy Chapter

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Completion String Ranking Copy Section

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Semantic highlighting Copy Section

Customising the highlight groups

Inlay hints Copy Chapter

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Toggling Copy Section

General Semantic Completion Copy Section

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Installation

Compile flags

Option 1: Use a [compilation database][compdb]

Option 2: Provide the flags manually

Errors during compilation

Java Semantic Completion Copy Section

Java Quick Start

Java Project Files

Diagnostic display - Syntastic

Diagnostic display - Eclim

Eclipse Projects

Maven Projects

Gradle Projects

Troubleshooting

C# Semantic Completion Copy Section

Automatically discovered solution files

Manually specified solution files

Use with .NET 6.0 and .NET SDKs

Python Semantic Completion Copy Section

Working with virtual environments

Working with third-party packages

Configuring through Vim options

Rust Semantic Completion Copy Section

Go Semantic Completion Copy Section

JavaScript and TypeScript Semantic Completion Copy Section

Semantic Completion for Other Languages Copy Section

Plugging an arbitrary LSP server

LSP Configuration

Using `omnifunc` for semantic completion

Writing New Semantic Completers Copy Section

Diagnostic Display Copy Section

Diagnostic Highlighting Groups

Symbol Search Copy Section

Overview (`README.md`)

Help, Advice, Support

Contents

Intro

Installation

Requirements

macOS

Linux 64-bit

Windows

Full Installation Guide

Quick Feature Summary

General (all languages)

C-family languages (C, C++, Objective C, Objective C++, CUDA)

C♯

Python

Go

JavaScript and TypeScript

Rust

Java

User Guide

General Usage

Client-Server Architecture

Completion String Ranking

Signature Help

Semantic highlighting

Inlay hints

Highlight groups

Options

Toggling

General Semantic Completion

C-family Semantic Completion

Java Semantic Completion

C# Semantic Completion

Python Semantic Completion

Rust Semantic Completion

Go Semantic Completion

JavaScript and TypeScript Semantic Completion

Semantic Completion for Other Languages

Writing New Semantic Completers

Diagnostic Display

Symbol Search

Type/Call Hierarchy

Commands

The `:YcmRestartServer` command

The `:YcmForceCompileAndDiagnostics` command

The `:YcmDiags` command

The `:YcmShowDetailedDiagnostic` command

The `:YcmDebugInfo` command

The `:YcmToggleLogs` command

The `:YcmCompleter` command

YcmCompleter Subcommands

GoTo Commands

Semantic Information Commands

Refactoring Commands

Miscellaneous Commands

Functions

The `youcompleteme#GetErrorCount` function

The `youcompleteme#GetWarningCount` function

The `youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse( ... )` function

The `youcompleteme#GetCommandResponseAsync( callback, ... )` function

Autocommands

The `YcmLocationOpened` autocommand

The `YcmQuickFixOpened` autocommand

Options

The `g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion` option

The `g:ycm_min_num_identifier_candidate_chars` option

The `g:ycm_max_num_candidates` option

The `g:ycm_max_num_candidates_to_detail` option

The `g:ycm_max_num_identifier_candidates` option

The `g:ycm_auto_trigger` option

The `g:ycm_filetype_whitelist` option

The `g:ycm_filetype_blacklist` option

The `g:ycm_filetype_specific_completion_to_disable` option

The `g:ycm_filepath_blacklist` option

The `g:ycm_show_diagnostics_ui` option

The `g:ycm_error_symbol` option

The `g:ycm_warning_symbol` option

The `g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_signs` option

The `g:ycm_enable_diagnostic_highlighting` option

The `g:ycm_echo_current_diagnostic` option