kakoune/doc/pages/registers.asciidoc

= Registers

== Description

Registers are named lists of text -instead of simply text- in order to interact
well with multiselection. They are used for various purposes, like storing
the last yanked text, or the captured groups associated with the selections.

== Interacting

*<c-r><c>*::
    when in insert mode or in a prompt, insert the value stored in the
    *c* register (single character)

*"<c>*::
    in normal mode, select the *<c>* register (single character)

== Alternate names

Non alphanumeric registers have an alternative name that can be used
in contexts where only alphanumeric identifiers are possible.

== Default registers

Most commands using a register default to a specific one if not specified:

*"* (dquote)::
    default copy register, used by yanking and pasting commands like *y*, *p*
    and *R*

*/* (slash)::
    default search register, used by regex based commands like *s*, ***
    or */*

*@* (arobase)::
    default macro register, used by *q* and *Q*

*^* (caret)::
    default mark register, used by *z* and *Z*

*|* (pipe)::
    default shell command register, used by command that spawn a subshell such as
    *|*, *<a-|>*, *!* or *<a-!>*

== Special registers

Some registers are not general purposes, they cannot be written to, but they
contain some special data

*%* (percent)::
    current buffer name

*.* (dot)::
    current selection contents

*#* (hash)::
    selection indices (first selection has 1, second has 2, ...)

*_* (underscore)::
    null register, always empty

*:* (colon)::
    last entered command

== Integer registers

Registers *1* to *9* hold the grouped sub-matches of the regular
expression used to make the last selection. Example: applying the
following regular expression to the date of the day would put the day of
the week in register *1*, the month in register *2*, and the day of the
month in register *3*, but select the entire date:

--------------------
(\w+) (\w+) (\d+) .+
--------------------