= Command Parsing Kakoune commands, either loaded from a script, or written in the command prompt are parsed according to the following rules: == Basic parsing - Commands are separated by `;` or end of lines - Words (command names and parameters) are separated by whitespaces == Quoted Strings If a word starts with `'`, `"` or `%X` with `X` a non nestable punctuation character it is parsed as a quoted string whose delimiter is, respectively, `'`, `"` or `X`. A quoted string contains every character (including whitespaces) until its closing delimiter. If its closing delimiter is doubled, then it is considered to be part of the string content as a single delimiter. Inside double quotes, `%`-strings are processed unless the `%` is escaped by doubling it. Double quotes inside these nested strings must still be escaped. No other escaping takes place in quoted strings. === Quoted Strings Examples - `'foo'` contains *foo* - `foo'bar'` is read verbatim, so it contains *foo'bar'* - `foo%|bar|` is read verbatim, so it contains *foo%|bar|*. - `'foo''bar'` is a single word whose content is *foo'bar* - `"baz"""` is a single word whose content is *baz"*. - `%|foo||bar|` is a single word whose content is *foo|bar*. - `"foo %|""bar| %%,baz,"` is a single word whose content is *foo "bar %,baz,*. == Balanced Strings If a word starts with `%X` with `X` a nestable punctuation character (one of `(`, `[`, `{` and `<`), it is parsed as a balanced string whose closing delimiter is the matching character of its opening delimiter (respectively `)`, `]`, `}` and `>`). A balanced string contains every character (including whitespaces) until a closing delimiter is found, and opening and closing delimiters are balanced inside the string (each opening delimiter appearing inside the string have been closed by a matching closing delimiter). No other escaping takes place in balanced strings. === Balanced Strings Examples - `%{foo}` contains *foo* - `%{foo\{bar}}` contains *foo\{bar}* - `foo%{bar}` contains *foo%{bar}* - `"foo %{bar}"` is a single word whose content is *foo bar* == Non Quoted words Other words are non-quoted. Non-quoted words end either on a whitespaces or a `;`. If they start with `\\` followed by `%`, `'` or `"`, then that leading `\\` is discarded. If a whitespace or `;` is preceded by `\\`, then the `\\` is discarded and the whitespace or `;` becomes part of the word. Any other `\\` is treated as a literal `\\`. == Typed Expansions Quoted and Balanced strings starting with `%` might have an optional alphabetic *expansion type* between the `%` and their delimiter (which is always a punctuation character). This *expansion type* defines how the string content is going to be expanded. Rules for expanding and escaping typed expansions are the same as for `%`-strings. - If the *expansion type* is empty, the string content is used verbatim. - If the *expansion type* is one of `sh`, `reg`, `opt`, `val` or `arg`, The string is expanded as described in <> - For any other *expansion type* a parsing error is raised.