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This might be a big issue that we have to resolve before getting out of private/public beta: How programming-related can questions on Vim.SE be?

For example, questions about using Vim as a programming tool are probably on-topic. How about programming in Vimscript? What about questions that require a few lines of Vimscript, but are not purely focused on the programming aspect (ex. How can I do <task that requires 5-line script>)?

What other code-related questions are on- and off-topic?

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I would say that Vimscript is on-topic. It's a Vim feature. This site is about Vim.

Of course, the general rules of on- and off-topic apply. "plz give codez fast. kthxbye' is obviously off-topic.

Vim can also interface with Ruby, Python, Lua, and some other languages (if compiled as such). Those questions would be on-topic if it's about programming the Vim editor (ie. someone making a plugin, having a problem):

  • An on-topic example might be someone trying to make Vim do x through Python, but failing because Vim does y. This is obviously about Vim's Python interface.
  • An off-topic example might be someone with a question on how to properly use [python language feature foo]. He or she might be using the Vim Python API, but the question isn't about it, as such.
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I'll try to express how I feel it (to hopefully open some discussion if I happen to be controversial)

Vi(m) is a text editor. Yes, it can serve as a fairly good operating system (similarly as the editor-whose-name-is-forbidden-here can), but it's not at all its purpose. So as long as the question is about writing a script that really helps in editing a file, it is IMHO ok, for instance something like (sorry it's stoopid):

Scripting Vim to convert an HTML table to the LaTeX syntax

However, some questions are about Vi(m) but certainly not about Vi(m) as an editor, for instance:

How to write a prime tester in VimScript?

As a note, I'd like to say that conceptual questions about Vim as a programming language should be fine as well, even though they don't help to edit files in Vim.

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