vimscript call vs. execute
vim, viml
Solution
From the experience of writing my own plugins and reading the code of others:
`:call` is for calling functions, e.g.:
function! s:foo(id)
execute 'buffer' a:id
endfunction
let target_id = 1
call foo(target_id)
`:execute` is used for two things:
Construct a string and evaluate it. This is often used to pass arguments to commands:
execute 'source' fnameescape('l:path')
Evaluate the return value of a function (arguably the same):
function! s:bar(id)
return 'buffer ' . a:id
endfunction
let target_id = 1
execute s:bar(target_id)
Problem
In vimscript, what is the difference between `call` and `execute`? In what scenarios / use cases should I use one vs the other? (Disclaimer, I am aware of the extensive online help available within vim - I am seeking a concise answer to this specific question).