added lvars()

README.md

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ MultiReplace is a Notepad++ plugin that allows users to create, store, and manag
     - [set](#setstrorcalc)
     - [cond](#condcondition-trueval-falseval)
     - [vars](#varsvariable1value1-variable2value2-)
+    - [lvars](#lvarsfilepath)
     - [lkp](#lkpkey-hpath-inner)
     - [fmtN](#fmtnnum-maxdecimals-fixeddecimals)
   - [Operators](#operators)
@@ -143,17 +144,42 @@ Custom variables maintain their values throughout a single Replace-All or within
 | `(\d+)`          | `vars({COL2=0,COL4=0}); cond(LCNT==4, COL2+COL4);`<br>`if COL==2 then COL2=CAP1 end;`<br> `if COL==4 then COL4=CAP1 end;` | `1,20,text,2,0`<br>`2,30,text,3,0`<br>`3,40,text,4,0` | `1,20,text,2,22.0`<br>`2,30,text,3,33.0`<br>`3,40,text,4,44.0` | Yes   | Yes       | Tracks values from columns 2 and 4, sums them, and updates the result for the 4th match in the current line. |
 | `\d{2}-[A-Z]{3}` | `vars({MATCH_PREV=''}); cond(LCNT==1,'Moved', MATCH_PREV); MATCH_PREV=MATCH;`                               | `12-POV,00-PLC`<br>`65-SUB,00-PLC`<br>`43-VOL,00-PLC` | `Moved,12-POV`<br>`Moved,65-SUB`<br>`Moved,43-VOL`            | Yes    | No        | Uses MATCH_PREV to track the value of the first match in the line and shift it to the 2nd (LCNT) match during replacements. |
 
-An empty Find string can be used to set variables for the entire Find and Replace list without being tied to a specific Find action. This entry does not match any text but is executed once at the beginning of the 'Replace' or 'Replace All' process when 'Use List' is enabled. It allows the Replace field to run initialization commands like `vars()` for the entire operation. The position of this entry in the list does not affect its behavior.
+An empty Find string (`*(empty)*`) can be used to set variables for the entire Find and Replace list without being tied to a specific Find action. This entry does not match any text but is executed once at the beginning of the 'Replace' or 'Replace All' process when 'Use List' is enabled. It allows the Replace field to run initialization commands like `vars()` for the entire operation. The position of this entry in the list does not affect its behavior.
 
 | Find      | Replace                                                                                                 | Description/Expected Output                                                                                     |
 |-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-|                   | `vars({ `<br>`VpersonName = FNAME:sub(1, (FNAME:find(" - ", 1, true) or 0) - 1),`<br>`Vdepartment = FNAME:sub((FNAME:find(" - ", 1, true) or #FNAME + 1) + 3, (FNAME:find(".", 1, true) or 0) - 1) })` | Extracts `VpersonName` and `Vdepartment` from the filename of the active document in the format `<Name> - <Department>.xml` using the `vars` action. Triggered only once at the start of the replace process when `Find` is empty. |
+|  *(empty)*        | `vars({ `<br>`VpersonName = FNAME:sub(1, (FNAME:find(" - ", 1, true) or 0) - 1),`<br>`Vdepartment = FNAME:sub((FNAME:find(" - ", 1, true) or #FNAME + 1) + 3, (FNAME:find(".", 1, true) or 0) - 1) })` | Extracts `VpersonName` and `Vdepartment` from the filename of the active document in the format `<Name> - <Department>.xml` using the `vars` action. Triggered only once at the start of the replace process when `Find` is empty. |
 | `personname`      | `set(VpersonName)`                                                                                               | Replaces `personname` with the content of the variable `VpersonName`, previously initialized by the `vars` action. |
 | `department`      | `set(Vdepartment)`                                                                                               | Replaces `department` with the content of the variable `Vdepartment`, previously initialized by the `vars` action. |
 
-#### **lkp(key, hpath, inner)**
+#### **lvars(filePath)**
+
+Loads custom variables from an external file. The file specifies variable names and their corresponding values. The loaded variables can then be used throughout the Replace process, similar to how variables defined with [`vars`](#varsvariable1value1-variable2value2-) work.
+
+The parameter **filePath** must specify a valid path to a file. Supported path formats include:
+- Escaped Backslashes: `"C:\\path\\to\\file.vars"`
+- Forward Slashes: `"C:/path/to/file.vars"`
+- Long Bracket String: `[[C:\path\to\file.vars]]`
+
+**Example File:**
+```lua
+return {
+    userName = "Alice",
+    threshold = 10,
+    enableFeature = true
+}
+```
+
+| Find          | Replace                                                                       | Regex | Scope CSV | Description                                                                                          |
+|---------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------|-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| *(empty)*     | `lvars([[C:/tmp/myVars.vars]])`                                              | No    | No        | Loads variables such as `userName = "Alice"` and `threshold = 10` from `myVars.vars`.               |
+| `Hello`       | `set(userName)`                                                              | No    | No        | Replaces `Hello` with the value of the variable `userName`, e.g., `"Alice"`.                        |
+| `(\d+)`       | `cond(tonumber(CAP1) > threshold, "Above", "Below")`                         | Yes   | No        | Replaces the match based on the condition evaluated using the variable `threshold`.                 |
 
-##### Description
+An empty Find string (`*(empty)*`) initializes variables globally at the start of the 'Replace' or 'Replace All' process when "Use List" is enabled. This initialization runs only once and is independent of specific matches or its position in the list. Alternatively, variables can be loaded conditionally by combining `lvars` or `vars` with a Find string, triggering the variable assignment only when the specified string is matched.
+
+
+#### **lkp(key, hpath, inner)**
 Performs an external lookup of **key** against an indexed data file located at **hpath** and returns the corresponding value. By default, if the **key** is not found, `lkp()` simply reverts to the key itself. Setting **inner** to `true` instead yields a `nil` result when the key is missing, allowing for conditional checks or deeper nested logic.
 
 ##### Key and File Path