blob: d6913b6852320297685f35d7919351997d3bb418 [file] [log] [blame]
Bram Moolenaar50ba5262016-09-22 22:33:02 +02001*autocmd.txt* For Vim version 8.0. Last change: 2016 Sep 21
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7Automatic commands *autocommand*
8
9For a basic explanation, see section |40.3| in the user manual.
10
111. Introduction |autocmd-intro|
122. Defining autocommands |autocmd-define|
133. Removing autocommands |autocmd-remove|
144. Listing autocommands |autocmd-list|
155. Events |autocmd-events|
166. Patterns |autocmd-patterns|
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000177. Buffer-local autocommands |autocmd-buflocal|
188. Groups |autocmd-groups|
199. Executing autocommands |autocmd-execute|
2010. Using autocommands |autocmd-use|
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00002111. Disabling autocommands |autocmd-disable|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000022
23{Vi does not have any of these commands}
24{only when the |+autocmd| feature has not been disabled at compile time}
25
26==============================================================================
271. Introduction *autocmd-intro*
28
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +000029You can specify commands to be executed automatically when reading or writing
30a file, when entering or leaving a buffer or window, and when exiting Vim.
31For example, you can create an autocommand to set the 'cindent' option for
32files matching *.c. You can also use autocommands to implement advanced
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000033features, such as editing compressed files (see |gzip-example|). The usual
34place to put autocommands is in your .vimrc or .exrc file.
35
Bram Moolenaardb7207e2012-02-22 17:30:19 +010036 *E203* *E204* *E143* *E855*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000037WARNING: Using autocommands is very powerful, and may lead to unexpected side
38effects. Be careful not to destroy your text.
39- It's a good idea to do some testing on an expendable copy of a file first.
40 For example: If you use autocommands to decompress a file when starting to
41 edit it, make sure that the autocommands for compressing when writing work
42 correctly.
43- Be prepared for an error halfway through (e.g., disk full). Vim will mostly
44 be able to undo the changes to the buffer, but you may have to clean up the
45 changes to other files by hand (e.g., compress a file that has been
46 decompressed).
47- If the BufRead* events allow you to edit a compressed file, the FileRead*
48 events should do the same (this makes recovery possible in some rare cases).
49 It's a good idea to use the same autocommands for the File* and Buf* events
50 when possible.
51
52==============================================================================
532. Defining autocommands *autocmd-define*
54
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000055 *:au* *:autocmd*
56:au[tocmd] [group] {event} {pat} [nested] {cmd}
57 Add {cmd} to the list of commands that Vim will
58 execute automatically on {event} for a file matching
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +010059 {pat} |autocmd-patterns|.
60 Vim always adds the {cmd} after existing autocommands,
61 so that the autocommands execute in the order in which
62 they were given. See |autocmd-nested| for [nested].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000063
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +000064The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> defines a buffer-local autocommand.
65See |autocmd-buflocal|.
66
Bram Moolenaare99e8442016-07-26 20:43:40 +020067Note: The ":autocmd" command can only be followed by another command when the
68'|' appears before {cmd}. This works: >
69 :augroup mine | au! BufRead | augroup END
70But this sees "augroup" as part of the defined command: >
71 :augroup mine | au BufRead * set tw=70 | augroup END
72
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000073Note that special characters (e.g., "%", "<cword>") in the ":autocmd"
74arguments are not expanded when the autocommand is defined. These will be
75expanded when the Event is recognized, and the {cmd} is executed. The only
76exception is that "<sfile>" is expanded when the autocmd is defined. Example:
77>
78 :au BufNewFile,BufRead *.html so <sfile>:h/html.vim
79
80Here Vim expands <sfile> to the name of the file containing this line.
81
82When your .vimrc file is sourced twice, the autocommands will appear twice.
83To avoid this, put this command in your .vimrc file, before defining
84autocommands: >
85
86 :autocmd! " Remove ALL autocommands for the current group.
87
88If you don't want to remove all autocommands, you can instead use a variable
89to ensure that Vim includes the autocommands only once: >
90
91 :if !exists("autocommands_loaded")
92 : let autocommands_loaded = 1
93 : au ...
94 :endif
95
96When the [group] argument is not given, Vim uses the current group (as defined
97with ":augroup"); otherwise, Vim uses the group defined with [group]. Note
98that [group] must have been defined before. You cannot define a new group
99with ":au group ..."; use ":augroup" for that.
100
101While testing autocommands, you might find the 'verbose' option to be useful: >
102 :set verbose=9
103This setting makes Vim echo the autocommands as it executes them.
104
105When defining an autocommand in a script, it will be able to call functions
106local to the script and use mappings local to the script. When the event is
107triggered and the command executed, it will run in the context of the script
108it was defined in. This matters if |<SID>| is used in a command.
109
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000110When executing the commands, the message from one command overwrites a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000111previous message. This is different from when executing the commands
112manually. Mostly the screen will not scroll up, thus there is no hit-enter
113prompt. When one command outputs two messages this can happen anyway.
114
115==============================================================================
1163. Removing autocommands *autocmd-remove*
117
118:au[tocmd]! [group] {event} {pat} [nested] {cmd}
119 Remove all autocommands associated with {event} and
120 {pat}, and add the command {cmd}. See
121 |autocmd-nested| for [nested].
122
123:au[tocmd]! [group] {event} {pat}
124 Remove all autocommands associated with {event} and
125 {pat}.
126
127:au[tocmd]! [group] * {pat}
128 Remove all autocommands associated with {pat} for all
129 events.
130
131:au[tocmd]! [group] {event}
132 Remove ALL autocommands for {event}.
133
134:au[tocmd]! [group] Remove ALL autocommands.
135
136When the [group] argument is not given, Vim uses the current group (as defined
137with ":augroup"); otherwise, Vim uses the group defined with [group].
138
139==============================================================================
1404. Listing autocommands *autocmd-list*
141
142:au[tocmd] [group] {event} {pat}
143 Show the autocommands associated with {event} and
144 {pat}.
145
146:au[tocmd] [group] * {pat}
147 Show the autocommands associated with {pat} for all
148 events.
149
150:au[tocmd] [group] {event}
151 Show all autocommands for {event}.
152
153:au[tocmd] [group] Show all autocommands.
154
155If you provide the [group] argument, Vim lists only the autocommands for
156[group]; otherwise, Vim lists the autocommands for ALL groups. Note that this
157argument behavior differs from that for defining and removing autocommands.
158
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000159In order to list buffer-local autocommands, use a pattern in the form <buffer>
160or <buffer=N>. See |autocmd-buflocal|.
161
Bram Moolenaarac6e65f2005-08-29 22:25:38 +0000162 *:autocmd-verbose*
163When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing an autocommand will also display where it
164was last defined. Example: >
165
166 :verbose autocmd BufEnter
167 FileExplorer BufEnter
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000168 * call s:LocalBrowse(expand("<amatch>"))
Bram Moolenaarac6e65f2005-08-29 22:25:38 +0000169 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/plugin/NetrwPlugin.vim
170<
171See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
172
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000173==============================================================================
1745. Events *autocmd-events* *E215* *E216*
175
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000176You can specify a comma-separated list of event names. No white space can be
177used in this list. The command applies to all the events in the list.
178
179For READING FILES there are four kinds of events possible:
180 BufNewFile starting to edit a non-existent file
181 BufReadPre BufReadPost starting to edit an existing file
182 FilterReadPre FilterReadPost read the temp file with filter output
183 FileReadPre FileReadPost any other file read
184Vim uses only one of these four kinds when reading a file. The "Pre" and
185"Post" events are both triggered, before and after reading the file.
186
187Note that the autocommands for the *ReadPre events and all the Filter events
188are not allowed to change the current buffer (you will get an error message if
189this happens). This is to prevent the file to be read into the wrong buffer.
190
191Note that the 'modified' flag is reset AFTER executing the BufReadPost
192and BufNewFile autocommands. But when the 'modified' option was set by the
193autocommands, this doesn't happen.
194
195You can use the 'eventignore' option to ignore a number of events or all
196events.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000197 *autocommand-events* *{event}*
198Vim recognizes the following events. Vim ignores the case of event names
199(e.g., you can use "BUFread" or "bufread" instead of "BufRead").
200
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000201First an overview by function with a short explanation. Then the list
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000202alphabetically with full explanations |autocmd-events-abc|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000203
204Name triggered by ~
205
206 Reading
207|BufNewFile| starting to edit a file that doesn't exist
208|BufReadPre| starting to edit a new buffer, before reading the file
209|BufRead| starting to edit a new buffer, after reading the file
210|BufReadPost| starting to edit a new buffer, after reading the file
211|BufReadCmd| before starting to edit a new buffer |Cmd-event|
212
213|FileReadPre| before reading a file with a ":read" command
214|FileReadPost| after reading a file with a ":read" command
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000215|FileReadCmd| before reading a file with a ":read" command |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000216
217|FilterReadPre| before reading a file from a filter command
218|FilterReadPost| after reading a file from a filter command
219
220|StdinReadPre| before reading from stdin into the buffer
221|StdinReadPost| After reading from the stdin into the buffer
222
223 Writing
224|BufWrite| starting to write the whole buffer to a file
225|BufWritePre| starting to write the whole buffer to a file
226|BufWritePost| after writing the whole buffer to a file
227|BufWriteCmd| before writing the whole buffer to a file |Cmd-event|
228
229|FileWritePre| starting to write part of a buffer to a file
230|FileWritePost| after writing part of a buffer to a file
231|FileWriteCmd| before writing part of a buffer to a file |Cmd-event|
232
233|FileAppendPre| starting to append to a file
234|FileAppendPost| after appending to a file
235|FileAppendCmd| before appending to a file |Cmd-event|
236
237|FilterWritePre| starting to write a file for a filter command or diff
238|FilterWritePost| after writing a file for a filter command or diff
239
240 Buffers
241|BufAdd| just after adding a buffer to the buffer list
242|BufCreate| just after adding a buffer to the buffer list
243|BufDelete| before deleting a buffer from the buffer list
244|BufWipeout| before completely deleting a buffer
245
246|BufFilePre| before changing the name of the current buffer
247|BufFilePost| after changing the name of the current buffer
248
249|BufEnter| after entering a buffer
250|BufLeave| before leaving to another buffer
251|BufWinEnter| after a buffer is displayed in a window
252|BufWinLeave| before a buffer is removed from a window
253
254|BufUnload| before unloading a buffer
255|BufHidden| just after a buffer has become hidden
256|BufNew| just after creating a new buffer
257
258|SwapExists| detected an existing swap file
259
260 Options
261|FileType| when the 'filetype' option has been set
262|Syntax| when the 'syntax' option has been set
263|EncodingChanged| after the 'encoding' option has been changed
264|TermChanged| after the value of 'term' has changed
Bram Moolenaar53744302015-07-17 17:38:22 +0200265|OptionSet| after setting any option
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000266
267 Startup and exit
268|VimEnter| after doing all the startup stuff
269|GUIEnter| after starting the GUI successfully
Bram Moolenaard09acef2012-09-21 14:54:30 +0200270|GUIFailed| after starting the GUI failed
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000271|TermResponse| after the terminal response to |t_RV| is received
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000272
Bram Moolenaar00154502013-02-13 16:15:55 +0100273|QuitPre| when using `:quit`, before deciding whether to quit
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000274|VimLeavePre| before exiting Vim, before writing the viminfo file
275|VimLeave| before exiting Vim, after writing the viminfo file
276
277 Various
278|FileChangedShell| Vim notices that a file changed since editing started
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000279|FileChangedShellPost| After handling a file changed since editing started
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000280|FileChangedRO| before making the first change to a read-only file
281
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +0000282|ShellCmdPost| after executing a shell command
283|ShellFilterPost| after filtering with a shell command
284
Bram Moolenaard5005162014-08-22 23:05:54 +0200285|CmdUndefined| a user command is used but it isn't defined
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000286|FuncUndefined| a user function is used but it isn't defined
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000287|SpellFileMissing| a spell file is used but it can't be found
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +0000288|SourcePre| before sourcing a Vim script
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +0000289|SourceCmd| before sourcing a Vim script |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000290
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000291|VimResized| after the Vim window size changed
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000292|FocusGained| Vim got input focus
293|FocusLost| Vim lost input focus
294|CursorHold| the user doesn't press a key for a while
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000295|CursorHoldI| the user doesn't press a key for a while in Insert mode
296|CursorMoved| the cursor was moved in Normal mode
297|CursorMovedI| the cursor was moved in Insert mode
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000298
Bram Moolenaarc917da42016-07-19 22:31:36 +0200299|WinNew| after creating a new window
Bram Moolenaar12c11d52016-07-19 23:13:03 +0200300|TabNew| after creating a new tab page
301|TabClosed| after closing a tab page
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000302|WinEnter| after entering another window
303|WinLeave| before leaving a window
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000304|TabEnter| after entering another tab page
305|TabLeave| before leaving a tab page
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000306|CmdwinEnter| after entering the command-line window
307|CmdwinLeave| before leaving the command-line window
308
309|InsertEnter| starting Insert mode
310|InsertChange| when typing <Insert> while in Insert or Replace mode
311|InsertLeave| when leaving Insert mode
Bram Moolenaare659c952011-05-19 17:25:41 +0200312|InsertCharPre| when a character was typed in Insert mode, before
313 inserting it
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000314
Bram Moolenaardfb18412013-12-11 18:53:29 +0100315|TextChanged| after a change was made to the text in Normal mode
316|TextChangedI| after a change was made to the text in Insert mode
317
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000318|ColorScheme| after loading a color scheme
319
320|RemoteReply| a reply from a server Vim was received
321
322|QuickFixCmdPre| before a quickfix command is run
323|QuickFixCmdPost| after a quickfix command is run
324
325|SessionLoadPost| after loading a session file
326
327|MenuPopup| just before showing the popup menu
Bram Moolenaard09acef2012-09-21 14:54:30 +0200328|CompleteDone| after Insert mode completion is done
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000329
330|User| to be used in combination with ":doautocmd"
331
332
333The alphabetical list of autocommand events: *autocmd-events-abc*
334
335 *BufCreate* *BufAdd*
336BufAdd or BufCreate Just after creating a new buffer which is
337 added to the buffer list, or adding a buffer
338 to the buffer list.
339 Also used just after a buffer in the buffer
340 list has been renamed.
341 The BufCreate event is for historic reasons.
342 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
343 current buffer "%" may be different from the
344 buffer being created "<afile>".
345 *BufDelete*
346BufDelete Before deleting a buffer from the buffer list.
347 The BufUnload may be called first (if the
348 buffer was loaded).
349 Also used just before a buffer in the buffer
350 list is renamed.
351 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
352 current buffer "%" may be different from the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000353 buffer being deleted "<afile>" and "<abuf>".
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000354 Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
355 problems.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000356 *BufEnter*
357BufEnter After entering a buffer. Useful for setting
358 options for a file type. Also executed when
359 starting to edit a buffer, after the
360 BufReadPost autocommands.
361 *BufFilePost*
362BufFilePost After changing the name of the current buffer
363 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000364 *BufFilePre*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000365BufFilePre Before changing the name of the current buffer
366 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
367 *BufHidden*
368BufHidden Just after a buffer has become hidden. That
369 is, when there are no longer windows that show
370 the buffer, but the buffer is not unloaded or
371 deleted. Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when
372 exiting Vim.
373 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
374 current buffer "%" may be different from the
375 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
376 *BufLeave*
377BufLeave Before leaving to another buffer. Also when
378 leaving or closing the current window and the
379 new current window is not for the same buffer.
380 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
381 *BufNew*
382BufNew Just after creating a new buffer. Also used
383 just after a buffer has been renamed. When
384 the buffer is added to the buffer list BufAdd
385 will be triggered too.
386 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
387 current buffer "%" may be different from the
388 buffer being created "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000389 *BufNewFile*
390BufNewFile When starting to edit a file that doesn't
391 exist. Can be used to read in a skeleton
392 file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000393 *BufRead* *BufReadPost*
394BufRead or BufReadPost When starting to edit a new buffer, after
395 reading the file into the buffer, before
396 executing the modelines. See |BufWinEnter|
397 for when you need to do something after
398 processing the modelines.
399 This does NOT work for ":r file". Not used
400 when the file doesn't exist. Also used after
401 successfully recovering a file.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +0200402 Also triggered for the filetypedetect group
403 when executing ":filetype detect" and when
404 writing an unnamed buffer in a way that the
405 buffer gets a name.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000406 *BufReadCmd*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000407BufReadCmd Before starting to edit a new buffer. Should
408 read the file into the buffer. |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000409 *BufReadPre* *E200* *E201*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000410BufReadPre When starting to edit a new buffer, before
411 reading the file into the buffer. Not used
412 if the file doesn't exist.
413 *BufUnload*
414BufUnload Before unloading a buffer. This is when the
415 text in the buffer is going to be freed. This
416 may be after a BufWritePost and before a
417 BufDelete. Also used for all buffers that are
418 loaded when Vim is going to exit.
419 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
420 current buffer "%" may be different from the
421 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaar64d8e252016-09-06 22:12:34 +0200422 Don't change to another buffer or window, it
423 will cause problems!
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200424 When exiting and v:dying is 2 or more this
425 event is not triggered.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000426 *BufWinEnter*
427BufWinEnter After a buffer is displayed in a window. This
428 can be when the buffer is loaded (after
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000429 processing the modelines) or when a hidden
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000430 buffer is displayed in a window (and is no
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000431 longer hidden).
432 Does not happen for |:split| without
433 arguments, since you keep editing the same
434 buffer, or ":split" with a file that's already
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +0000435 open in a window, because it re-uses an
436 existing buffer. But it does happen for a
437 ":split" with the name of the current buffer,
438 since it reloads that buffer.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000439 *BufWinLeave*
440BufWinLeave Before a buffer is removed from a window.
441 Not when it's still visible in another window.
442 Also triggered when exiting. It's triggered
443 before BufUnload or BufHidden.
444 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
445 current buffer "%" may be different from the
446 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200447 When exiting and v:dying is 2 or more this
448 event is not triggered.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000449 *BufWipeout*
450BufWipeout Before completely deleting a buffer. The
451 BufUnload and BufDelete events may be called
452 first (if the buffer was loaded and was in the
453 buffer list). Also used just before a buffer
454 is renamed (also when it's not in the buffer
455 list).
456 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
457 current buffer "%" may be different from the
458 buffer being deleted "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000459 Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
460 problems.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000461 *BufWrite* *BufWritePre*
462BufWrite or BufWritePre Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000463 *BufWriteCmd*
464BufWriteCmd Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
465 Should do the writing of the file and reset
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000466 'modified' if successful, unless '+' is in
467 'cpo' and writing to another file |cpo-+|.
468 The buffer contents should not be changed.
Bram Moolenaar5302d9e2011-09-14 17:55:08 +0200469 When the command resets 'modified' the undo
470 information is adjusted to mark older undo
471 states as 'modified', like |:write| does.
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000472 |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000473 *BufWritePost*
474BufWritePost After writing the whole buffer to a file
475 (should undo the commands for BufWritePre).
Bram Moolenaard5005162014-08-22 23:05:54 +0200476 *CmdUndefined*
477CmdUndefined When a user command is used but it isn't
478 defined. Useful for defining a command only
479 when it's used. The pattern is matched
480 against the command name. Both <amatch> and
481 <afile> are set to the name of the command.
482 NOTE: Autocompletion won't work until the
483 command is defined. An alternative is to
484 always define the user command and have it
485 invoke an autoloaded function. See |autoload|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000486 *CmdwinEnter*
487CmdwinEnter After entering the command-line window.
488 Useful for setting options specifically for
489 this special type of window. This is
490 triggered _instead_ of BufEnter and WinEnter.
491 <afile> is set to a single character,
492 indicating the type of command-line.
493 |cmdwin-char|
494 *CmdwinLeave*
495CmdwinLeave Before leaving the command-line window.
496 Useful to clean up any global setting done
497 with CmdwinEnter. This is triggered _instead_
498 of BufLeave and WinLeave.
499 <afile> is set to a single character,
500 indicating the type of command-line.
501 |cmdwin-char|
502 *ColorScheme*
503ColorScheme After loading a color scheme. |:colorscheme|
Bram Moolenaarb95186f2013-11-28 18:53:52 +0100504 The pattern is matched against the
505 colorscheme name. <afile> can be used for the
506 name of the actual file where this option was
507 set, and <amatch> for the new colorscheme
508 name.
509
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000510
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +0200511 *CompleteDone*
512CompleteDone After Insert mode completion is done. Either
513 when something was completed or abandoning
514 completion. |ins-completion|
Bram Moolenaar42a45122015-07-10 17:56:23 +0200515 The |v:completed_item| variable contains
516 information about the completed item.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +0200517
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000518 *CursorHold*
519CursorHold When the user doesn't press a key for the time
520 specified with 'updatetime'. Not re-triggered
521 until the user has pressed a key (i.e. doesn't
522 fire every 'updatetime' ms if you leave Vim to
523 make some coffee. :) See |CursorHold-example|
524 for previewing tags.
525 This event is only triggered in Normal mode.
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000526 It is not triggered when waiting for a command
527 argument to be typed, or a movement after an
528 operator.
Bram Moolenaare3226be2005-12-18 22:10:00 +0000529 While recording the CursorHold event is not
530 triggered. |q|
Bram Moolenaar3a991dd2014-10-02 01:41:41 +0200531 *<CursorHold>*
532 Internally the autocommand is triggered by the
533 <CursorHold> key. In an expression mapping
534 |getchar()| may see this character.
535
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000536 Note: Interactive commands cannot be used for
537 this event. There is no hit-enter prompt,
538 the screen is updated directly (when needed).
539 Note: In the future there will probably be
540 another option to set the time.
541 Hint: to force an update of the status lines
542 use: >
543 :let &ro = &ro
544< {only on Amiga, Unix, Win32, MSDOS and all GUI
545 versions}
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000546 *CursorHoldI*
547CursorHoldI Just like CursorHold, but in Insert mode.
Bram Moolenaaraa3b15d2016-04-21 08:53:19 +0200548 Not triggered when waiting for another key,
549 e.g. after CTRL-V, and not when in CTRL-X mode
550 |insert_expand|.
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000551
552 *CursorMoved*
Bram Moolenaar52b91d82013-06-15 21:39:51 +0200553CursorMoved After the cursor was moved in Normal or Visual
554 mode. Also when the text of the cursor line
555 has been changed, e.g., with "x", "rx" or "p".
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000556 Not triggered when there is typeahead or when
557 an operator is pending.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000558 For an example see |match-parens|.
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200559 Careful: This is triggered very often, don't
560 do anything that the user does not expect or
561 that is slow.
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000562 *CursorMovedI*
563CursorMovedI After the cursor was moved in Insert mode.
Bram Moolenaar5302d9e2011-09-14 17:55:08 +0200564 Not triggered when the popup menu is visible.
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000565 Otherwise the same as CursorMoved.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000566 *EncodingChanged*
567EncodingChanged Fires off after the 'encoding' option has been
568 changed. Useful to set up fonts, for example.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000569 *FileAppendCmd*
570FileAppendCmd Before appending to a file. Should do the
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000571 appending to the file. Use the '[ and ']
572 marks for the range of lines.|Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000573 *FileAppendPost*
574FileAppendPost After appending to a file.
575 *FileAppendPre*
576FileAppendPre Before appending to a file. Use the '[ and ']
577 marks for the range of lines.
578 *FileChangedRO*
579FileChangedRO Before making the first change to a read-only
580 file. Can be used to check-out the file from
581 a source control system. Not triggered when
582 the change was caused by an autocommand.
583 This event is triggered when making the first
584 change in a buffer or the first change after
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +0000585 'readonly' was set, just before the change is
586 applied to the text.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000587 WARNING: If the autocommand moves the cursor
588 the effect of the change is undefined.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000589 *E788*
590 It is not allowed to change to another buffer
591 here. You can reload the buffer but not edit
592 another one.
Bram Moolenaar92dff182014-02-11 19:15:50 +0100593 *E881*
594 If the number of lines changes saving for undo
595 may fail and the change will be aborted.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000596 *FileChangedShell*
597FileChangedShell When Vim notices that the modification time of
598 a file has changed since editing started.
599 Also when the file attributes of the file
Bram Moolenaare968e362014-05-13 20:23:24 +0200600 change or when the size of the file changes.
601 |timestamp|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000602 Mostly triggered after executing a shell
603 command, but also with a |:checktime| command
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +0000604 or when Gvim regains input focus.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000605 This autocommand is triggered for each changed
606 file. It is not used when 'autoread' is set
607 and the buffer was not changed. If a
608 FileChangedShell autocommand is present the
609 warning message and prompt is not given.
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +0000610 The |v:fcs_reason| variable is set to indicate
611 what happened and |v:fcs_choice| can be used
612 to tell Vim what to do next.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000613 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
614 current buffer "%" may be different from the
615 buffer that was changed "<afile>".
616 NOTE: The commands must not change the current
617 buffer, jump to another buffer or delete a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100618 buffer. *E246* *E811*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000619 NOTE: This event never nests, to avoid an
620 endless loop. This means that while executing
621 commands for the FileChangedShell event no
622 other FileChangedShell event will be
623 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000624 *FileChangedShellPost*
625FileChangedShellPost After handling a file that was changed outside
626 of Vim. Can be used to update the statusline.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000627 *FileEncoding*
628FileEncoding Obsolete. It still works and is equivalent
629 to |EncodingChanged|.
630 *FileReadCmd*
631FileReadCmd Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
632 Should do the reading of the file. |Cmd-event|
633 *FileReadPost*
634FileReadPost After reading a file with a ":read" command.
635 Note that Vim sets the '[ and '] marks to the
636 first and last line of the read. This can be
637 used to operate on the lines just read.
638 *FileReadPre*
639FileReadPre Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
640 *FileType*
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000641FileType When the 'filetype' option has been set. The
642 pattern is matched against the filetype.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000643 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
644 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
645 the new value of 'filetype'.
646 See |filetypes|.
647 *FileWriteCmd*
648FileWriteCmd Before writing to a file, when not writing the
649 whole buffer. Should do the writing to the
650 file. Should not change the buffer. Use the
651 '[ and '] marks for the range of lines.
652 |Cmd-event|
653 *FileWritePost*
654FileWritePost After writing to a file, when not writing the
655 whole buffer.
656 *FileWritePre*
657FileWritePre Before writing to a file, when not writing the
658 whole buffer. Use the '[ and '] marks for the
659 range of lines.
660 *FilterReadPost*
661FilterReadPost After reading a file from a filter command.
662 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
663 the current buffer as with FilterReadPre.
664 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
665 *FilterReadPre* *E135*
666FilterReadPre Before reading a file from a filter command.
667 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
668 the current buffer, not the name of the
669 temporary file that is the output of the
670 filter command.
671 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
672 *FilterWritePost*
673FilterWritePost After writing a file for a filter command or
674 making a diff.
675 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
676 the current buffer as with FilterWritePre.
677 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
678 *FilterWritePre*
679FilterWritePre Before writing a file for a filter command or
680 making a diff.
681 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
682 the current buffer, not the name of the
683 temporary file that is the output of the
684 filter command.
685 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000686 *FocusGained*
687FocusGained When Vim got input focus. Only for the GUI
688 version and a few console versions where this
689 can be detected.
690 *FocusLost*
691FocusLost When Vim lost input focus. Only for the GUI
692 version and a few console versions where this
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +0000693 can be detected. May also happen when a
694 dialog pops up.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000695 *FuncUndefined*
696FuncUndefined When a user function is used but it isn't
697 defined. Useful for defining a function only
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000698 when it's used. The pattern is matched
699 against the function name. Both <amatch> and
700 <afile> are set to the name of the function.
Bram Moolenaard5005162014-08-22 23:05:54 +0200701 NOTE: When writing Vim scripts a better
702 alternative is to use an autoloaded function.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000703 See |autoload-functions|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000704 *GUIEnter*
705GUIEnter After starting the GUI successfully, and after
706 opening the window. It is triggered before
707 VimEnter when using gvim. Can be used to
708 position the window from a .gvimrc file: >
709 :autocmd GUIEnter * winpos 100 50
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000710< *GUIFailed*
711GUIFailed After starting the GUI failed. Vim may
712 continue to run in the terminal, if possible
713 (only on Unix and alikes, when connecting the
714 X server fails). You may want to quit Vim: >
715 :autocmd GUIFailed * qall
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000716< *InsertChange*
717InsertChange When typing <Insert> while in Insert or
718 Replace mode. The |v:insertmode| variable
719 indicates the new mode.
720 Be careful not to move the cursor or do
721 anything else that the user does not expect.
Bram Moolenaare659c952011-05-19 17:25:41 +0200722 *InsertCharPre*
723InsertCharPre When a character is typed in Insert mode,
724 before inserting the char.
725 The |v:char| variable indicates the char typed
726 and can be changed during the event to insert
727 a different character. When |v:char| is set
728 to more than one character this text is
729 inserted literally.
730 It is not allowed to change the text |textlock|.
731 The event is not triggered when 'paste' is
732 set.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000733 *InsertEnter*
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000734InsertEnter Just before starting Insert mode. Also for
735 Replace mode and Virtual Replace mode. The
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000736 |v:insertmode| variable indicates the mode.
Bram Moolenaar097c9922013-05-19 21:15:15 +0200737 Be careful not to do anything else that the
738 user does not expect.
739 The cursor is restored afterwards. If you do
740 not want that set |v:char| to a non-empty
741 string.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000742 *InsertLeave*
743InsertLeave When leaving Insert mode. Also when using
744 CTRL-O |i_CTRL-O|. But not for |i_CTRL-C|.
745 *MenuPopup*
746MenuPopup Just before showing the popup menu (under the
747 right mouse button). Useful for adjusting the
748 menu for what is under the cursor or mouse
749 pointer.
750 The pattern is matched against a single
751 character representing the mode:
752 n Normal
753 v Visual
754 o Operator-pending
755 i Insert
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000756 c Command line
Bram Moolenaar53744302015-07-17 17:38:22 +0200757 *OptionSet*
758OptionSet After setting an option. The pattern is
759 matched against the long option name.
760 The |v:option_old| variable indicates the
761 old option value, |v:option_new| variable
762 indicates the newly set value, the
763 |v:option_type| variable indicates whether
764 it's global or local scoped and |<amatch>|
765 indicates what option has been set.
766
767 Is not triggered on startup and for the 'key'
768 option for obvious reasons.
769
Bram Moolenaarf9132812015-07-21 19:19:13 +0200770 Usage example: Check for the existence of the
771 directory in the 'backupdir' and 'undodir'
772 options, create the directory if it doesn't
773 exist yet.
774
775 Note: It's a bad idea to reset an option
776 during this autocommand, this may break a
777 plugin. You can always use `:noa` to prevent
778 triggering this autocommand.
Bram Moolenaar53744302015-07-17 17:38:22 +0200779
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000780 *QuickFixCmdPre*
781QuickFixCmdPre Before a quickfix command is run (|:make|,
Bram Moolenaara6557602006-02-04 22:43:20 +0000782 |:lmake|, |:grep|, |:lgrep|, |:grepadd|,
783 |:lgrepadd|, |:vimgrep|, |:lvimgrep|,
Bram Moolenaar6be7f872012-01-20 21:08:56 +0100784 |:vimgrepadd|, |:lvimgrepadd|, |:cscope|,
Bram Moolenaar84f72352012-03-11 15:57:40 +0100785 |:cfile|, |:cgetfile|, |:caddfile|, |:lfile|,
786 |:lgetfile|, |:laddfile|, |:helpgrep|,
Bram Moolenaar64d8e252016-09-06 22:12:34 +0200787 |:lhelpgrep|, |:cexpr|, |:cgetexpr|,
788 |:caddexpr|, |:cbuffer|, |:cgetbuffer|,
789 |:caddbuffer|).
Bram Moolenaarf1eeae92010-05-14 23:14:42 +0200790 The pattern is matched against the command
791 being run. When |:grep| is used but 'grepprg'
792 is set to "internal" it still matches "grep".
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000793 This command cannot be used to set the
794 'makeprg' and 'grepprg' variables.
795 If this command causes an error, the quickfix
796 command is not executed.
797 *QuickFixCmdPost*
798QuickFixCmdPost Like QuickFixCmdPre, but after a quickfix
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000799 command is run, before jumping to the first
Bram Moolenaar8ec1f852012-03-07 20:13:49 +0100800 location. For |:cfile| and |:lfile| commands
801 it is run after error file is read and before
Bram Moolenaar92dff182014-02-11 19:15:50 +0100802 moving to the first error.
Bram Moolenaar8ec1f852012-03-07 20:13:49 +0100803 See |QuickFixCmdPost-example|.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +0200804 *QuitPre*
Bram Moolenaarac7bd632013-03-19 11:35:58 +0100805QuitPre When using `:quit`, `:wq` or `:qall`, before
806 deciding whether it closes the current window
807 or quits Vim. Can be used to close any
808 non-essential window if the current window is
809 the last ordinary window.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000810 *RemoteReply*
811RemoteReply When a reply from a Vim that functions as
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000812 server was received |server2client()|. The
813 pattern is matched against the {serverid}.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000814 <amatch> is equal to the {serverid} from which
815 the reply was sent, and <afile> is the actual
816 reply string.
817 Note that even if an autocommand is defined,
818 the reply should be read with |remote_read()|
819 to consume it.
820 *SessionLoadPost*
821SessionLoadPost After loading the session file created using
822 the |:mksession| command.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +0000823 *ShellCmdPost*
824ShellCmdPost After executing a shell command with |:!cmd|,
825 |:shell|, |:make| and |:grep|. Can be used to
826 check for any changed files.
827 *ShellFilterPost*
828ShellFilterPost After executing a shell command with
829 ":{range}!cmd", ":w !cmd" or ":r !cmd".
830 Can be used to check for any changed files.
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +0000831 *SourcePre*
832SourcePre Before sourcing a Vim script. |:source|
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +0000833 <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
834 *SourceCmd*
835SourceCmd When sourcing a Vim script. |:source|
836 <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
837 The autocommand must source this file.
838 |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000839 *SpellFileMissing*
840SpellFileMissing When trying to load a spell checking file and
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +0000841 it can't be found. The pattern is matched
842 against the language. <amatch> is the
843 language, 'encoding' also matters. See
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000844 |spell-SpellFileMissing|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000845 *StdinReadPost*
846StdinReadPost After reading from the stdin into the buffer,
847 before executing the modelines. Only used
848 when the "-" argument was used when Vim was
849 started |--|.
850 *StdinReadPre*
851StdinReadPre Before reading from stdin into the buffer.
852 Only used when the "-" argument was used when
853 Vim was started |--|.
854 *SwapExists*
855SwapExists Detected an existing swap file when starting
856 to edit a file. Only when it is possible to
857 select a way to handle the situation, when Vim
858 would ask the user what to do.
859 The |v:swapname| variable holds the name of
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +0000860 the swap file found, <afile> the file being
861 edited. |v:swapcommand| may contain a command
862 to be executed in the opened file.
863 The commands should set the |v:swapchoice|
864 variable to a string with one character to
865 tell Vim what should be done next:
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000866 'o' open read-only
867 'e' edit the file anyway
868 'r' recover
869 'd' delete the swap file
870 'q' quit, don't edit the file
871 'a' abort, like hitting CTRL-C
872 When set to an empty string the user will be
873 asked, as if there was no SwapExists autocmd.
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000874 *E812*
875 It is not allowed to change to another buffer,
876 change a buffer name or change directory
877 here.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000878 *Syntax*
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000879Syntax When the 'syntax' option has been set. The
880 pattern is matched against the syntax name.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000881 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
882 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
883 the new value of 'syntax'.
884 See |:syn-on|.
Bram Moolenaar12c11d52016-07-19 23:13:03 +0200885 *TabClosed*
886TabClosed After closing a tab page.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000887 *TabEnter*
888TabEnter Just after entering a tab page. |tab-page|
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +0000889 After triggering the WinEnter and before
890 triggering the BufEnter event.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000891 *TabLeave*
892TabLeave Just before leaving a tab page. |tab-page|
893 A WinLeave event will have been triggered
894 first.
Bram Moolenaarc917da42016-07-19 22:31:36 +0200895 *TabNew*
896TabNew When a tab page was created. |tab-page|
897 A WinEnter event will have been triggered
898 first, TabEnter follows.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000899 *TermChanged*
900TermChanged After the value of 'term' has changed. Useful
901 for re-loading the syntax file to update the
902 colors, fonts and other terminal-dependent
903 settings. Executed for all loaded buffers.
904 *TermResponse*
905TermResponse After the response to |t_RV| is received from
906 the terminal. The value of |v:termresponse|
907 can be used to do things depending on the
Bram Moolenaar8e5af3e2011-04-28 19:02:44 +0200908 terminal version. Note that this event may be
909 triggered halfway executing another event,
910 especially if file I/O, a shell command or
911 anything else that takes time is involved.
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200912 *TextChanged*
913TextChanged After a change was made to the text in the
914 current buffer in Normal mode. That is when
915 |b:changedtick| has changed.
916 Not triggered when there is typeahead or when
917 an operator is pending.
918 Careful: This is triggered very often, don't
919 do anything that the user does not expect or
920 that is slow.
921 *TextChangedI*
922TextChangedI After a change was made to the text in the
923 current buffer in Insert mode.
924 Not triggered when the popup menu is visible.
925 Otherwise the same as TextChanged.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000926 *User*
927User Never executed automatically. To be used for
928 autocommands that are only executed with
929 ":doautocmd".
930 *UserGettingBored*
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200931UserGettingBored When the user presses the same key 42 times.
932 Just kidding! :-)
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000933 *VimEnter*
934VimEnter After doing all the startup stuff, including
935 loading .vimrc files, executing the "-c cmd"
936 arguments, creating all windows and loading
937 the buffers in them.
Bram Moolenaar14735512016-03-26 21:00:08 +0100938 Just before this event is triggered the
939 |v:vim_did_enter| variable is set, so that you
940 can do: >
941 if v:vim_did_enter
942 call s:init()
943 else
944 au VimEnter * call s:init()
945 endif
946< *VimLeave*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000947VimLeave Before exiting Vim, just after writing the
948 .viminfo file. Executed only once, like
949 VimLeavePre.
950 To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200951 When v:dying is 2 or more this event is not
952 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000953 *VimLeavePre*
954VimLeavePre Before exiting Vim, just before writing the
955 .viminfo file. This is executed only once,
956 if there is a match with the name of what
957 happens to be the current buffer when exiting.
958 Mostly useful with a "*" pattern. >
959 :autocmd VimLeavePre * call CleanupStuff()
960< To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200961 When v:dying is 2 or more this event is not
962 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000963 *VimResized*
964VimResized After the Vim window was resized, thus 'lines'
965 and/or 'columns' changed. Not when starting
966 up though.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000967 *WinEnter*
968WinEnter After entering another window. Not done for
969 the first window, when Vim has just started.
970 Useful for setting the window height.
971 If the window is for another buffer, Vim
972 executes the BufEnter autocommands after the
973 WinEnter autocommands.
974 Note: When using ":split fname" the WinEnter
975 event is triggered after the split but before
976 the file "fname" is loaded.
977 *WinLeave*
978WinLeave Before leaving a window. If the window to be
979 entered next is for a different buffer, Vim
980 executes the BufLeave autocommands before the
981 WinLeave autocommands (but not for ":new").
982 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000983
Bram Moolenaar12c11d52016-07-19 23:13:03 +0200984 *WinNew*
985WinNew When a new window was created. Not done for
Bram Moolenaar50ba5262016-09-22 22:33:02 +0200986 the first window, when Vim has just started.
Bram Moolenaar12c11d52016-07-19 23:13:03 +0200987 Before a WinEnter event.
988
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000989==============================================================================
9906. Patterns *autocmd-patterns* *{pat}*
991
Bram Moolenaar5a5f4592015-04-13 12:43:06 +0200992The {pat} argument can be a comma separated list. This works as if the
993command was given with each pattern separately. Thus this command: >
994 :autocmd BufRead *.txt,*.info set et
995Is equivalent to: >
996 :autocmd BufRead *.txt set et
997 :autocmd BufRead *.info set et
998
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000999The file pattern {pat} is tested for a match against the file name in one of
1000two ways:
10011. When there is no '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against only
1002 the tail part of the file name (without its leading directory path).
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +010010032. When there is a '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against both the
1004 short file name (as you typed it) and the full file name (after expanding
1005 it to a full path and resolving symbolic links).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001006
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001007The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> is used for buffer-local
1008autocommands |autocmd-buflocal|. This pattern is not matched against the name
1009of a buffer.
1010
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001011Examples: >
1012 :autocmd BufRead *.txt set et
1013Set the 'et' option for all text files. >
1014
1015 :autocmd BufRead /vim/src/*.c set cindent
1016Set the 'cindent' option for C files in the /vim/src directory. >
1017
1018 :autocmd BufRead /tmp/*.c set ts=5
1019If you have a link from "/tmp/test.c" to "/home/nobody/vim/src/test.c", and
1020you start editing "/tmp/test.c", this autocommand will match.
1021
1022Note: To match part of a path, but not from the root directory, use a '*' as
1023the first character. Example: >
1024 :autocmd BufRead */doc/*.txt set tw=78
1025This autocommand will for example be executed for "/tmp/doc/xx.txt" and
1026"/usr/home/piet/doc/yy.txt". The number of directories does not matter here.
1027
1028
1029The file name that the pattern is matched against is after expanding
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001030wildcards. Thus if you issue this command: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001031 :e $ROOTDIR/main.$EXT
1032The argument is first expanded to: >
1033 /usr/root/main.py
1034Before it's matched with the pattern of the autocommand. Careful with this
1035when using events like FileReadCmd, the value of <amatch> may not be what you
1036expect.
1037
1038
1039Environment variables can be used in a pattern: >
1040 :autocmd BufRead $VIMRUNTIME/doc/*.txt set expandtab
1041And ~ can be used for the home directory (if $HOME is defined): >
1042 :autocmd BufWritePost ~/.vimrc so ~/.vimrc
1043 :autocmd BufRead ~archive/* set readonly
1044The environment variable is expanded when the autocommand is defined, not when
1045the autocommand is executed. This is different from the command!
1046
1047 *file-pattern*
1048The pattern is interpreted like mostly used in file names:
Bram Moolenaar3b1db362013-08-10 15:00:24 +02001049 * matches any sequence of characters; Unusual: includes path
Bram Moolenaar9d98fe92013-08-03 18:35:36 +02001050 separators
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001051 ? matches any single character
1052 \? matches a '?'
1053 . matches a '.'
1054 ~ matches a '~'
1055 , separates patterns
1056 \, matches a ','
1057 { } like \( \) in a |pattern|
1058 , inside { }: like \| in a |pattern|
Bram Moolenaara946afe2013-08-02 15:22:39 +02001059 \} literal }
1060 \{ literal {
1061 \\\{n,m\} like \{n,m} in a |pattern|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001062 \ special meaning like in a |pattern|
1063 [ch] matches 'c' or 'h'
1064 [^ch] match any character but 'c' and 'h'
1065
1066Note that for all systems the '/' character is used for path separator (even
1067MS-DOS and OS/2). This was done because the backslash is difficult to use
1068in a pattern and to make the autocommands portable across different systems.
1069
Bram Moolenaar64d8e252016-09-06 22:12:34 +02001070It is possible to use |pattern| items, but they may not work as expected,
1071because of the translation done for the above.
1072
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001073 *autocmd-changes*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001074Matching with the pattern is done when an event is triggered. Changing the
1075buffer name in one of the autocommands, or even deleting the buffer, does not
1076change which autocommands will be executed. Example: >
1077
1078 au BufEnter *.foo bdel
1079 au BufEnter *.foo set modified
1080
1081This will delete the current buffer and then set 'modified' in what has become
1082the current buffer instead. Vim doesn't take into account that "*.foo"
1083doesn't match with that buffer name. It matches "*.foo" with the name of the
1084buffer at the moment the event was triggered.
1085
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001086However, buffer-local autocommands will not be executed for a buffer that has
1087been wiped out with |:bwipe|. After deleting the buffer with |:bdel| the
1088buffer actually still exists (it becomes unlisted), thus the autocommands are
1089still executed.
1090
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001091==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +000010927. Buffer-local autocommands *autocmd-buflocal* *autocmd-buffer-local*
1093 *<buffer=N>* *<buffer=abuf>* *E680*
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001094
1095Buffer-local autocommands are attached to a specific buffer. They are useful
1096if the buffer does not have a name and when the name does not match a specific
1097pattern. But it also means they must be explicitly added to each buffer.
1098
1099Instead of a pattern buffer-local autocommands use one of these forms:
1100 <buffer> current buffer
1101 <buffer=99> buffer number 99
1102 <buffer=abuf> using <abuf> (only when executing autocommands)
1103 |<abuf>|
1104
1105Examples: >
1106 :au CursorHold <buffer> echo 'hold'
1107 :au CursorHold <buffer=33> echo 'hold'
Bram Moolenaar88774fd2015-08-25 19:52:04 +02001108 :au BufNewFile * au CursorHold <buffer=abuf> echo 'hold'
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001109
1110All the commands for autocommands also work with buffer-local autocommands,
1111simply use the special string instead of the pattern. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001112 :au! * <buffer> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
1113 " current buffer
1114 :au! * <buffer=33> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
1115 " buffer #33
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001116 :bufdo :au! CursorHold <buffer> " remove autocmd for given event for all
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001117 " buffers
1118 :au * <buffer> " list buffer-local autocommands for
1119 " current buffer
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001120
1121Note that when an autocommand is defined for the current buffer, it is stored
1122with the buffer number. Thus it uses the form "<buffer=12>", where 12 is the
1123number of the current buffer. You will see this when listing autocommands,
1124for example.
1125
1126To test for presence of buffer-local autocommands use the |exists()| function
1127as follows: >
1128 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer=12>") | ... | endif
1129 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer>") | ... | endif " for current buffer
1130
1131When a buffer is wiped out its buffer-local autocommands are also gone, of
1132course. Note that when deleting a buffer, e.g., with ":bdel", it is only
1133unlisted, the autocommands are still present. In order to see the removal of
1134buffer-local autocommands: >
1135 :set verbose=6
1136
1137It is not possible to define buffer-local autocommands for a non-existent
1138buffer.
1139
1140==============================================================================
11418. Groups *autocmd-groups*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001142
1143Autocommands can be put together in a group. This is useful for removing or
1144executing a group of autocommands. For example, all the autocommands for
1145syntax highlighting are put in the "highlight" group, to be able to execute
1146":doautoall highlight BufRead" when the GUI starts.
1147
1148When no specific group is selected, Vim uses the default group. The default
1149group does not have a name. You cannot execute the autocommands from the
1150default group separately; you can execute them only by executing autocommands
1151for all groups.
1152
1153Normally, when executing autocommands automatically, Vim uses the autocommands
1154for all groups. The group only matters when executing autocommands with
1155":doautocmd" or ":doautoall", or when defining or deleting autocommands.
1156
1157The group name can contain any characters except white space. The group name
1158"end" is reserved (also in uppercase).
1159
1160The group name is case sensitive. Note that this is different from the event
1161name!
1162
1163 *:aug* *:augroup*
1164:aug[roup] {name} Define the autocmd group name for the
1165 following ":autocmd" commands. The name "end"
1166 or "END" selects the default group.
Bram Moolenaar256972a2015-12-29 19:10:25 +01001167 To avoid confusion, the name should be
1168 different from existing {event} names, as this
1169 most likely will not do what you intended.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001170
Bram Moolenaar64d8e252016-09-06 22:12:34 +02001171 *:augroup-delete* *E367* *W19* *E936*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001172:aug[roup]! {name} Delete the autocmd group {name}. Don't use
1173 this if there is still an autocommand using
Bram Moolenaarbc8801c2016-08-02 21:04:33 +02001174 this group! You will get a warning if doing
Bram Moolenaar64d8e252016-09-06 22:12:34 +02001175 it anyway. when the group is the current group
1176 you will get error E936.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001177
1178To enter autocommands for a specific group, use this method:
11791. Select the group with ":augroup {name}".
11802. Delete any old autocommands with ":au!".
11813. Define the autocommands.
11824. Go back to the default group with "augroup END".
1183
1184Example: >
1185 :augroup uncompress
1186 : au!
1187 : au BufEnter *.gz %!gunzip
1188 :augroup END
1189
1190This prevents having the autocommands defined twice (e.g., after sourcing the
1191.vimrc file again).
1192
1193==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +000011949. Executing autocommands *autocmd-execute*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001195
1196Vim can also execute Autocommands non-automatically. This is useful if you
1197have changed autocommands, or when Vim has executed the wrong autocommands
1198(e.g., the file pattern match was wrong).
1199
1200Note that the 'eventignore' option applies here too. Events listed in this
1201option will not cause any commands to be executed.
1202
1203 *:do* *:doau* *:doautocmd* *E217*
Bram Moolenaar5dc62522012-02-13 00:05:22 +01001204:do[autocmd] [<nomodeline>] [group] {event} [fname]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001205 Apply the autocommands matching [fname] (default:
1206 current file name) for {event} to the current buffer.
1207 You can use this when the current file name does not
1208 match the right pattern, after changing settings, or
1209 to execute autocommands for a certain event.
1210 It's possible to use this inside an autocommand too,
1211 so you can base the autocommands for one extension on
1212 another extension. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarf1568ec2011-12-14 21:17:39 +01001213 :au BufEnter *.cpp so ~/.vimrc_cpp
1214 :au BufEnter *.cpp doau BufEnter x.c
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001215< Be careful to avoid endless loops. See
1216 |autocmd-nested|.
1217
1218 When the [group] argument is not given, Vim executes
1219 the autocommands for all groups. When the [group]
1220 argument is included, Vim executes only the matching
1221 autocommands for that group. Note: if you use an
1222 undefined group name, Vim gives you an error message.
Bram Moolenaar60542ac2012-02-12 20:14:01 +01001223 *<nomodeline>*
1224 After applying the autocommands the modelines are
1225 processed, so that their settings overrule the
1226 settings from autocommands, like what happens when
1227 editing a file. This is skipped when the <nomodeline>
1228 argument is present. You probably want to use
1229 <nomodeline> for events that are not used when loading
1230 a buffer, such as |User|.
Bram Moolenaarc95a3022016-06-12 23:01:46 +02001231 Processing modelines is also skipped when no
1232 matching autocommands were executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001233
1234 *:doautoa* *:doautoall*
Bram Moolenaara61d5fb2012-02-12 00:18:58 +01001235:doautoa[ll] [<nomodeline>] [group] {event} [fname]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001236 Like ":doautocmd", but apply the autocommands to each
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001237 loaded buffer. Note that [fname] is used to select
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001238 the autocommands, not the buffers to which they are
1239 applied.
1240 Careful: Don't use this for autocommands that delete a
1241 buffer, change to another buffer or change the
1242 contents of a buffer; the result is unpredictable.
1243 This command is intended for autocommands that set
1244 options, change highlighting, and things like that.
1245
1246==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000124710. Using autocommands *autocmd-use*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001248
1249For WRITING FILES there are four possible sets of events. Vim uses only one
1250of these sets for a write command:
1251
1252BufWriteCmd BufWritePre BufWritePost writing the whole buffer
1253 FilterWritePre FilterWritePost writing to filter temp file
1254FileAppendCmd FileAppendPre FileAppendPost appending to a file
1255FileWriteCmd FileWritePre FileWritePost any other file write
1256
1257When there is a matching "*Cmd" autocommand, it is assumed it will do the
1258writing. No further writing is done and the other events are not triggered.
1259|Cmd-event|
1260
1261Note that the *WritePost commands should undo any changes to the buffer that
1262were caused by the *WritePre commands; otherwise, writing the file will have
1263the side effect of changing the buffer.
1264
1265Before executing the autocommands, the buffer from which the lines are to be
1266written temporarily becomes the current buffer. Unless the autocommands
1267change the current buffer or delete the previously current buffer, the
1268previously current buffer is made the current buffer again.
1269
1270The *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands must not delete the buffer from
1271which the lines are to be written.
1272
1273The '[ and '] marks have a special position:
1274- Before the *ReadPre event the '[ mark is set to the line just above where
1275 the new lines will be inserted.
1276- Before the *ReadPost event the '[ mark is set to the first line that was
1277 just read, the '] mark to the last line.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001278- Before executing the *WriteCmd, *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands the '[
1279 mark is set to the first line that will be written, the '] mark to the last
1280 line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001281Careful: '[ and '] change when using commands that change the buffer.
1282
1283In commands which expect a file name, you can use "<afile>" for the file name
1284that is being read |:<afile>| (you can also use "%" for the current file
1285name). "<abuf>" can be used for the buffer number of the currently effective
1286buffer. This also works for buffers that doesn't have a name. But it doesn't
1287work for files without a buffer (e.g., with ":r file").
1288
1289 *gzip-example*
1290Examples for reading and writing compressed files: >
1291 :augroup gzip
1292 : autocmd!
1293 : autocmd BufReadPre,FileReadPre *.gz set bin
1294 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz '[,']!gunzip
1295 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz set nobin
1296 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz execute ":doautocmd BufReadPost " . expand("%:r")
1297 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1298 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1299
1300 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !gunzip <afile>
1301 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !mv <afile>:r <afile>
1302 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1303 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1304 :augroup END
1305
1306The "gzip" group is used to be able to delete any existing autocommands with
1307":autocmd!", for when the file is sourced twice.
1308
1309("<afile>:r" is the file name without the extension, see |:_%:|)
1310
1311The commands executed for the BufNewFile, BufRead/BufReadPost, BufWritePost,
1312FileAppendPost and VimLeave events do not set or reset the changed flag of the
1313buffer. When you decompress the buffer with the BufReadPost autocommands, you
1314can still exit with ":q". When you use ":undo" in BufWritePost to undo the
1315changes made by BufWritePre commands, you can still do ":q" (this also makes
1316"ZZ" work). If you do want the buffer to be marked as modified, set the
1317'modified' option.
1318
1319To execute Normal mode commands from an autocommand, use the ":normal"
1320command. Use with care! If the Normal mode command is not finished, the user
1321needs to type characters (e.g., after ":normal m" you need to type a mark
1322name).
1323
1324If you want the buffer to be unmodified after changing it, reset the
1325'modified' option. This makes it possible to exit the buffer with ":q"
1326instead of ":q!".
1327
1328 *autocmd-nested* *E218*
1329By default, autocommands do not nest. If you use ":e" or ":w" in an
1330autocommand, Vim does not execute the BufRead and BufWrite autocommands for
1331those commands. If you do want this, use the "nested" flag for those commands
1332in which you want nesting. For example: >
1333 :autocmd FileChangedShell *.c nested e!
1334The nesting is limited to 10 levels to get out of recursive loops.
1335
1336It's possible to use the ":au" command in an autocommand. This can be a
1337self-modifying command! This can be useful for an autocommand that should
1338execute only once.
1339
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001340If you want to skip autocommands for one command, use the |:noautocmd| command
1341modifier or the 'eventignore' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001342
1343Note: When reading a file (with ":read file" or with a filter command) and the
1344last line in the file does not have an <EOL>, Vim remembers this. At the next
1345write (with ":write file" or with a filter command), if the same line is
1346written again as the last line in a file AND 'binary' is set, Vim does not
1347supply an <EOL>. This makes a filter command on the just read lines write the
1348same file as was read, and makes a write command on just filtered lines write
1349the same file as was read from the filter. For example, another way to write
1350a compressed file: >
1351
1352 :autocmd FileWritePre *.gz set bin|'[,']!gzip
1353 :autocmd FileWritePost *.gz undo|set nobin
1354<
1355 *autocommand-pattern*
1356You can specify multiple patterns, separated by commas. Here are some
1357examples: >
1358
1359 :autocmd BufRead * set tw=79 nocin ic infercase fo=2croq
1360 :autocmd BufRead .letter set tw=72 fo=2tcrq
1361 :autocmd BufEnter .letter set dict=/usr/lib/dict/words
1362 :autocmd BufLeave .letter set dict=
1363 :autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.c,*.h set tw=0 cin noic
1364 :autocmd BufEnter *.c,*.h abbr FOR for (i = 0; i < 3; ++i)<CR>{<CR>}<Esc>O
1365 :autocmd BufLeave *.c,*.h unabbr FOR
1366
1367For makefiles (makefile, Makefile, imakefile, makefile.unix, etc.): >
1368
1369 :autocmd BufEnter ?akefile* set include=^s\=include
1370 :autocmd BufLeave ?akefile* set include&
1371
1372To always start editing C files at the first function: >
1373
1374 :autocmd BufRead *.c,*.h 1;/^{
1375
1376Without the "1;" above, the search would start from wherever the file was
1377entered, rather than from the start of the file.
1378
1379 *skeleton* *template*
1380To read a skeleton (template) file when opening a new file: >
1381
1382 :autocmd BufNewFile *.c 0r ~/vim/skeleton.c
1383 :autocmd BufNewFile *.h 0r ~/vim/skeleton.h
1384 :autocmd BufNewFile *.java 0r ~/vim/skeleton.java
1385
1386To insert the current date and time in a *.html file when writing it: >
1387
1388 :autocmd BufWritePre,FileWritePre *.html ks|call LastMod()|'s
1389 :fun LastMod()
1390 : if line("$") > 20
1391 : let l = 20
1392 : else
1393 : let l = line("$")
1394 : endif
1395 : exe "1," . l . "g/Last modified: /s/Last modified: .*/Last modified: " .
1396 : \ strftime("%Y %b %d")
1397 :endfun
1398
1399You need to have a line "Last modified: <date time>" in the first 20 lines
1400of the file for this to work. Vim replaces <date time> (and anything in the
1401same line after it) with the current date and time. Explanation:
1402 ks mark current position with mark 's'
1403 call LastMod() call the LastMod() function to do the work
1404 's return the cursor to the old position
1405The LastMod() function checks if the file is shorter than 20 lines, and then
1406uses the ":g" command to find lines that contain "Last modified: ". For those
1407lines the ":s" command is executed to replace the existing date with the
1408current one. The ":execute" command is used to be able to use an expression
1409for the ":g" and ":s" commands. The date is obtained with the strftime()
1410function. You can change its argument to get another date string.
1411
1412When entering :autocmd on the command-line, completion of events and command
1413names may be done (with <Tab>, CTRL-D, etc.) where appropriate.
1414
1415Vim executes all matching autocommands in the order that you specify them.
1416It is recommended that your first autocommand be used for all files by using
1417"*" as the file pattern. This means that you can define defaults you like
1418here for any settings, and if there is another matching autocommand it will
1419override these. But if there is no other matching autocommand, then at least
1420your default settings are recovered (if entering this file from another for
1421which autocommands did match). Note that "*" will also match files starting
1422with ".", unlike Unix shells.
1423
1424 *autocmd-searchpat*
1425Autocommands do not change the current search patterns. Vim saves the current
1426search patterns before executing autocommands then restores them after the
1427autocommands finish. This means that autocommands do not affect the strings
1428highlighted with the 'hlsearch' option. Within autocommands, you can still
1429use search patterns normally, e.g., with the "n" command.
1430If you want an autocommand to set the search pattern, such that it is used
1431after the autocommand finishes, use the ":let @/ =" command.
1432The search-highlighting cannot be switched off with ":nohlsearch" in an
1433autocommand. Use the 'h' flag in the 'viminfo' option to disable search-
1434highlighting when starting Vim.
1435
1436 *Cmd-event*
1437When using one of the "*Cmd" events, the matching autocommands are expected to
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +00001438do the file reading, writing or sourcing. This can be used when working with
1439a special kind of file, for example on a remote system.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001440CAREFUL: If you use these events in a wrong way, it may have the effect of
1441making it impossible to read or write the matching files! Make sure you test
1442your autocommands properly. Best is to use a pattern that will never match a
1443normal file name, for example "ftp://*".
1444
1445When defining a BufReadCmd it will be difficult for Vim to recover a crashed
1446editing session. When recovering from the original file, Vim reads only those
1447parts of a file that are not found in the swap file. Since that is not
1448possible with a BufReadCmd, use the |:preserve| command to make sure the
1449original file isn't needed for recovery. You might want to do this only when
1450you expect the file to be modified.
1451
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +00001452For file read and write commands the |v:cmdarg| variable holds the "++enc="
1453and "++ff=" argument that are effective. These should be used for the command
1454that reads/writes the file. The |v:cmdbang| variable is one when "!" was
1455used, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001456
Bram Moolenaarc88ebf72010-07-22 22:30:23 +02001457See the $VIMRUNTIME/plugin/netrwPlugin.vim for examples.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001458
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001459==============================================================================
146011. Disabling autocommands *autocmd-disable*
1461
1462To disable autocommands for some time use the 'eventignore' option. Note that
1463this may cause unexpected behavior, make sure you restore 'eventignore'
1464afterwards, using a |:try| block with |:finally|.
1465
1466 *:noautocmd* *:noa*
1467To disable autocommands for just one command use the ":noautocmd" command
1468modifier. This will set 'eventignore' to "all" for the duration of the
1469following command. Example: >
1470
1471 :noautocmd w fname.gz
1472
1473This will write the file without triggering the autocommands defined by the
1474gzip plugin.
1475
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001476
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001477 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: