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Bram Moolenaardb7207e2012-02-22 17:30:19 +01001*autocmd.txt* For Vim version 7.3. Last change: 2012 Feb 22
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
55Note: The ":autocmd" command cannot be followed by another command, since any
56'|' is considered part of the command.
57
58 *:au* *:autocmd*
59:au[tocmd] [group] {event} {pat} [nested] {cmd}
60 Add {cmd} to the list of commands that Vim will
61 execute automatically on {event} for a file matching
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +010062 {pat} |autocmd-patterns|.
63 Vim always adds the {cmd} after existing autocommands,
64 so that the autocommands execute in the order in which
65 they were given. See |autocmd-nested| for [nested].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000066
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +000067The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> defines a buffer-local autocommand.
68See |autocmd-buflocal|.
69
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000070Note that special characters (e.g., "%", "<cword>") in the ":autocmd"
71arguments are not expanded when the autocommand is defined. These will be
72expanded when the Event is recognized, and the {cmd} is executed. The only
73exception is that "<sfile>" is expanded when the autocmd is defined. Example:
74>
75 :au BufNewFile,BufRead *.html so <sfile>:h/html.vim
76
77Here Vim expands <sfile> to the name of the file containing this line.
78
79When your .vimrc file is sourced twice, the autocommands will appear twice.
80To avoid this, put this command in your .vimrc file, before defining
81autocommands: >
82
83 :autocmd! " Remove ALL autocommands for the current group.
84
85If you don't want to remove all autocommands, you can instead use a variable
86to ensure that Vim includes the autocommands only once: >
87
88 :if !exists("autocommands_loaded")
89 : let autocommands_loaded = 1
90 : au ...
91 :endif
92
93When the [group] argument is not given, Vim uses the current group (as defined
94with ":augroup"); otherwise, Vim uses the group defined with [group]. Note
95that [group] must have been defined before. You cannot define a new group
96with ":au group ..."; use ":augroup" for that.
97
98While testing autocommands, you might find the 'verbose' option to be useful: >
99 :set verbose=9
100This setting makes Vim echo the autocommands as it executes them.
101
102When defining an autocommand in a script, it will be able to call functions
103local to the script and use mappings local to the script. When the event is
104triggered and the command executed, it will run in the context of the script
105it was defined in. This matters if |<SID>| is used in a command.
106
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000107When executing the commands, the message from one command overwrites a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000108previous message. This is different from when executing the commands
109manually. Mostly the screen will not scroll up, thus there is no hit-enter
110prompt. When one command outputs two messages this can happen anyway.
111
112==============================================================================
1133. Removing autocommands *autocmd-remove*
114
115:au[tocmd]! [group] {event} {pat} [nested] {cmd}
116 Remove all autocommands associated with {event} and
117 {pat}, and add the command {cmd}. See
118 |autocmd-nested| for [nested].
119
120:au[tocmd]! [group] {event} {pat}
121 Remove all autocommands associated with {event} and
122 {pat}.
123
124:au[tocmd]! [group] * {pat}
125 Remove all autocommands associated with {pat} for all
126 events.
127
128:au[tocmd]! [group] {event}
129 Remove ALL autocommands for {event}.
130
131:au[tocmd]! [group] Remove ALL autocommands.
132
133When the [group] argument is not given, Vim uses the current group (as defined
134with ":augroup"); otherwise, Vim uses the group defined with [group].
135
136==============================================================================
1374. Listing autocommands *autocmd-list*
138
139:au[tocmd] [group] {event} {pat}
140 Show the autocommands associated with {event} and
141 {pat}.
142
143:au[tocmd] [group] * {pat}
144 Show the autocommands associated with {pat} for all
145 events.
146
147:au[tocmd] [group] {event}
148 Show all autocommands for {event}.
149
150:au[tocmd] [group] Show all autocommands.
151
152If you provide the [group] argument, Vim lists only the autocommands for
153[group]; otherwise, Vim lists the autocommands for ALL groups. Note that this
154argument behavior differs from that for defining and removing autocommands.
155
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000156In order to list buffer-local autocommands, use a pattern in the form <buffer>
157or <buffer=N>. See |autocmd-buflocal|.
158
Bram Moolenaarac6e65f2005-08-29 22:25:38 +0000159 *:autocmd-verbose*
160When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing an autocommand will also display where it
161was last defined. Example: >
162
163 :verbose autocmd BufEnter
164 FileExplorer BufEnter
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000165 * call s:LocalBrowse(expand("<amatch>"))
Bram Moolenaarac6e65f2005-08-29 22:25:38 +0000166 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/plugin/NetrwPlugin.vim
167<
168See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
169
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000170==============================================================================
1715. Events *autocmd-events* *E215* *E216*
172
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000173You can specify a comma-separated list of event names. No white space can be
174used in this list. The command applies to all the events in the list.
175
176For READING FILES there are four kinds of events possible:
177 BufNewFile starting to edit a non-existent file
178 BufReadPre BufReadPost starting to edit an existing file
179 FilterReadPre FilterReadPost read the temp file with filter output
180 FileReadPre FileReadPost any other file read
181Vim uses only one of these four kinds when reading a file. The "Pre" and
182"Post" events are both triggered, before and after reading the file.
183
184Note that the autocommands for the *ReadPre events and all the Filter events
185are not allowed to change the current buffer (you will get an error message if
186this happens). This is to prevent the file to be read into the wrong buffer.
187
188Note that the 'modified' flag is reset AFTER executing the BufReadPost
189and BufNewFile autocommands. But when the 'modified' option was set by the
190autocommands, this doesn't happen.
191
192You can use the 'eventignore' option to ignore a number of events or all
193events.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000194 *autocommand-events* *{event}*
195Vim recognizes the following events. Vim ignores the case of event names
196(e.g., you can use "BUFread" or "bufread" instead of "BufRead").
197
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000198First an overview by function with a short explanation. Then the list
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000199alphabetically with full explanations |autocmd-events-abc|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000200
201Name triggered by ~
202
203 Reading
204|BufNewFile| starting to edit a file that doesn't exist
205|BufReadPre| starting to edit a new buffer, before reading the file
206|BufRead| starting to edit a new buffer, after reading the file
207|BufReadPost| starting to edit a new buffer, after reading the file
208|BufReadCmd| before starting to edit a new buffer |Cmd-event|
209
210|FileReadPre| before reading a file with a ":read" command
211|FileReadPost| after reading a file with a ":read" command
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000212|FileReadCmd| before reading a file with a ":read" command |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000213
214|FilterReadPre| before reading a file from a filter command
215|FilterReadPost| after reading a file from a filter command
216
217|StdinReadPre| before reading from stdin into the buffer
218|StdinReadPost| After reading from the stdin into the buffer
219
220 Writing
221|BufWrite| starting to write the whole buffer to a file
222|BufWritePre| starting to write the whole buffer to a file
223|BufWritePost| after writing the whole buffer to a file
224|BufWriteCmd| before writing the whole buffer to a file |Cmd-event|
225
226|FileWritePre| starting to write part of a buffer to a file
227|FileWritePost| after writing part of a buffer to a file
228|FileWriteCmd| before writing part of a buffer to a file |Cmd-event|
229
230|FileAppendPre| starting to append to a file
231|FileAppendPost| after appending to a file
232|FileAppendCmd| before appending to a file |Cmd-event|
233
234|FilterWritePre| starting to write a file for a filter command or diff
235|FilterWritePost| after writing a file for a filter command or diff
236
237 Buffers
238|BufAdd| just after adding a buffer to the buffer list
239|BufCreate| just after adding a buffer to the buffer list
240|BufDelete| before deleting a buffer from the buffer list
241|BufWipeout| before completely deleting a buffer
242
243|BufFilePre| before changing the name of the current buffer
244|BufFilePost| after changing the name of the current buffer
245
246|BufEnter| after entering a buffer
247|BufLeave| before leaving to another buffer
248|BufWinEnter| after a buffer is displayed in a window
249|BufWinLeave| before a buffer is removed from a window
250
251|BufUnload| before unloading a buffer
252|BufHidden| just after a buffer has become hidden
253|BufNew| just after creating a new buffer
254
255|SwapExists| detected an existing swap file
256
257 Options
258|FileType| when the 'filetype' option has been set
259|Syntax| when the 'syntax' option has been set
260|EncodingChanged| after the 'encoding' option has been changed
261|TermChanged| after the value of 'term' has changed
262
263 Startup and exit
264|VimEnter| after doing all the startup stuff
265|GUIEnter| after starting the GUI successfully
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000266|TermResponse| after the terminal response to |t_RV| is received
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000267
268|VimLeavePre| before exiting Vim, before writing the viminfo file
269|VimLeave| before exiting Vim, after writing the viminfo file
270
271 Various
272|FileChangedShell| Vim notices that a file changed since editing started
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000273|FileChangedShellPost| After handling a file changed since editing started
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000274|FileChangedRO| before making the first change to a read-only file
275
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +0000276|ShellCmdPost| after executing a shell command
277|ShellFilterPost| after filtering with a shell command
278
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000279|FuncUndefined| a user function is used but it isn't defined
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000280|SpellFileMissing| a spell file is used but it can't be found
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +0000281|SourcePre| before sourcing a Vim script
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +0000282|SourceCmd| before sourcing a Vim script |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000283
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000284|VimResized| after the Vim window size changed
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000285|FocusGained| Vim got input focus
286|FocusLost| Vim lost input focus
287|CursorHold| the user doesn't press a key for a while
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000288|CursorHoldI| the user doesn't press a key for a while in Insert mode
289|CursorMoved| the cursor was moved in Normal mode
290|CursorMovedI| the cursor was moved in Insert mode
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000291
292|WinEnter| after entering another window
293|WinLeave| before leaving a window
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000294|TabEnter| after entering another tab page
295|TabLeave| before leaving a tab page
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000296|CmdwinEnter| after entering the command-line window
297|CmdwinLeave| before leaving the command-line window
298
299|InsertEnter| starting Insert mode
300|InsertChange| when typing <Insert> while in Insert or Replace mode
301|InsertLeave| when leaving Insert mode
Bram Moolenaare659c952011-05-19 17:25:41 +0200302|InsertCharPre| when a character was typed in Insert mode, before
303 inserting it
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000304
305|ColorScheme| after loading a color scheme
306
307|RemoteReply| a reply from a server Vim was received
308
309|QuickFixCmdPre| before a quickfix command is run
310|QuickFixCmdPost| after a quickfix command is run
311
312|SessionLoadPost| after loading a session file
313
314|MenuPopup| just before showing the popup menu
315
316|User| to be used in combination with ":doautocmd"
317
318
319The alphabetical list of autocommand events: *autocmd-events-abc*
320
321 *BufCreate* *BufAdd*
322BufAdd or BufCreate Just after creating a new buffer which is
323 added to the buffer list, or adding a buffer
324 to the buffer list.
325 Also used just after a buffer in the buffer
326 list has been renamed.
327 The BufCreate event is for historic reasons.
328 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
329 current buffer "%" may be different from the
330 buffer being created "<afile>".
331 *BufDelete*
332BufDelete Before deleting a buffer from the buffer list.
333 The BufUnload may be called first (if the
334 buffer was loaded).
335 Also used just before a buffer in the buffer
336 list is renamed.
337 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
338 current buffer "%" may be different from the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000339 buffer being deleted "<afile>" and "<abuf>".
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000340 Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
341 problems.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000342 *BufEnter*
343BufEnter After entering a buffer. Useful for setting
344 options for a file type. Also executed when
345 starting to edit a buffer, after the
346 BufReadPost autocommands.
347 *BufFilePost*
348BufFilePost After changing the name of the current buffer
349 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000350 *BufFilePre*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000351BufFilePre Before changing the name of the current buffer
352 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
353 *BufHidden*
354BufHidden Just after a buffer has become hidden. That
355 is, when there are no longer windows that show
356 the buffer, but the buffer is not unloaded or
357 deleted. Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when
358 exiting Vim.
359 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
360 current buffer "%" may be different from the
361 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
362 *BufLeave*
363BufLeave Before leaving to another buffer. Also when
364 leaving or closing the current window and the
365 new current window is not for the same buffer.
366 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
367 *BufNew*
368BufNew Just after creating a new buffer. Also used
369 just after a buffer has been renamed. When
370 the buffer is added to the buffer list BufAdd
371 will be triggered too.
372 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
373 current buffer "%" may be different from the
374 buffer being created "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000375 *BufNewFile*
376BufNewFile When starting to edit a file that doesn't
377 exist. Can be used to read in a skeleton
378 file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000379 *BufRead* *BufReadPost*
380BufRead or BufReadPost When starting to edit a new buffer, after
381 reading the file into the buffer, before
382 executing the modelines. See |BufWinEnter|
383 for when you need to do something after
384 processing the modelines.
385 This does NOT work for ":r file". Not used
386 when the file doesn't exist. Also used after
387 successfully recovering a file.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000388 *BufReadCmd*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000389BufReadCmd Before starting to edit a new buffer. Should
390 read the file into the buffer. |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000391 *BufReadPre* *E200* *E201*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000392BufReadPre When starting to edit a new buffer, before
393 reading the file into the buffer. Not used
394 if the file doesn't exist.
395 *BufUnload*
396BufUnload Before unloading a buffer. This is when the
397 text in the buffer is going to be freed. This
398 may be after a BufWritePost and before a
399 BufDelete. Also used for all buffers that are
400 loaded when Vim is going to exit.
401 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
402 current buffer "%" may be different from the
403 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000404 Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
405 problems.
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200406 When exiting and v:dying is 2 or more this
407 event is not triggered.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000408 *BufWinEnter*
409BufWinEnter After a buffer is displayed in a window. This
410 can be when the buffer is loaded (after
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000411 processing the modelines) or when a hidden
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000412 buffer is displayed in a window (and is no
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000413 longer hidden).
414 Does not happen for |:split| without
415 arguments, since you keep editing the same
416 buffer, or ":split" with a file that's already
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +0000417 open in a window, because it re-uses an
418 existing buffer. But it does happen for a
419 ":split" with the name of the current buffer,
420 since it reloads that buffer.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000421 *BufWinLeave*
422BufWinLeave Before a buffer is removed from a window.
423 Not when it's still visible in another window.
424 Also triggered when exiting. It's triggered
425 before BufUnload or BufHidden.
426 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
427 current buffer "%" may be different from the
428 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200429 When exiting and v:dying is 2 or more this
430 event is not triggered.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000431 *BufWipeout*
432BufWipeout Before completely deleting a buffer. The
433 BufUnload and BufDelete events may be called
434 first (if the buffer was loaded and was in the
435 buffer list). Also used just before a buffer
436 is renamed (also when it's not in the buffer
437 list).
438 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
439 current buffer "%" may be different from the
440 buffer being deleted "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000441 Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
442 problems.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000443 *BufWrite* *BufWritePre*
444BufWrite or BufWritePre Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000445 *BufWriteCmd*
446BufWriteCmd Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
447 Should do the writing of the file and reset
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000448 'modified' if successful, unless '+' is in
449 'cpo' and writing to another file |cpo-+|.
450 The buffer contents should not be changed.
Bram Moolenaar5302d9e2011-09-14 17:55:08 +0200451 When the command resets 'modified' the undo
452 information is adjusted to mark older undo
453 states as 'modified', like |:write| does.
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000454 |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000455 *BufWritePost*
456BufWritePost After writing the whole buffer to a file
457 (should undo the commands for BufWritePre).
458 *CmdwinEnter*
459CmdwinEnter After entering the command-line window.
460 Useful for setting options specifically for
461 this special type of window. This is
462 triggered _instead_ of BufEnter and WinEnter.
463 <afile> is set to a single character,
464 indicating the type of command-line.
465 |cmdwin-char|
466 *CmdwinLeave*
467CmdwinLeave Before leaving the command-line window.
468 Useful to clean up any global setting done
469 with CmdwinEnter. This is triggered _instead_
470 of BufLeave and WinLeave.
471 <afile> is set to a single character,
472 indicating the type of command-line.
473 |cmdwin-char|
474 *ColorScheme*
475ColorScheme After loading a color scheme. |:colorscheme|
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000476
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000477 *CursorHold*
478CursorHold When the user doesn't press a key for the time
479 specified with 'updatetime'. Not re-triggered
480 until the user has pressed a key (i.e. doesn't
481 fire every 'updatetime' ms if you leave Vim to
482 make some coffee. :) See |CursorHold-example|
483 for previewing tags.
484 This event is only triggered in Normal mode.
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000485 It is not triggered when waiting for a command
486 argument to be typed, or a movement after an
487 operator.
Bram Moolenaare3226be2005-12-18 22:10:00 +0000488 While recording the CursorHold event is not
489 triggered. |q|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000490 Note: Interactive commands cannot be used for
491 this event. There is no hit-enter prompt,
492 the screen is updated directly (when needed).
493 Note: In the future there will probably be
494 another option to set the time.
495 Hint: to force an update of the status lines
496 use: >
497 :let &ro = &ro
498< {only on Amiga, Unix, Win32, MSDOS and all GUI
499 versions}
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000500 *CursorHoldI*
501CursorHoldI Just like CursorHold, but in Insert mode.
502
503 *CursorMoved*
504CursorMoved After the cursor was moved in Normal mode.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +0000505 Also when the text of the cursor line has been
506 changed, e.g., with "x", "rx" or "p".
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000507 Not triggered when there is typeahead or when
508 an operator is pending.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000509 For an example see |match-parens|.
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000510 Careful: Don't do anything that the user does
511 not expect or that is slow.
512 *CursorMovedI*
513CursorMovedI After the cursor was moved in Insert mode.
Bram Moolenaar5302d9e2011-09-14 17:55:08 +0200514 Not triggered when the popup menu is visible.
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000515 Otherwise the same as CursorMoved.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000516 *EncodingChanged*
517EncodingChanged Fires off after the 'encoding' option has been
518 changed. Useful to set up fonts, for example.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000519 *FileAppendCmd*
520FileAppendCmd Before appending to a file. Should do the
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000521 appending to the file. Use the '[ and ']
522 marks for the range of lines.|Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000523 *FileAppendPost*
524FileAppendPost After appending to a file.
525 *FileAppendPre*
526FileAppendPre Before appending to a file. Use the '[ and ']
527 marks for the range of lines.
528 *FileChangedRO*
529FileChangedRO Before making the first change to a read-only
530 file. Can be used to check-out the file from
531 a source control system. Not triggered when
532 the change was caused by an autocommand.
533 This event is triggered when making the first
534 change in a buffer or the first change after
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +0000535 'readonly' was set, just before the change is
536 applied to the text.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000537 WARNING: If the autocommand moves the cursor
538 the effect of the change is undefined.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000539 *E788*
540 It is not allowed to change to another buffer
541 here. You can reload the buffer but not edit
542 another one.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000543 *FileChangedShell*
544FileChangedShell When Vim notices that the modification time of
545 a file has changed since editing started.
546 Also when the file attributes of the file
547 change. |timestamp|
548 Mostly triggered after executing a shell
549 command, but also with a |:checktime| command
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +0000550 or when Gvim regains input focus.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000551 This autocommand is triggered for each changed
552 file. It is not used when 'autoread' is set
553 and the buffer was not changed. If a
554 FileChangedShell autocommand is present the
555 warning message and prompt is not given.
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +0000556 The |v:fcs_reason| variable is set to indicate
557 what happened and |v:fcs_choice| can be used
558 to tell Vim what to do next.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000559 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
560 current buffer "%" may be different from the
561 buffer that was changed "<afile>".
562 NOTE: The commands must not change the current
563 buffer, jump to another buffer or delete a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100564 buffer. *E246* *E811*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000565 NOTE: This event never nests, to avoid an
566 endless loop. This means that while executing
567 commands for the FileChangedShell event no
568 other FileChangedShell event will be
569 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000570 *FileChangedShellPost*
571FileChangedShellPost After handling a file that was changed outside
572 of Vim. Can be used to update the statusline.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000573 *FileEncoding*
574FileEncoding Obsolete. It still works and is equivalent
575 to |EncodingChanged|.
576 *FileReadCmd*
577FileReadCmd Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
578 Should do the reading of the file. |Cmd-event|
579 *FileReadPost*
580FileReadPost After reading a file with a ":read" command.
581 Note that Vim sets the '[ and '] marks to the
582 first and last line of the read. This can be
583 used to operate on the lines just read.
584 *FileReadPre*
585FileReadPre Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
586 *FileType*
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000587FileType When the 'filetype' option has been set. The
588 pattern is matched against the filetype.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000589 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
590 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
591 the new value of 'filetype'.
592 See |filetypes|.
593 *FileWriteCmd*
594FileWriteCmd Before writing to a file, when not writing the
595 whole buffer. Should do the writing to the
596 file. Should not change the buffer. Use the
597 '[ and '] marks for the range of lines.
598 |Cmd-event|
599 *FileWritePost*
600FileWritePost After writing to a file, when not writing the
601 whole buffer.
602 *FileWritePre*
603FileWritePre Before writing to a file, when not writing the
604 whole buffer. Use the '[ and '] marks for the
605 range of lines.
606 *FilterReadPost*
607FilterReadPost After reading a file from a filter command.
608 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
609 the current buffer as with FilterReadPre.
610 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
611 *FilterReadPre* *E135*
612FilterReadPre Before reading a file from a filter command.
613 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
614 the current buffer, not the name of the
615 temporary file that is the output of the
616 filter command.
617 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
618 *FilterWritePost*
619FilterWritePost After writing a file for a filter command or
620 making a diff.
621 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
622 the current buffer as with FilterWritePre.
623 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
624 *FilterWritePre*
625FilterWritePre Before writing a file for a filter command or
626 making a diff.
627 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
628 the current buffer, not the name of the
629 temporary file that is the output of the
630 filter command.
631 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000632 *FocusGained*
633FocusGained When Vim got input focus. Only for the GUI
634 version and a few console versions where this
635 can be detected.
636 *FocusLost*
637FocusLost When Vim lost input focus. Only for the GUI
638 version and a few console versions where this
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +0000639 can be detected. May also happen when a
640 dialog pops up.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000641 *FuncUndefined*
642FuncUndefined When a user function is used but it isn't
643 defined. Useful for defining a function only
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000644 when it's used. The pattern is matched
645 against the function name. Both <amatch> and
646 <afile> are set to the name of the function.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000647 See |autoload-functions|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000648 *GUIEnter*
649GUIEnter After starting the GUI successfully, and after
650 opening the window. It is triggered before
651 VimEnter when using gvim. Can be used to
652 position the window from a .gvimrc file: >
653 :autocmd GUIEnter * winpos 100 50
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000654< *GUIFailed*
655GUIFailed After starting the GUI failed. Vim may
656 continue to run in the terminal, if possible
657 (only on Unix and alikes, when connecting the
658 X server fails). You may want to quit Vim: >
659 :autocmd GUIFailed * qall
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000660< *InsertChange*
661InsertChange When typing <Insert> while in Insert or
662 Replace mode. The |v:insertmode| variable
663 indicates the new mode.
664 Be careful not to move the cursor or do
665 anything else that the user does not expect.
Bram Moolenaare659c952011-05-19 17:25:41 +0200666 *InsertCharPre*
667InsertCharPre When a character is typed in Insert mode,
668 before inserting the char.
669 The |v:char| variable indicates the char typed
670 and can be changed during the event to insert
671 a different character. When |v:char| is set
672 to more than one character this text is
673 inserted literally.
674 It is not allowed to change the text |textlock|.
675 The event is not triggered when 'paste' is
676 set.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000677 *InsertEnter*
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000678InsertEnter Just before starting Insert mode. Also for
679 Replace mode and Virtual Replace mode. The
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000680 |v:insertmode| variable indicates the mode.
681 Be careful not to move the cursor or do
682 anything else that the user does not expect.
683 *InsertLeave*
684InsertLeave When leaving Insert mode. Also when using
685 CTRL-O |i_CTRL-O|. But not for |i_CTRL-C|.
686 *MenuPopup*
687MenuPopup Just before showing the popup menu (under the
688 right mouse button). Useful for adjusting the
689 menu for what is under the cursor or mouse
690 pointer.
691 The pattern is matched against a single
692 character representing the mode:
693 n Normal
694 v Visual
695 o Operator-pending
696 i Insert
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000697 c Command line
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000698 *QuickFixCmdPre*
699QuickFixCmdPre Before a quickfix command is run (|:make|,
Bram Moolenaara6557602006-02-04 22:43:20 +0000700 |:lmake|, |:grep|, |:lgrep|, |:grepadd|,
701 |:lgrepadd|, |:vimgrep|, |:lvimgrep|,
Bram Moolenaar6be7f872012-01-20 21:08:56 +0100702 |:vimgrepadd|, |:lvimgrepadd|, |:cscope|,
Bram Moolenaar84f72352012-03-11 15:57:40 +0100703 |:cfile|, |:cgetfile|, |:caddfile|, |:lfile|,
704 |:lgetfile|, |:laddfile|, |:helpgrep|,
705 |:lhelpgrep|).
Bram Moolenaarf1eeae92010-05-14 23:14:42 +0200706 The pattern is matched against the command
707 being run. When |:grep| is used but 'grepprg'
708 is set to "internal" it still matches "grep".
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000709 This command cannot be used to set the
710 'makeprg' and 'grepprg' variables.
711 If this command causes an error, the quickfix
712 command is not executed.
713 *QuickFixCmdPost*
714QuickFixCmdPost Like QuickFixCmdPre, but after a quickfix
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000715 command is run, before jumping to the first
Bram Moolenaar8ec1f852012-03-07 20:13:49 +0100716 location. For |:cfile| and |:lfile| commands
717 it is run after error file is read and before
718 moving to the first error.
719 See |QuickFixCmdPost-example|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000720 *RemoteReply*
721RemoteReply When a reply from a Vim that functions as
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000722 server was received |server2client()|. The
723 pattern is matched against the {serverid}.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000724 <amatch> is equal to the {serverid} from which
725 the reply was sent, and <afile> is the actual
726 reply string.
727 Note that even if an autocommand is defined,
728 the reply should be read with |remote_read()|
729 to consume it.
730 *SessionLoadPost*
731SessionLoadPost After loading the session file created using
732 the |:mksession| command.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +0000733 *ShellCmdPost*
734ShellCmdPost After executing a shell command with |:!cmd|,
735 |:shell|, |:make| and |:grep|. Can be used to
736 check for any changed files.
737 *ShellFilterPost*
738ShellFilterPost After executing a shell command with
739 ":{range}!cmd", ":w !cmd" or ":r !cmd".
740 Can be used to check for any changed files.
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +0000741 *SourcePre*
742SourcePre Before sourcing a Vim script. |:source|
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +0000743 <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
744 *SourceCmd*
745SourceCmd When sourcing a Vim script. |:source|
746 <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
747 The autocommand must source this file.
748 |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000749 *SpellFileMissing*
750SpellFileMissing When trying to load a spell checking file and
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +0000751 it can't be found. The pattern is matched
752 against the language. <amatch> is the
753 language, 'encoding' also matters. See
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000754 |spell-SpellFileMissing|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000755 *StdinReadPost*
756StdinReadPost After reading from the stdin into the buffer,
757 before executing the modelines. Only used
758 when the "-" argument was used when Vim was
759 started |--|.
760 *StdinReadPre*
761StdinReadPre Before reading from stdin into the buffer.
762 Only used when the "-" argument was used when
763 Vim was started |--|.
764 *SwapExists*
765SwapExists Detected an existing swap file when starting
766 to edit a file. Only when it is possible to
767 select a way to handle the situation, when Vim
768 would ask the user what to do.
769 The |v:swapname| variable holds the name of
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +0000770 the swap file found, <afile> the file being
771 edited. |v:swapcommand| may contain a command
772 to be executed in the opened file.
773 The commands should set the |v:swapchoice|
774 variable to a string with one character to
775 tell Vim what should be done next:
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000776 'o' open read-only
777 'e' edit the file anyway
778 'r' recover
779 'd' delete the swap file
780 'q' quit, don't edit the file
781 'a' abort, like hitting CTRL-C
782 When set to an empty string the user will be
783 asked, as if there was no SwapExists autocmd.
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000784 *E812*
785 It is not allowed to change to another buffer,
786 change a buffer name or change directory
787 here.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000788 *Syntax*
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000789Syntax When the 'syntax' option has been set. The
790 pattern is matched against the syntax name.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000791 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
792 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
793 the new value of 'syntax'.
794 See |:syn-on|.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000795 *TabEnter*
796TabEnter Just after entering a tab page. |tab-page|
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +0000797 After triggering the WinEnter and before
798 triggering the BufEnter event.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000799 *TabLeave*
800TabLeave Just before leaving a tab page. |tab-page|
801 A WinLeave event will have been triggered
802 first.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000803 *TermChanged*
804TermChanged After the value of 'term' has changed. Useful
805 for re-loading the syntax file to update the
806 colors, fonts and other terminal-dependent
807 settings. Executed for all loaded buffers.
808 *TermResponse*
809TermResponse After the response to |t_RV| is received from
810 the terminal. The value of |v:termresponse|
811 can be used to do things depending on the
Bram Moolenaar8e5af3e2011-04-28 19:02:44 +0200812 terminal version. Note that this event may be
813 triggered halfway executing another event,
814 especially if file I/O, a shell command or
815 anything else that takes time is involved.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000816 *User*
817User Never executed automatically. To be used for
818 autocommands that are only executed with
819 ":doautocmd".
820 *UserGettingBored*
821UserGettingBored When the user hits CTRL-C. Just kidding! :-)
822 *VimEnter*
823VimEnter After doing all the startup stuff, including
824 loading .vimrc files, executing the "-c cmd"
825 arguments, creating all windows and loading
826 the buffers in them.
827 *VimLeave*
828VimLeave Before exiting Vim, just after writing the
829 .viminfo file. Executed only once, like
830 VimLeavePre.
831 To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200832 When v:dying is 2 or more this event is not
833 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000834 *VimLeavePre*
835VimLeavePre Before exiting Vim, just before writing the
836 .viminfo file. This is executed only once,
837 if there is a match with the name of what
838 happens to be the current buffer when exiting.
839 Mostly useful with a "*" pattern. >
840 :autocmd VimLeavePre * call CleanupStuff()
841< To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200842 When v:dying is 2 or more this event is not
843 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000844 *VimResized*
845VimResized After the Vim window was resized, thus 'lines'
846 and/or 'columns' changed. Not when starting
847 up though.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000848 *WinEnter*
849WinEnter After entering another window. Not done for
850 the first window, when Vim has just started.
851 Useful for setting the window height.
852 If the window is for another buffer, Vim
853 executes the BufEnter autocommands after the
854 WinEnter autocommands.
855 Note: When using ":split fname" the WinEnter
856 event is triggered after the split but before
857 the file "fname" is loaded.
858 *WinLeave*
859WinLeave Before leaving a window. If the window to be
860 entered next is for a different buffer, Vim
861 executes the BufLeave autocommands before the
862 WinLeave autocommands (but not for ":new").
863 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000864
865==============================================================================
8666. Patterns *autocmd-patterns* *{pat}*
867
868The file pattern {pat} is tested for a match against the file name in one of
869two ways:
8701. When there is no '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against only
871 the tail part of the file name (without its leading directory path).
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01008722. When there is a '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against both the
873 short file name (as you typed it) and the full file name (after expanding
874 it to a full path and resolving symbolic links).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000875
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000876The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> is used for buffer-local
877autocommands |autocmd-buflocal|. This pattern is not matched against the name
878of a buffer.
879
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000880Examples: >
881 :autocmd BufRead *.txt set et
882Set the 'et' option for all text files. >
883
884 :autocmd BufRead /vim/src/*.c set cindent
885Set the 'cindent' option for C files in the /vim/src directory. >
886
887 :autocmd BufRead /tmp/*.c set ts=5
888If you have a link from "/tmp/test.c" to "/home/nobody/vim/src/test.c", and
889you start editing "/tmp/test.c", this autocommand will match.
890
891Note: To match part of a path, but not from the root directory, use a '*' as
892the first character. Example: >
893 :autocmd BufRead */doc/*.txt set tw=78
894This autocommand will for example be executed for "/tmp/doc/xx.txt" and
895"/usr/home/piet/doc/yy.txt". The number of directories does not matter here.
896
897
898The file name that the pattern is matched against is after expanding
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000899wildcards. Thus if you issue this command: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000900 :e $ROOTDIR/main.$EXT
901The argument is first expanded to: >
902 /usr/root/main.py
903Before it's matched with the pattern of the autocommand. Careful with this
904when using events like FileReadCmd, the value of <amatch> may not be what you
905expect.
906
907
908Environment variables can be used in a pattern: >
909 :autocmd BufRead $VIMRUNTIME/doc/*.txt set expandtab
910And ~ can be used for the home directory (if $HOME is defined): >
911 :autocmd BufWritePost ~/.vimrc so ~/.vimrc
912 :autocmd BufRead ~archive/* set readonly
913The environment variable is expanded when the autocommand is defined, not when
914the autocommand is executed. This is different from the command!
915
916 *file-pattern*
917The pattern is interpreted like mostly used in file names:
918 * matches any sequence of characters
919 ? matches any single character
920 \? matches a '?'
921 . matches a '.'
922 ~ matches a '~'
923 , separates patterns
924 \, matches a ','
925 { } like \( \) in a |pattern|
926 , inside { }: like \| in a |pattern|
927 \ special meaning like in a |pattern|
928 [ch] matches 'c' or 'h'
929 [^ch] match any character but 'c' and 'h'
930
931Note that for all systems the '/' character is used for path separator (even
932MS-DOS and OS/2). This was done because the backslash is difficult to use
933in a pattern and to make the autocommands portable across different systems.
934
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000935 *autocmd-changes*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000936Matching with the pattern is done when an event is triggered. Changing the
937buffer name in one of the autocommands, or even deleting the buffer, does not
938change which autocommands will be executed. Example: >
939
940 au BufEnter *.foo bdel
941 au BufEnter *.foo set modified
942
943This will delete the current buffer and then set 'modified' in what has become
944the current buffer instead. Vim doesn't take into account that "*.foo"
945doesn't match with that buffer name. It matches "*.foo" with the name of the
946buffer at the moment the event was triggered.
947
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000948However, buffer-local autocommands will not be executed for a buffer that has
949been wiped out with |:bwipe|. After deleting the buffer with |:bdel| the
950buffer actually still exists (it becomes unlisted), thus the autocommands are
951still executed.
952
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000953==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00009547. Buffer-local autocommands *autocmd-buflocal* *autocmd-buffer-local*
955 *<buffer=N>* *<buffer=abuf>* *E680*
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000956
957Buffer-local autocommands are attached to a specific buffer. They are useful
958if the buffer does not have a name and when the name does not match a specific
959pattern. But it also means they must be explicitly added to each buffer.
960
961Instead of a pattern buffer-local autocommands use one of these forms:
962 <buffer> current buffer
963 <buffer=99> buffer number 99
964 <buffer=abuf> using <abuf> (only when executing autocommands)
965 |<abuf>|
966
967Examples: >
968 :au CursorHold <buffer> echo 'hold'
969 :au CursorHold <buffer=33> echo 'hold'
970 :au CursorHold <buffer=abuf> echo 'hold'
971
972All the commands for autocommands also work with buffer-local autocommands,
973simply use the special string instead of the pattern. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000974 :au! * <buffer> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
975 " current buffer
976 :au! * <buffer=33> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
977 " buffer #33
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000978 :bufdo :au! CursorHold <buffer> " remove autocmd for given event for all
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000979 " buffers
980 :au * <buffer> " list buffer-local autocommands for
981 " current buffer
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000982
983Note that when an autocommand is defined for the current buffer, it is stored
984with the buffer number. Thus it uses the form "<buffer=12>", where 12 is the
985number of the current buffer. You will see this when listing autocommands,
986for example.
987
988To test for presence of buffer-local autocommands use the |exists()| function
989as follows: >
990 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer=12>") | ... | endif
991 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer>") | ... | endif " for current buffer
992
993When a buffer is wiped out its buffer-local autocommands are also gone, of
994course. Note that when deleting a buffer, e.g., with ":bdel", it is only
995unlisted, the autocommands are still present. In order to see the removal of
996buffer-local autocommands: >
997 :set verbose=6
998
999It is not possible to define buffer-local autocommands for a non-existent
1000buffer.
1001
1002==============================================================================
10038. Groups *autocmd-groups*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001004
1005Autocommands can be put together in a group. This is useful for removing or
1006executing a group of autocommands. For example, all the autocommands for
1007syntax highlighting are put in the "highlight" group, to be able to execute
1008":doautoall highlight BufRead" when the GUI starts.
1009
1010When no specific group is selected, Vim uses the default group. The default
1011group does not have a name. You cannot execute the autocommands from the
1012default group separately; you can execute them only by executing autocommands
1013for all groups.
1014
1015Normally, when executing autocommands automatically, Vim uses the autocommands
1016for all groups. The group only matters when executing autocommands with
1017":doautocmd" or ":doautoall", or when defining or deleting autocommands.
1018
1019The group name can contain any characters except white space. The group name
1020"end" is reserved (also in uppercase).
1021
1022The group name is case sensitive. Note that this is different from the event
1023name!
1024
1025 *:aug* *:augroup*
1026:aug[roup] {name} Define the autocmd group name for the
1027 following ":autocmd" commands. The name "end"
1028 or "END" selects the default group.
1029
1030 *:augroup-delete* *E367*
1031:aug[roup]! {name} Delete the autocmd group {name}. Don't use
1032 this if there is still an autocommand using
1033 this group! This is not checked.
1034
1035To enter autocommands for a specific group, use this method:
10361. Select the group with ":augroup {name}".
10372. Delete any old autocommands with ":au!".
10383. Define the autocommands.
10394. Go back to the default group with "augroup END".
1040
1041Example: >
1042 :augroup uncompress
1043 : au!
1044 : au BufEnter *.gz %!gunzip
1045 :augroup END
1046
1047This prevents having the autocommands defined twice (e.g., after sourcing the
1048.vimrc file again).
1049
1050==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +000010519. Executing autocommands *autocmd-execute*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001052
1053Vim can also execute Autocommands non-automatically. This is useful if you
1054have changed autocommands, or when Vim has executed the wrong autocommands
1055(e.g., the file pattern match was wrong).
1056
1057Note that the 'eventignore' option applies here too. Events listed in this
1058option will not cause any commands to be executed.
1059
1060 *:do* *:doau* *:doautocmd* *E217*
Bram Moolenaar5dc62522012-02-13 00:05:22 +01001061:do[autocmd] [<nomodeline>] [group] {event} [fname]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001062 Apply the autocommands matching [fname] (default:
1063 current file name) for {event} to the current buffer.
1064 You can use this when the current file name does not
1065 match the right pattern, after changing settings, or
1066 to execute autocommands for a certain event.
1067 It's possible to use this inside an autocommand too,
1068 so you can base the autocommands for one extension on
1069 another extension. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarf1568ec2011-12-14 21:17:39 +01001070 :au BufEnter *.cpp so ~/.vimrc_cpp
1071 :au BufEnter *.cpp doau BufEnter x.c
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001072< Be careful to avoid endless loops. See
1073 |autocmd-nested|.
1074
1075 When the [group] argument is not given, Vim executes
1076 the autocommands for all groups. When the [group]
1077 argument is included, Vim executes only the matching
1078 autocommands for that group. Note: if you use an
1079 undefined group name, Vim gives you an error message.
Bram Moolenaar60542ac2012-02-12 20:14:01 +01001080 *<nomodeline>*
1081 After applying the autocommands the modelines are
1082 processed, so that their settings overrule the
1083 settings from autocommands, like what happens when
1084 editing a file. This is skipped when the <nomodeline>
1085 argument is present. You probably want to use
1086 <nomodeline> for events that are not used when loading
1087 a buffer, such as |User|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001088
1089 *:doautoa* *:doautoall*
Bram Moolenaara61d5fb2012-02-12 00:18:58 +01001090:doautoa[ll] [<nomodeline>] [group] {event} [fname]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001091 Like ":doautocmd", but apply the autocommands to each
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001092 loaded buffer. Note that [fname] is used to select
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001093 the autocommands, not the buffers to which they are
1094 applied.
1095 Careful: Don't use this for autocommands that delete a
1096 buffer, change to another buffer or change the
1097 contents of a buffer; the result is unpredictable.
1098 This command is intended for autocommands that set
1099 options, change highlighting, and things like that.
1100
1101==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000110210. Using autocommands *autocmd-use*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001103
1104For WRITING FILES there are four possible sets of events. Vim uses only one
1105of these sets for a write command:
1106
1107BufWriteCmd BufWritePre BufWritePost writing the whole buffer
1108 FilterWritePre FilterWritePost writing to filter temp file
1109FileAppendCmd FileAppendPre FileAppendPost appending to a file
1110FileWriteCmd FileWritePre FileWritePost any other file write
1111
1112When there is a matching "*Cmd" autocommand, it is assumed it will do the
1113writing. No further writing is done and the other events are not triggered.
1114|Cmd-event|
1115
1116Note that the *WritePost commands should undo any changes to the buffer that
1117were caused by the *WritePre commands; otherwise, writing the file will have
1118the side effect of changing the buffer.
1119
1120Before executing the autocommands, the buffer from which the lines are to be
1121written temporarily becomes the current buffer. Unless the autocommands
1122change the current buffer or delete the previously current buffer, the
1123previously current buffer is made the current buffer again.
1124
1125The *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands must not delete the buffer from
1126which the lines are to be written.
1127
1128The '[ and '] marks have a special position:
1129- Before the *ReadPre event the '[ mark is set to the line just above where
1130 the new lines will be inserted.
1131- Before the *ReadPost event the '[ mark is set to the first line that was
1132 just read, the '] mark to the last line.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001133- Before executing the *WriteCmd, *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands the '[
1134 mark is set to the first line that will be written, the '] mark to the last
1135 line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001136Careful: '[ and '] change when using commands that change the buffer.
1137
1138In commands which expect a file name, you can use "<afile>" for the file name
1139that is being read |:<afile>| (you can also use "%" for the current file
1140name). "<abuf>" can be used for the buffer number of the currently effective
1141buffer. This also works for buffers that doesn't have a name. But it doesn't
1142work for files without a buffer (e.g., with ":r file").
1143
1144 *gzip-example*
1145Examples for reading and writing compressed files: >
1146 :augroup gzip
1147 : autocmd!
1148 : autocmd BufReadPre,FileReadPre *.gz set bin
1149 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz '[,']!gunzip
1150 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz set nobin
1151 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz execute ":doautocmd BufReadPost " . expand("%:r")
1152 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1153 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1154
1155 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !gunzip <afile>
1156 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !mv <afile>:r <afile>
1157 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1158 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1159 :augroup END
1160
1161The "gzip" group is used to be able to delete any existing autocommands with
1162":autocmd!", for when the file is sourced twice.
1163
1164("<afile>:r" is the file name without the extension, see |:_%:|)
1165
1166The commands executed for the BufNewFile, BufRead/BufReadPost, BufWritePost,
1167FileAppendPost and VimLeave events do not set or reset the changed flag of the
1168buffer. When you decompress the buffer with the BufReadPost autocommands, you
1169can still exit with ":q". When you use ":undo" in BufWritePost to undo the
1170changes made by BufWritePre commands, you can still do ":q" (this also makes
1171"ZZ" work). If you do want the buffer to be marked as modified, set the
1172'modified' option.
1173
1174To execute Normal mode commands from an autocommand, use the ":normal"
1175command. Use with care! If the Normal mode command is not finished, the user
1176needs to type characters (e.g., after ":normal m" you need to type a mark
1177name).
1178
1179If you want the buffer to be unmodified after changing it, reset the
1180'modified' option. This makes it possible to exit the buffer with ":q"
1181instead of ":q!".
1182
1183 *autocmd-nested* *E218*
1184By default, autocommands do not nest. If you use ":e" or ":w" in an
1185autocommand, Vim does not execute the BufRead and BufWrite autocommands for
1186those commands. If you do want this, use the "nested" flag for those commands
1187in which you want nesting. For example: >
1188 :autocmd FileChangedShell *.c nested e!
1189The nesting is limited to 10 levels to get out of recursive loops.
1190
1191It's possible to use the ":au" command in an autocommand. This can be a
1192self-modifying command! This can be useful for an autocommand that should
1193execute only once.
1194
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001195If you want to skip autocommands for one command, use the |:noautocmd| command
1196modifier or the 'eventignore' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001197
1198Note: When reading a file (with ":read file" or with a filter command) and the
1199last line in the file does not have an <EOL>, Vim remembers this. At the next
1200write (with ":write file" or with a filter command), if the same line is
1201written again as the last line in a file AND 'binary' is set, Vim does not
1202supply an <EOL>. This makes a filter command on the just read lines write the
1203same file as was read, and makes a write command on just filtered lines write
1204the same file as was read from the filter. For example, another way to write
1205a compressed file: >
1206
1207 :autocmd FileWritePre *.gz set bin|'[,']!gzip
1208 :autocmd FileWritePost *.gz undo|set nobin
1209<
1210 *autocommand-pattern*
1211You can specify multiple patterns, separated by commas. Here are some
1212examples: >
1213
1214 :autocmd BufRead * set tw=79 nocin ic infercase fo=2croq
1215 :autocmd BufRead .letter set tw=72 fo=2tcrq
1216 :autocmd BufEnter .letter set dict=/usr/lib/dict/words
1217 :autocmd BufLeave .letter set dict=
1218 :autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.c,*.h set tw=0 cin noic
1219 :autocmd BufEnter *.c,*.h abbr FOR for (i = 0; i < 3; ++i)<CR>{<CR>}<Esc>O
1220 :autocmd BufLeave *.c,*.h unabbr FOR
1221
1222For makefiles (makefile, Makefile, imakefile, makefile.unix, etc.): >
1223
1224 :autocmd BufEnter ?akefile* set include=^s\=include
1225 :autocmd BufLeave ?akefile* set include&
1226
1227To always start editing C files at the first function: >
1228
1229 :autocmd BufRead *.c,*.h 1;/^{
1230
1231Without the "1;" above, the search would start from wherever the file was
1232entered, rather than from the start of the file.
1233
1234 *skeleton* *template*
1235To read a skeleton (template) file when opening a new file: >
1236
1237 :autocmd BufNewFile *.c 0r ~/vim/skeleton.c
1238 :autocmd BufNewFile *.h 0r ~/vim/skeleton.h
1239 :autocmd BufNewFile *.java 0r ~/vim/skeleton.java
1240
1241To insert the current date and time in a *.html file when writing it: >
1242
1243 :autocmd BufWritePre,FileWritePre *.html ks|call LastMod()|'s
1244 :fun LastMod()
1245 : if line("$") > 20
1246 : let l = 20
1247 : else
1248 : let l = line("$")
1249 : endif
1250 : exe "1," . l . "g/Last modified: /s/Last modified: .*/Last modified: " .
1251 : \ strftime("%Y %b %d")
1252 :endfun
1253
1254You need to have a line "Last modified: <date time>" in the first 20 lines
1255of the file for this to work. Vim replaces <date time> (and anything in the
1256same line after it) with the current date and time. Explanation:
1257 ks mark current position with mark 's'
1258 call LastMod() call the LastMod() function to do the work
1259 's return the cursor to the old position
1260The LastMod() function checks if the file is shorter than 20 lines, and then
1261uses the ":g" command to find lines that contain "Last modified: ". For those
1262lines the ":s" command is executed to replace the existing date with the
1263current one. The ":execute" command is used to be able to use an expression
1264for the ":g" and ":s" commands. The date is obtained with the strftime()
1265function. You can change its argument to get another date string.
1266
1267When entering :autocmd on the command-line, completion of events and command
1268names may be done (with <Tab>, CTRL-D, etc.) where appropriate.
1269
1270Vim executes all matching autocommands in the order that you specify them.
1271It is recommended that your first autocommand be used for all files by using
1272"*" as the file pattern. This means that you can define defaults you like
1273here for any settings, and if there is another matching autocommand it will
1274override these. But if there is no other matching autocommand, then at least
1275your default settings are recovered (if entering this file from another for
1276which autocommands did match). Note that "*" will also match files starting
1277with ".", unlike Unix shells.
1278
1279 *autocmd-searchpat*
1280Autocommands do not change the current search patterns. Vim saves the current
1281search patterns before executing autocommands then restores them after the
1282autocommands finish. This means that autocommands do not affect the strings
1283highlighted with the 'hlsearch' option. Within autocommands, you can still
1284use search patterns normally, e.g., with the "n" command.
1285If you want an autocommand to set the search pattern, such that it is used
1286after the autocommand finishes, use the ":let @/ =" command.
1287The search-highlighting cannot be switched off with ":nohlsearch" in an
1288autocommand. Use the 'h' flag in the 'viminfo' option to disable search-
1289highlighting when starting Vim.
1290
1291 *Cmd-event*
1292When using one of the "*Cmd" events, the matching autocommands are expected to
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +00001293do the file reading, writing or sourcing. This can be used when working with
1294a special kind of file, for example on a remote system.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001295CAREFUL: If you use these events in a wrong way, it may have the effect of
1296making it impossible to read or write the matching files! Make sure you test
1297your autocommands properly. Best is to use a pattern that will never match a
1298normal file name, for example "ftp://*".
1299
1300When defining a BufReadCmd it will be difficult for Vim to recover a crashed
1301editing session. When recovering from the original file, Vim reads only those
1302parts of a file that are not found in the swap file. Since that is not
1303possible with a BufReadCmd, use the |:preserve| command to make sure the
1304original file isn't needed for recovery. You might want to do this only when
1305you expect the file to be modified.
1306
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +00001307For file read and write commands the |v:cmdarg| variable holds the "++enc="
1308and "++ff=" argument that are effective. These should be used for the command
1309that reads/writes the file. The |v:cmdbang| variable is one when "!" was
1310used, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001311
Bram Moolenaarc88ebf72010-07-22 22:30:23 +02001312See the $VIMRUNTIME/plugin/netrwPlugin.vim for examples.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001313
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001314==============================================================================
131511. Disabling autocommands *autocmd-disable*
1316
1317To disable autocommands for some time use the 'eventignore' option. Note that
1318this may cause unexpected behavior, make sure you restore 'eventignore'
1319afterwards, using a |:try| block with |:finally|.
1320
1321 *:noautocmd* *:noa*
1322To disable autocommands for just one command use the ":noautocmd" command
1323modifier. This will set 'eventignore' to "all" for the duration of the
1324following command. Example: >
1325
1326 :noautocmd w fname.gz
1327
1328This will write the file without triggering the autocommands defined by the
1329gzip plugin.
1330
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001331
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001332 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: