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Bram Moolenaar7b61a542014-08-23 15:31:19 +02001*autocmd.txt* For Vim version 7.4. Last change: 2014 Aug 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 Moolenaard09acef2012-09-21 14:54:30 +0200266|GUIFailed| after starting the GUI failed
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000267|TermResponse| after the terminal response to |t_RV| is received
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000268
Bram Moolenaar00154502013-02-13 16:15:55 +0100269|QuitPre| when using `:quit`, before deciding whether to quit
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000270|VimLeavePre| before exiting Vim, before writing the viminfo file
271|VimLeave| before exiting Vim, after writing the viminfo file
272
273 Various
274|FileChangedShell| Vim notices that a file changed since editing started
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000275|FileChangedShellPost| After handling a file changed since editing started
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000276|FileChangedRO| before making the first change to a read-only file
277
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +0000278|ShellCmdPost| after executing a shell command
279|ShellFilterPost| after filtering with a shell command
280
Bram Moolenaard5005162014-08-22 23:05:54 +0200281|CmdUndefined| a user command is used but it isn't defined
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000282|FuncUndefined| a user function is used but it isn't defined
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000283|SpellFileMissing| a spell file is used but it can't be found
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +0000284|SourcePre| before sourcing a Vim script
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +0000285|SourceCmd| before sourcing a Vim script |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000286
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000287|VimResized| after the Vim window size changed
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000288|FocusGained| Vim got input focus
289|FocusLost| Vim lost input focus
290|CursorHold| the user doesn't press a key for a while
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000291|CursorHoldI| the user doesn't press a key for a while in Insert mode
292|CursorMoved| the cursor was moved in Normal mode
293|CursorMovedI| the cursor was moved in Insert mode
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000294
295|WinEnter| after entering another window
296|WinLeave| before leaving a window
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000297|TabEnter| after entering another tab page
298|TabLeave| before leaving a tab page
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000299|CmdwinEnter| after entering the command-line window
300|CmdwinLeave| before leaving the command-line window
301
302|InsertEnter| starting Insert mode
303|InsertChange| when typing <Insert> while in Insert or Replace mode
304|InsertLeave| when leaving Insert mode
Bram Moolenaare659c952011-05-19 17:25:41 +0200305|InsertCharPre| when a character was typed in Insert mode, before
306 inserting it
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000307
Bram Moolenaardfb18412013-12-11 18:53:29 +0100308|TextChanged| after a change was made to the text in Normal mode
309|TextChangedI| after a change was made to the text in Insert mode
310
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000311|ColorScheme| after loading a color scheme
312
313|RemoteReply| a reply from a server Vim was received
314
315|QuickFixCmdPre| before a quickfix command is run
316|QuickFixCmdPost| after a quickfix command is run
317
318|SessionLoadPost| after loading a session file
319
320|MenuPopup| just before showing the popup menu
Bram Moolenaard09acef2012-09-21 14:54:30 +0200321|CompleteDone| after Insert mode completion is done
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000322
323|User| to be used in combination with ":doautocmd"
324
325
326The alphabetical list of autocommand events: *autocmd-events-abc*
327
328 *BufCreate* *BufAdd*
329BufAdd or BufCreate Just after creating a new buffer which is
330 added to the buffer list, or adding a buffer
331 to the buffer list.
332 Also used just after a buffer in the buffer
333 list has been renamed.
334 The BufCreate event is for historic reasons.
335 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
336 current buffer "%" may be different from the
337 buffer being created "<afile>".
338 *BufDelete*
339BufDelete Before deleting a buffer from the buffer list.
340 The BufUnload may be called first (if the
341 buffer was loaded).
342 Also used just before a buffer in the buffer
343 list is renamed.
344 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
345 current buffer "%" may be different from the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000346 buffer being deleted "<afile>" and "<abuf>".
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000347 Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
348 problems.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000349 *BufEnter*
350BufEnter After entering a buffer. Useful for setting
351 options for a file type. Also executed when
352 starting to edit a buffer, after the
353 BufReadPost autocommands.
354 *BufFilePost*
355BufFilePost After changing the name of the current buffer
356 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000357 *BufFilePre*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000358BufFilePre Before changing the name of the current buffer
359 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
360 *BufHidden*
361BufHidden Just after a buffer has become hidden. That
362 is, when there are no longer windows that show
363 the buffer, but the buffer is not unloaded or
364 deleted. Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when
365 exiting Vim.
366 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
367 current buffer "%" may be different from the
368 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
369 *BufLeave*
370BufLeave Before leaving to another buffer. Also when
371 leaving or closing the current window and the
372 new current window is not for the same buffer.
373 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
374 *BufNew*
375BufNew Just after creating a new buffer. Also used
376 just after a buffer has been renamed. When
377 the buffer is added to the buffer list BufAdd
378 will be triggered too.
379 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
380 current buffer "%" may be different from the
381 buffer being created "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000382 *BufNewFile*
383BufNewFile When starting to edit a file that doesn't
384 exist. Can be used to read in a skeleton
385 file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000386 *BufRead* *BufReadPost*
387BufRead or BufReadPost When starting to edit a new buffer, after
388 reading the file into the buffer, before
389 executing the modelines. See |BufWinEnter|
390 for when you need to do something after
391 processing the modelines.
392 This does NOT work for ":r file". Not used
393 when the file doesn't exist. Also used after
394 successfully recovering a file.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +0200395 Also triggered for the filetypedetect group
396 when executing ":filetype detect" and when
397 writing an unnamed buffer in a way that the
398 buffer gets a name.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000399 *BufReadCmd*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000400BufReadCmd Before starting to edit a new buffer. Should
401 read the file into the buffer. |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000402 *BufReadPre* *E200* *E201*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000403BufReadPre When starting to edit a new buffer, before
404 reading the file into the buffer. Not used
405 if the file doesn't exist.
406 *BufUnload*
407BufUnload Before unloading a buffer. This is when the
408 text in the buffer is going to be freed. This
409 may be after a BufWritePost and before a
410 BufDelete. Also used for all buffers that are
411 loaded when Vim is going to exit.
412 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
413 current buffer "%" may be different from the
414 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000415 Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
416 problems.
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200417 When exiting and v:dying is 2 or more this
418 event is not triggered.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000419 *BufWinEnter*
420BufWinEnter After a buffer is displayed in a window. This
421 can be when the buffer is loaded (after
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000422 processing the modelines) or when a hidden
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000423 buffer is displayed in a window (and is no
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000424 longer hidden).
425 Does not happen for |:split| without
426 arguments, since you keep editing the same
427 buffer, or ":split" with a file that's already
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +0000428 open in a window, because it re-uses an
429 existing buffer. But it does happen for a
430 ":split" with the name of the current buffer,
431 since it reloads that buffer.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000432 *BufWinLeave*
433BufWinLeave Before a buffer is removed from a window.
434 Not when it's still visible in another window.
435 Also triggered when exiting. It's triggered
436 before BufUnload or BufHidden.
437 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
438 current buffer "%" may be different from the
439 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200440 When exiting and v:dying is 2 or more this
441 event is not triggered.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000442 *BufWipeout*
443BufWipeout Before completely deleting a buffer. The
444 BufUnload and BufDelete events may be called
445 first (if the buffer was loaded and was in the
446 buffer list). Also used just before a buffer
447 is renamed (also when it's not in the buffer
448 list).
449 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
450 current buffer "%" may be different from the
451 buffer being deleted "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000452 Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
453 problems.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000454 *BufWrite* *BufWritePre*
455BufWrite or BufWritePre Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000456 *BufWriteCmd*
457BufWriteCmd Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
458 Should do the writing of the file and reset
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000459 'modified' if successful, unless '+' is in
460 'cpo' and writing to another file |cpo-+|.
461 The buffer contents should not be changed.
Bram Moolenaar5302d9e2011-09-14 17:55:08 +0200462 When the command resets 'modified' the undo
463 information is adjusted to mark older undo
464 states as 'modified', like |:write| does.
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000465 |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000466 *BufWritePost*
467BufWritePost After writing the whole buffer to a file
468 (should undo the commands for BufWritePre).
Bram Moolenaard5005162014-08-22 23:05:54 +0200469 *CmdUndefined*
470CmdUndefined When a user command is used but it isn't
471 defined. Useful for defining a command only
472 when it's used. The pattern is matched
473 against the command name. Both <amatch> and
474 <afile> are set to the name of the command.
475 NOTE: Autocompletion won't work until the
476 command is defined. An alternative is to
477 always define the user command and have it
478 invoke an autoloaded function. See |autoload|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000479 *CmdwinEnter*
480CmdwinEnter After entering the command-line window.
481 Useful for setting options specifically for
482 this special type of window. This is
483 triggered _instead_ of BufEnter and WinEnter.
484 <afile> is set to a single character,
485 indicating the type of command-line.
486 |cmdwin-char|
487 *CmdwinLeave*
488CmdwinLeave Before leaving the command-line window.
489 Useful to clean up any global setting done
490 with CmdwinEnter. This is triggered _instead_
491 of BufLeave and WinLeave.
492 <afile> is set to a single character,
493 indicating the type of command-line.
494 |cmdwin-char|
495 *ColorScheme*
496ColorScheme After loading a color scheme. |:colorscheme|
Bram Moolenaarb95186f2013-11-28 18:53:52 +0100497 The pattern is matched against the
498 colorscheme name. <afile> can be used for the
499 name of the actual file where this option was
500 set, and <amatch> for the new colorscheme
501 name.
502
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000503
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +0200504 *CompleteDone*
505CompleteDone After Insert mode completion is done. Either
506 when something was completed or abandoning
507 completion. |ins-completion|
508
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000509 *CursorHold*
510CursorHold When the user doesn't press a key for the time
511 specified with 'updatetime'. Not re-triggered
512 until the user has pressed a key (i.e. doesn't
513 fire every 'updatetime' ms if you leave Vim to
514 make some coffee. :) See |CursorHold-example|
515 for previewing tags.
516 This event is only triggered in Normal mode.
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000517 It is not triggered when waiting for a command
518 argument to be typed, or a movement after an
519 operator.
Bram Moolenaare3226be2005-12-18 22:10:00 +0000520 While recording the CursorHold event is not
521 triggered. |q|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000522 Note: Interactive commands cannot be used for
523 this event. There is no hit-enter prompt,
524 the screen is updated directly (when needed).
525 Note: In the future there will probably be
526 another option to set the time.
527 Hint: to force an update of the status lines
528 use: >
529 :let &ro = &ro
530< {only on Amiga, Unix, Win32, MSDOS and all GUI
531 versions}
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000532 *CursorHoldI*
533CursorHoldI Just like CursorHold, but in Insert mode.
534
535 *CursorMoved*
Bram Moolenaar52b91d82013-06-15 21:39:51 +0200536CursorMoved After the cursor was moved in Normal or Visual
537 mode. Also when the text of the cursor line
538 has been changed, e.g., with "x", "rx" or "p".
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000539 Not triggered when there is typeahead or when
540 an operator is pending.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000541 For an example see |match-parens|.
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200542 Careful: This is triggered very often, don't
543 do anything that the user does not expect or
544 that is slow.
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000545 *CursorMovedI*
546CursorMovedI After the cursor was moved in Insert mode.
Bram Moolenaar5302d9e2011-09-14 17:55:08 +0200547 Not triggered when the popup menu is visible.
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000548 Otherwise the same as CursorMoved.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000549 *EncodingChanged*
550EncodingChanged Fires off after the 'encoding' option has been
551 changed. Useful to set up fonts, for example.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000552 *FileAppendCmd*
553FileAppendCmd Before appending to a file. Should do the
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000554 appending to the file. Use the '[ and ']
555 marks for the range of lines.|Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000556 *FileAppendPost*
557FileAppendPost After appending to a file.
558 *FileAppendPre*
559FileAppendPre Before appending to a file. Use the '[ and ']
560 marks for the range of lines.
561 *FileChangedRO*
562FileChangedRO Before making the first change to a read-only
563 file. Can be used to check-out the file from
564 a source control system. Not triggered when
565 the change was caused by an autocommand.
566 This event is triggered when making the first
567 change in a buffer or the first change after
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +0000568 'readonly' was set, just before the change is
569 applied to the text.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000570 WARNING: If the autocommand moves the cursor
571 the effect of the change is undefined.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000572 *E788*
573 It is not allowed to change to another buffer
574 here. You can reload the buffer but not edit
575 another one.
Bram Moolenaar92dff182014-02-11 19:15:50 +0100576 *E881*
577 If the number of lines changes saving for undo
578 may fail and the change will be aborted.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000579 *FileChangedShell*
580FileChangedShell When Vim notices that the modification time of
581 a file has changed since editing started.
582 Also when the file attributes of the file
Bram Moolenaare968e362014-05-13 20:23:24 +0200583 change or when the size of the file changes.
584 |timestamp|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000585 Mostly triggered after executing a shell
586 command, but also with a |:checktime| command
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +0000587 or when Gvim regains input focus.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000588 This autocommand is triggered for each changed
589 file. It is not used when 'autoread' is set
590 and the buffer was not changed. If a
591 FileChangedShell autocommand is present the
592 warning message and prompt is not given.
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +0000593 The |v:fcs_reason| variable is set to indicate
594 what happened and |v:fcs_choice| can be used
595 to tell Vim what to do next.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000596 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
597 current buffer "%" may be different from the
598 buffer that was changed "<afile>".
599 NOTE: The commands must not change the current
600 buffer, jump to another buffer or delete a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100601 buffer. *E246* *E811*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000602 NOTE: This event never nests, to avoid an
603 endless loop. This means that while executing
604 commands for the FileChangedShell event no
605 other FileChangedShell event will be
606 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000607 *FileChangedShellPost*
608FileChangedShellPost After handling a file that was changed outside
609 of Vim. Can be used to update the statusline.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000610 *FileEncoding*
611FileEncoding Obsolete. It still works and is equivalent
612 to |EncodingChanged|.
613 *FileReadCmd*
614FileReadCmd Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
615 Should do the reading of the file. |Cmd-event|
616 *FileReadPost*
617FileReadPost After reading a file with a ":read" command.
618 Note that Vim sets the '[ and '] marks to the
619 first and last line of the read. This can be
620 used to operate on the lines just read.
621 *FileReadPre*
622FileReadPre Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
623 *FileType*
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000624FileType When the 'filetype' option has been set. The
625 pattern is matched against the filetype.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000626 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
627 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
628 the new value of 'filetype'.
629 See |filetypes|.
630 *FileWriteCmd*
631FileWriteCmd Before writing to a file, when not writing the
632 whole buffer. Should do the writing to the
633 file. Should not change the buffer. Use the
634 '[ and '] marks for the range of lines.
635 |Cmd-event|
636 *FileWritePost*
637FileWritePost After writing to a file, when not writing the
638 whole buffer.
639 *FileWritePre*
640FileWritePre Before writing to a file, when not writing the
641 whole buffer. Use the '[ and '] marks for the
642 range of lines.
643 *FilterReadPost*
644FilterReadPost After reading a file from a filter command.
645 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
646 the current buffer as with FilterReadPre.
647 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
648 *FilterReadPre* *E135*
649FilterReadPre Before reading a file from a filter command.
650 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
651 the current buffer, not the name of the
652 temporary file that is the output of the
653 filter command.
654 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
655 *FilterWritePost*
656FilterWritePost After writing a file for a filter command or
657 making a diff.
658 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
659 the current buffer as with FilterWritePre.
660 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
661 *FilterWritePre*
662FilterWritePre Before writing a file for a filter command or
663 making a diff.
664 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
665 the current buffer, not the name of the
666 temporary file that is the output of the
667 filter command.
668 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000669 *FocusGained*
670FocusGained When Vim got input focus. Only for the GUI
671 version and a few console versions where this
672 can be detected.
673 *FocusLost*
674FocusLost When Vim lost input focus. Only for the GUI
675 version and a few console versions where this
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +0000676 can be detected. May also happen when a
677 dialog pops up.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000678 *FuncUndefined*
679FuncUndefined When a user function is used but it isn't
680 defined. Useful for defining a function only
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000681 when it's used. The pattern is matched
682 against the function name. Both <amatch> and
683 <afile> are set to the name of the function.
Bram Moolenaard5005162014-08-22 23:05:54 +0200684 NOTE: When writing Vim scripts a better
685 alternative is to use an autoloaded function.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000686 See |autoload-functions|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000687 *GUIEnter*
688GUIEnter After starting the GUI successfully, and after
689 opening the window. It is triggered before
690 VimEnter when using gvim. Can be used to
691 position the window from a .gvimrc file: >
692 :autocmd GUIEnter * winpos 100 50
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000693< *GUIFailed*
694GUIFailed After starting the GUI failed. Vim may
695 continue to run in the terminal, if possible
696 (only on Unix and alikes, when connecting the
697 X server fails). You may want to quit Vim: >
698 :autocmd GUIFailed * qall
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000699< *InsertChange*
700InsertChange When typing <Insert> while in Insert or
701 Replace mode. The |v:insertmode| variable
702 indicates the new mode.
703 Be careful not to move the cursor or do
704 anything else that the user does not expect.
Bram Moolenaare659c952011-05-19 17:25:41 +0200705 *InsertCharPre*
706InsertCharPre When a character is typed in Insert mode,
707 before inserting the char.
708 The |v:char| variable indicates the char typed
709 and can be changed during the event to insert
710 a different character. When |v:char| is set
711 to more than one character this text is
712 inserted literally.
713 It is not allowed to change the text |textlock|.
714 The event is not triggered when 'paste' is
715 set.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000716 *InsertEnter*
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000717InsertEnter Just before starting Insert mode. Also for
718 Replace mode and Virtual Replace mode. The
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000719 |v:insertmode| variable indicates the mode.
Bram Moolenaar097c9922013-05-19 21:15:15 +0200720 Be careful not to do anything else that the
721 user does not expect.
722 The cursor is restored afterwards. If you do
723 not want that set |v:char| to a non-empty
724 string.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000725 *InsertLeave*
726InsertLeave When leaving Insert mode. Also when using
727 CTRL-O |i_CTRL-O|. But not for |i_CTRL-C|.
728 *MenuPopup*
729MenuPopup Just before showing the popup menu (under the
730 right mouse button). Useful for adjusting the
731 menu for what is under the cursor or mouse
732 pointer.
733 The pattern is matched against a single
734 character representing the mode:
735 n Normal
736 v Visual
737 o Operator-pending
738 i Insert
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000739 c Command line
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000740 *QuickFixCmdPre*
741QuickFixCmdPre Before a quickfix command is run (|:make|,
Bram Moolenaara6557602006-02-04 22:43:20 +0000742 |:lmake|, |:grep|, |:lgrep|, |:grepadd|,
743 |:lgrepadd|, |:vimgrep|, |:lvimgrep|,
Bram Moolenaar6be7f872012-01-20 21:08:56 +0100744 |:vimgrepadd|, |:lvimgrepadd|, |:cscope|,
Bram Moolenaar84f72352012-03-11 15:57:40 +0100745 |:cfile|, |:cgetfile|, |:caddfile|, |:lfile|,
746 |:lgetfile|, |:laddfile|, |:helpgrep|,
747 |:lhelpgrep|).
Bram Moolenaarf1eeae92010-05-14 23:14:42 +0200748 The pattern is matched against the command
749 being run. When |:grep| is used but 'grepprg'
750 is set to "internal" it still matches "grep".
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000751 This command cannot be used to set the
752 'makeprg' and 'grepprg' variables.
753 If this command causes an error, the quickfix
754 command is not executed.
755 *QuickFixCmdPost*
756QuickFixCmdPost Like QuickFixCmdPre, but after a quickfix
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000757 command is run, before jumping to the first
Bram Moolenaar8ec1f852012-03-07 20:13:49 +0100758 location. For |:cfile| and |:lfile| commands
759 it is run after error file is read and before
Bram Moolenaar92dff182014-02-11 19:15:50 +0100760 moving to the first error.
Bram Moolenaar8ec1f852012-03-07 20:13:49 +0100761 See |QuickFixCmdPost-example|.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +0200762 *QuitPre*
Bram Moolenaarac7bd632013-03-19 11:35:58 +0100763QuitPre When using `:quit`, `:wq` or `:qall`, before
764 deciding whether it closes the current window
765 or quits Vim. Can be used to close any
766 non-essential window if the current window is
767 the last ordinary window.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000768 *RemoteReply*
769RemoteReply When a reply from a Vim that functions as
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000770 server was received |server2client()|. The
771 pattern is matched against the {serverid}.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000772 <amatch> is equal to the {serverid} from which
773 the reply was sent, and <afile> is the actual
774 reply string.
775 Note that even if an autocommand is defined,
776 the reply should be read with |remote_read()|
777 to consume it.
778 *SessionLoadPost*
779SessionLoadPost After loading the session file created using
780 the |:mksession| command.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +0000781 *ShellCmdPost*
782ShellCmdPost After executing a shell command with |:!cmd|,
783 |:shell|, |:make| and |:grep|. Can be used to
784 check for any changed files.
785 *ShellFilterPost*
786ShellFilterPost After executing a shell command with
787 ":{range}!cmd", ":w !cmd" or ":r !cmd".
788 Can be used to check for any changed files.
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +0000789 *SourcePre*
790SourcePre Before sourcing a Vim script. |:source|
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +0000791 <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
792 *SourceCmd*
793SourceCmd When sourcing a Vim script. |:source|
794 <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
795 The autocommand must source this file.
796 |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000797 *SpellFileMissing*
798SpellFileMissing When trying to load a spell checking file and
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +0000799 it can't be found. The pattern is matched
800 against the language. <amatch> is the
801 language, 'encoding' also matters. See
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000802 |spell-SpellFileMissing|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000803 *StdinReadPost*
804StdinReadPost After reading from the stdin into the buffer,
805 before executing the modelines. Only used
806 when the "-" argument was used when Vim was
807 started |--|.
808 *StdinReadPre*
809StdinReadPre Before reading from stdin into the buffer.
810 Only used when the "-" argument was used when
811 Vim was started |--|.
812 *SwapExists*
813SwapExists Detected an existing swap file when starting
814 to edit a file. Only when it is possible to
815 select a way to handle the situation, when Vim
816 would ask the user what to do.
817 The |v:swapname| variable holds the name of
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +0000818 the swap file found, <afile> the file being
819 edited. |v:swapcommand| may contain a command
820 to be executed in the opened file.
821 The commands should set the |v:swapchoice|
822 variable to a string with one character to
823 tell Vim what should be done next:
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000824 'o' open read-only
825 'e' edit the file anyway
826 'r' recover
827 'd' delete the swap file
828 'q' quit, don't edit the file
829 'a' abort, like hitting CTRL-C
830 When set to an empty string the user will be
831 asked, as if there was no SwapExists autocmd.
Bram Moolenaarb849e712009-06-24 15:51:37 +0000832 *E812*
833 It is not allowed to change to another buffer,
834 change a buffer name or change directory
835 here.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000836 *Syntax*
Bram Moolenaard7afed32007-05-06 13:26:41 +0000837Syntax When the 'syntax' option has been set. The
838 pattern is matched against the syntax name.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000839 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
840 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
841 the new value of 'syntax'.
842 See |:syn-on|.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000843 *TabEnter*
844TabEnter Just after entering a tab page. |tab-page|
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +0000845 After triggering the WinEnter and before
846 triggering the BufEnter event.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000847 *TabLeave*
848TabLeave Just before leaving a tab page. |tab-page|
849 A WinLeave event will have been triggered
850 first.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000851 *TermChanged*
852TermChanged After the value of 'term' has changed. Useful
853 for re-loading the syntax file to update the
854 colors, fonts and other terminal-dependent
855 settings. Executed for all loaded buffers.
856 *TermResponse*
857TermResponse After the response to |t_RV| is received from
858 the terminal. The value of |v:termresponse|
859 can be used to do things depending on the
Bram Moolenaar8e5af3e2011-04-28 19:02:44 +0200860 terminal version. Note that this event may be
861 triggered halfway executing another event,
862 especially if file I/O, a shell command or
863 anything else that takes time is involved.
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200864 *TextChanged*
865TextChanged After a change was made to the text in the
866 current buffer in Normal mode. That is when
867 |b:changedtick| has changed.
868 Not triggered when there is typeahead or when
869 an operator is pending.
870 Careful: This is triggered very often, don't
871 do anything that the user does not expect or
872 that is slow.
873 *TextChangedI*
874TextChangedI After a change was made to the text in the
875 current buffer in Insert mode.
876 Not triggered when the popup menu is visible.
877 Otherwise the same as TextChanged.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000878 *User*
879User Never executed automatically. To be used for
880 autocommands that are only executed with
881 ":doautocmd".
882 *UserGettingBored*
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200883UserGettingBored When the user presses the same key 42 times.
884 Just kidding! :-)
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000885 *VimEnter*
886VimEnter After doing all the startup stuff, including
887 loading .vimrc files, executing the "-c cmd"
888 arguments, creating all windows and loading
889 the buffers in them.
890 *VimLeave*
891VimLeave Before exiting Vim, just after writing the
892 .viminfo file. Executed only once, like
893 VimLeavePre.
894 To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200895 When v:dying is 2 or more this event is not
896 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000897 *VimLeavePre*
898VimLeavePre Before exiting Vim, just before writing the
899 .viminfo file. This is executed only once,
900 if there is a match with the name of what
901 happens to be the current buffer when exiting.
902 Mostly useful with a "*" pattern. >
903 :autocmd VimLeavePre * call CleanupStuff()
904< To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +0200905 When v:dying is 2 or more this event is not
906 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000907 *VimResized*
908VimResized After the Vim window was resized, thus 'lines'
909 and/or 'columns' changed. Not when starting
910 up though.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000911 *WinEnter*
912WinEnter After entering another window. Not done for
913 the first window, when Vim has just started.
914 Useful for setting the window height.
915 If the window is for another buffer, Vim
916 executes the BufEnter autocommands after the
917 WinEnter autocommands.
918 Note: When using ":split fname" the WinEnter
919 event is triggered after the split but before
920 the file "fname" is loaded.
921 *WinLeave*
922WinLeave Before leaving a window. If the window to be
923 entered next is for a different buffer, Vim
924 executes the BufLeave autocommands before the
925 WinLeave autocommands (but not for ":new").
926 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000927
928==============================================================================
9296. Patterns *autocmd-patterns* *{pat}*
930
931The file pattern {pat} is tested for a match against the file name in one of
932two ways:
9331. When there is no '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against only
934 the tail part of the file name (without its leading directory path).
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01009352. When there is a '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against both the
936 short file name (as you typed it) and the full file name (after expanding
937 it to a full path and resolving symbolic links).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000938
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000939The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> is used for buffer-local
940autocommands |autocmd-buflocal|. This pattern is not matched against the name
941of a buffer.
942
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000943Examples: >
944 :autocmd BufRead *.txt set et
945Set the 'et' option for all text files. >
946
947 :autocmd BufRead /vim/src/*.c set cindent
948Set the 'cindent' option for C files in the /vim/src directory. >
949
950 :autocmd BufRead /tmp/*.c set ts=5
951If you have a link from "/tmp/test.c" to "/home/nobody/vim/src/test.c", and
952you start editing "/tmp/test.c", this autocommand will match.
953
954Note: To match part of a path, but not from the root directory, use a '*' as
955the first character. Example: >
956 :autocmd BufRead */doc/*.txt set tw=78
957This autocommand will for example be executed for "/tmp/doc/xx.txt" and
958"/usr/home/piet/doc/yy.txt". The number of directories does not matter here.
959
960
961The file name that the pattern is matched against is after expanding
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000962wildcards. Thus if you issue this command: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000963 :e $ROOTDIR/main.$EXT
964The argument is first expanded to: >
965 /usr/root/main.py
966Before it's matched with the pattern of the autocommand. Careful with this
967when using events like FileReadCmd, the value of <amatch> may not be what you
968expect.
969
970
971Environment variables can be used in a pattern: >
972 :autocmd BufRead $VIMRUNTIME/doc/*.txt set expandtab
973And ~ can be used for the home directory (if $HOME is defined): >
974 :autocmd BufWritePost ~/.vimrc so ~/.vimrc
975 :autocmd BufRead ~archive/* set readonly
976The environment variable is expanded when the autocommand is defined, not when
977the autocommand is executed. This is different from the command!
978
979 *file-pattern*
980The pattern is interpreted like mostly used in file names:
Bram Moolenaar3b1db362013-08-10 15:00:24 +0200981 * matches any sequence of characters; Unusual: includes path
Bram Moolenaar9d98fe92013-08-03 18:35:36 +0200982 separators
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000983 ? matches any single character
984 \? matches a '?'
985 . matches a '.'
986 ~ matches a '~'
987 , separates patterns
988 \, matches a ','
989 { } like \( \) in a |pattern|
990 , inside { }: like \| in a |pattern|
Bram Moolenaara946afe2013-08-02 15:22:39 +0200991 \} literal }
992 \{ literal {
993 \\\{n,m\} like \{n,m} in a |pattern|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000994 \ special meaning like in a |pattern|
995 [ch] matches 'c' or 'h'
996 [^ch] match any character but 'c' and 'h'
997
998Note that for all systems the '/' character is used for path separator (even
999MS-DOS and OS/2). This was done because the backslash is difficult to use
1000in a pattern and to make the autocommands portable across different systems.
1001
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001002 *autocmd-changes*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001003Matching with the pattern is done when an event is triggered. Changing the
1004buffer name in one of the autocommands, or even deleting the buffer, does not
1005change which autocommands will be executed. Example: >
1006
1007 au BufEnter *.foo bdel
1008 au BufEnter *.foo set modified
1009
1010This will delete the current buffer and then set 'modified' in what has become
1011the current buffer instead. Vim doesn't take into account that "*.foo"
1012doesn't match with that buffer name. It matches "*.foo" with the name of the
1013buffer at the moment the event was triggered.
1014
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001015However, buffer-local autocommands will not be executed for a buffer that has
1016been wiped out with |:bwipe|. After deleting the buffer with |:bdel| the
1017buffer actually still exists (it becomes unlisted), thus the autocommands are
1018still executed.
1019
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001020==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +000010217. Buffer-local autocommands *autocmd-buflocal* *autocmd-buffer-local*
1022 *<buffer=N>* *<buffer=abuf>* *E680*
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001023
1024Buffer-local autocommands are attached to a specific buffer. They are useful
1025if the buffer does not have a name and when the name does not match a specific
1026pattern. But it also means they must be explicitly added to each buffer.
1027
1028Instead of a pattern buffer-local autocommands use one of these forms:
1029 <buffer> current buffer
1030 <buffer=99> buffer number 99
1031 <buffer=abuf> using <abuf> (only when executing autocommands)
1032 |<abuf>|
1033
1034Examples: >
1035 :au CursorHold <buffer> echo 'hold'
1036 :au CursorHold <buffer=33> echo 'hold'
1037 :au CursorHold <buffer=abuf> echo 'hold'
1038
1039All the commands for autocommands also work with buffer-local autocommands,
1040simply use the special string instead of the pattern. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001041 :au! * <buffer> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
1042 " current buffer
1043 :au! * <buffer=33> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
1044 " buffer #33
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001045 :bufdo :au! CursorHold <buffer> " remove autocmd for given event for all
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001046 " buffers
1047 :au * <buffer> " list buffer-local autocommands for
1048 " current buffer
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001049
1050Note that when an autocommand is defined for the current buffer, it is stored
1051with the buffer number. Thus it uses the form "<buffer=12>", where 12 is the
1052number of the current buffer. You will see this when listing autocommands,
1053for example.
1054
1055To test for presence of buffer-local autocommands use the |exists()| function
1056as follows: >
1057 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer=12>") | ... | endif
1058 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer>") | ... | endif " for current buffer
1059
1060When a buffer is wiped out its buffer-local autocommands are also gone, of
1061course. Note that when deleting a buffer, e.g., with ":bdel", it is only
1062unlisted, the autocommands are still present. In order to see the removal of
1063buffer-local autocommands: >
1064 :set verbose=6
1065
1066It is not possible to define buffer-local autocommands for a non-existent
1067buffer.
1068
1069==============================================================================
10708. Groups *autocmd-groups*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001071
1072Autocommands can be put together in a group. This is useful for removing or
1073executing a group of autocommands. For example, all the autocommands for
1074syntax highlighting are put in the "highlight" group, to be able to execute
1075":doautoall highlight BufRead" when the GUI starts.
1076
1077When no specific group is selected, Vim uses the default group. The default
1078group does not have a name. You cannot execute the autocommands from the
1079default group separately; you can execute them only by executing autocommands
1080for all groups.
1081
1082Normally, when executing autocommands automatically, Vim uses the autocommands
1083for all groups. The group only matters when executing autocommands with
1084":doautocmd" or ":doautoall", or when defining or deleting autocommands.
1085
1086The group name can contain any characters except white space. The group name
1087"end" is reserved (also in uppercase).
1088
1089The group name is case sensitive. Note that this is different from the event
1090name!
1091
1092 *:aug* *:augroup*
1093:aug[roup] {name} Define the autocmd group name for the
1094 following ":autocmd" commands. The name "end"
1095 or "END" selects the default group.
1096
1097 *:augroup-delete* *E367*
1098:aug[roup]! {name} Delete the autocmd group {name}. Don't use
1099 this if there is still an autocommand using
1100 this group! This is not checked.
1101
1102To enter autocommands for a specific group, use this method:
11031. Select the group with ":augroup {name}".
11042. Delete any old autocommands with ":au!".
11053. Define the autocommands.
11064. Go back to the default group with "augroup END".
1107
1108Example: >
1109 :augroup uncompress
1110 : au!
1111 : au BufEnter *.gz %!gunzip
1112 :augroup END
1113
1114This prevents having the autocommands defined twice (e.g., after sourcing the
1115.vimrc file again).
1116
1117==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +000011189. Executing autocommands *autocmd-execute*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001119
1120Vim can also execute Autocommands non-automatically. This is useful if you
1121have changed autocommands, or when Vim has executed the wrong autocommands
1122(e.g., the file pattern match was wrong).
1123
1124Note that the 'eventignore' option applies here too. Events listed in this
1125option will not cause any commands to be executed.
1126
1127 *:do* *:doau* *:doautocmd* *E217*
Bram Moolenaar5dc62522012-02-13 00:05:22 +01001128:do[autocmd] [<nomodeline>] [group] {event} [fname]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001129 Apply the autocommands matching [fname] (default:
1130 current file name) for {event} to the current buffer.
1131 You can use this when the current file name does not
1132 match the right pattern, after changing settings, or
1133 to execute autocommands for a certain event.
1134 It's possible to use this inside an autocommand too,
1135 so you can base the autocommands for one extension on
1136 another extension. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarf1568ec2011-12-14 21:17:39 +01001137 :au BufEnter *.cpp so ~/.vimrc_cpp
1138 :au BufEnter *.cpp doau BufEnter x.c
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001139< Be careful to avoid endless loops. See
1140 |autocmd-nested|.
1141
1142 When the [group] argument is not given, Vim executes
1143 the autocommands for all groups. When the [group]
1144 argument is included, Vim executes only the matching
1145 autocommands for that group. Note: if you use an
1146 undefined group name, Vim gives you an error message.
Bram Moolenaar60542ac2012-02-12 20:14:01 +01001147 *<nomodeline>*
1148 After applying the autocommands the modelines are
1149 processed, so that their settings overrule the
1150 settings from autocommands, like what happens when
1151 editing a file. This is skipped when the <nomodeline>
1152 argument is present. You probably want to use
1153 <nomodeline> for events that are not used when loading
1154 a buffer, such as |User|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001155
1156 *:doautoa* *:doautoall*
Bram Moolenaara61d5fb2012-02-12 00:18:58 +01001157:doautoa[ll] [<nomodeline>] [group] {event} [fname]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001158 Like ":doautocmd", but apply the autocommands to each
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001159 loaded buffer. Note that [fname] is used to select
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001160 the autocommands, not the buffers to which they are
1161 applied.
1162 Careful: Don't use this for autocommands that delete a
1163 buffer, change to another buffer or change the
1164 contents of a buffer; the result is unpredictable.
1165 This command is intended for autocommands that set
1166 options, change highlighting, and things like that.
1167
1168==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000116910. Using autocommands *autocmd-use*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001170
1171For WRITING FILES there are four possible sets of events. Vim uses only one
1172of these sets for a write command:
1173
1174BufWriteCmd BufWritePre BufWritePost writing the whole buffer
1175 FilterWritePre FilterWritePost writing to filter temp file
1176FileAppendCmd FileAppendPre FileAppendPost appending to a file
1177FileWriteCmd FileWritePre FileWritePost any other file write
1178
1179When there is a matching "*Cmd" autocommand, it is assumed it will do the
1180writing. No further writing is done and the other events are not triggered.
1181|Cmd-event|
1182
1183Note that the *WritePost commands should undo any changes to the buffer that
1184were caused by the *WritePre commands; otherwise, writing the file will have
1185the side effect of changing the buffer.
1186
1187Before executing the autocommands, the buffer from which the lines are to be
1188written temporarily becomes the current buffer. Unless the autocommands
1189change the current buffer or delete the previously current buffer, the
1190previously current buffer is made the current buffer again.
1191
1192The *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands must not delete the buffer from
1193which the lines are to be written.
1194
1195The '[ and '] marks have a special position:
1196- Before the *ReadPre event the '[ mark is set to the line just above where
1197 the new lines will be inserted.
1198- Before the *ReadPost event the '[ mark is set to the first line that was
1199 just read, the '] mark to the last line.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001200- Before executing the *WriteCmd, *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands the '[
1201 mark is set to the first line that will be written, the '] mark to the last
1202 line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001203Careful: '[ and '] change when using commands that change the buffer.
1204
1205In commands which expect a file name, you can use "<afile>" for the file name
1206that is being read |:<afile>| (you can also use "%" for the current file
1207name). "<abuf>" can be used for the buffer number of the currently effective
1208buffer. This also works for buffers that doesn't have a name. But it doesn't
1209work for files without a buffer (e.g., with ":r file").
1210
1211 *gzip-example*
1212Examples for reading and writing compressed files: >
1213 :augroup gzip
1214 : autocmd!
1215 : autocmd BufReadPre,FileReadPre *.gz set bin
1216 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz '[,']!gunzip
1217 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz set nobin
1218 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz execute ":doautocmd BufReadPost " . expand("%:r")
1219 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1220 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1221
1222 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !gunzip <afile>
1223 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !mv <afile>:r <afile>
1224 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1225 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1226 :augroup END
1227
1228The "gzip" group is used to be able to delete any existing autocommands with
1229":autocmd!", for when the file is sourced twice.
1230
1231("<afile>:r" is the file name without the extension, see |:_%:|)
1232
1233The commands executed for the BufNewFile, BufRead/BufReadPost, BufWritePost,
1234FileAppendPost and VimLeave events do not set or reset the changed flag of the
1235buffer. When you decompress the buffer with the BufReadPost autocommands, you
1236can still exit with ":q". When you use ":undo" in BufWritePost to undo the
1237changes made by BufWritePre commands, you can still do ":q" (this also makes
1238"ZZ" work). If you do want the buffer to be marked as modified, set the
1239'modified' option.
1240
1241To execute Normal mode commands from an autocommand, use the ":normal"
1242command. Use with care! If the Normal mode command is not finished, the user
1243needs to type characters (e.g., after ":normal m" you need to type a mark
1244name).
1245
1246If you want the buffer to be unmodified after changing it, reset the
1247'modified' option. This makes it possible to exit the buffer with ":q"
1248instead of ":q!".
1249
1250 *autocmd-nested* *E218*
1251By default, autocommands do not nest. If you use ":e" or ":w" in an
1252autocommand, Vim does not execute the BufRead and BufWrite autocommands for
1253those commands. If you do want this, use the "nested" flag for those commands
1254in which you want nesting. For example: >
1255 :autocmd FileChangedShell *.c nested e!
1256The nesting is limited to 10 levels to get out of recursive loops.
1257
1258It's possible to use the ":au" command in an autocommand. This can be a
1259self-modifying command! This can be useful for an autocommand that should
1260execute only once.
1261
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001262If you want to skip autocommands for one command, use the |:noautocmd| command
1263modifier or the 'eventignore' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001264
1265Note: When reading a file (with ":read file" or with a filter command) and the
1266last line in the file does not have an <EOL>, Vim remembers this. At the next
1267write (with ":write file" or with a filter command), if the same line is
1268written again as the last line in a file AND 'binary' is set, Vim does not
1269supply an <EOL>. This makes a filter command on the just read lines write the
1270same file as was read, and makes a write command on just filtered lines write
1271the same file as was read from the filter. For example, another way to write
1272a compressed file: >
1273
1274 :autocmd FileWritePre *.gz set bin|'[,']!gzip
1275 :autocmd FileWritePost *.gz undo|set nobin
1276<
1277 *autocommand-pattern*
1278You can specify multiple patterns, separated by commas. Here are some
1279examples: >
1280
1281 :autocmd BufRead * set tw=79 nocin ic infercase fo=2croq
1282 :autocmd BufRead .letter set tw=72 fo=2tcrq
1283 :autocmd BufEnter .letter set dict=/usr/lib/dict/words
1284 :autocmd BufLeave .letter set dict=
1285 :autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.c,*.h set tw=0 cin noic
1286 :autocmd BufEnter *.c,*.h abbr FOR for (i = 0; i < 3; ++i)<CR>{<CR>}<Esc>O
1287 :autocmd BufLeave *.c,*.h unabbr FOR
1288
1289For makefiles (makefile, Makefile, imakefile, makefile.unix, etc.): >
1290
1291 :autocmd BufEnter ?akefile* set include=^s\=include
1292 :autocmd BufLeave ?akefile* set include&
1293
1294To always start editing C files at the first function: >
1295
1296 :autocmd BufRead *.c,*.h 1;/^{
1297
1298Without the "1;" above, the search would start from wherever the file was
1299entered, rather than from the start of the file.
1300
1301 *skeleton* *template*
1302To read a skeleton (template) file when opening a new file: >
1303
1304 :autocmd BufNewFile *.c 0r ~/vim/skeleton.c
1305 :autocmd BufNewFile *.h 0r ~/vim/skeleton.h
1306 :autocmd BufNewFile *.java 0r ~/vim/skeleton.java
1307
1308To insert the current date and time in a *.html file when writing it: >
1309
1310 :autocmd BufWritePre,FileWritePre *.html ks|call LastMod()|'s
1311 :fun LastMod()
1312 : if line("$") > 20
1313 : let l = 20
1314 : else
1315 : let l = line("$")
1316 : endif
1317 : exe "1," . l . "g/Last modified: /s/Last modified: .*/Last modified: " .
1318 : \ strftime("%Y %b %d")
1319 :endfun
1320
1321You need to have a line "Last modified: <date time>" in the first 20 lines
1322of the file for this to work. Vim replaces <date time> (and anything in the
1323same line after it) with the current date and time. Explanation:
1324 ks mark current position with mark 's'
1325 call LastMod() call the LastMod() function to do the work
1326 's return the cursor to the old position
1327The LastMod() function checks if the file is shorter than 20 lines, and then
1328uses the ":g" command to find lines that contain "Last modified: ". For those
1329lines the ":s" command is executed to replace the existing date with the
1330current one. The ":execute" command is used to be able to use an expression
1331for the ":g" and ":s" commands. The date is obtained with the strftime()
1332function. You can change its argument to get another date string.
1333
1334When entering :autocmd on the command-line, completion of events and command
1335names may be done (with <Tab>, CTRL-D, etc.) where appropriate.
1336
1337Vim executes all matching autocommands in the order that you specify them.
1338It is recommended that your first autocommand be used for all files by using
1339"*" as the file pattern. This means that you can define defaults you like
1340here for any settings, and if there is another matching autocommand it will
1341override these. But if there is no other matching autocommand, then at least
1342your default settings are recovered (if entering this file from another for
1343which autocommands did match). Note that "*" will also match files starting
1344with ".", unlike Unix shells.
1345
1346 *autocmd-searchpat*
1347Autocommands do not change the current search patterns. Vim saves the current
1348search patterns before executing autocommands then restores them after the
1349autocommands finish. This means that autocommands do not affect the strings
1350highlighted with the 'hlsearch' option. Within autocommands, you can still
1351use search patterns normally, e.g., with the "n" command.
1352If you want an autocommand to set the search pattern, such that it is used
1353after the autocommand finishes, use the ":let @/ =" command.
1354The search-highlighting cannot be switched off with ":nohlsearch" in an
1355autocommand. Use the 'h' flag in the 'viminfo' option to disable search-
1356highlighting when starting Vim.
1357
1358 *Cmd-event*
1359When using one of the "*Cmd" events, the matching autocommands are expected to
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +00001360do the file reading, writing or sourcing. This can be used when working with
1361a special kind of file, for example on a remote system.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001362CAREFUL: If you use these events in a wrong way, it may have the effect of
1363making it impossible to read or write the matching files! Make sure you test
1364your autocommands properly. Best is to use a pattern that will never match a
1365normal file name, for example "ftp://*".
1366
1367When defining a BufReadCmd it will be difficult for Vim to recover a crashed
1368editing session. When recovering from the original file, Vim reads only those
1369parts of a file that are not found in the swap file. Since that is not
1370possible with a BufReadCmd, use the |:preserve| command to make sure the
1371original file isn't needed for recovery. You might want to do this only when
1372you expect the file to be modified.
1373
Bram Moolenaar8dd1aa52007-01-16 20:33:19 +00001374For file read and write commands the |v:cmdarg| variable holds the "++enc="
1375and "++ff=" argument that are effective. These should be used for the command
1376that reads/writes the file. The |v:cmdbang| variable is one when "!" was
1377used, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001378
Bram Moolenaarc88ebf72010-07-22 22:30:23 +02001379See the $VIMRUNTIME/plugin/netrwPlugin.vim for examples.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001380
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001381==============================================================================
138211. Disabling autocommands *autocmd-disable*
1383
1384To disable autocommands for some time use the 'eventignore' option. Note that
1385this may cause unexpected behavior, make sure you restore 'eventignore'
1386afterwards, using a |:try| block with |:finally|.
1387
1388 *:noautocmd* *:noa*
1389To disable autocommands for just one command use the ":noautocmd" command
1390modifier. This will set 'eventignore' to "all" for the duration of the
1391following command. Example: >
1392
1393 :noautocmd w fname.gz
1394
1395This will write the file without triggering the autocommands defined by the
1396gzip plugin.
1397
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001398
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001399 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: