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Bram Moolenaarb21e5842006-04-16 18:30:08 +00001*autocmd.txt* For Vim version 7.0e. Last change: 2006 Apr 07
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
36 *E203* *E204* *E143*
37WARNING: 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
62 {pat}. Vim always adds the {cmd} after existing
63 autocommands, so that the autocommands execute in the
64 order in which they were given. See |autocmd-nested|
65 for [nested].
66
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
107When executing the commands, the messages from one command overwrites a
108previous 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
165 * call s:LocalBrowse(expand("<amatch>"))
166 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
199alpabetically with full explanations |autocmd-events-abc|.
200
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
212|FileReadCmd| before reading a file with a ":read" comman |Cmd-event|
213
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
266|TermResponse| after the termainal response to |t_RV| is received
267
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 Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000282
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000283|VimResized| after the Vim window size changed
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000284|FocusGained| Vim got input focus
285|FocusLost| Vim lost input focus
286|CursorHold| the user doesn't press a key for a while
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000287|CursorHoldI| the user doesn't press a key for a while in Insert mode
288|CursorMoved| the cursor was moved in Normal mode
289|CursorMovedI| the cursor was moved in Insert mode
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000290
291|WinEnter| after entering another window
292|WinLeave| before leaving a window
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000293|TabEnter| after entering another tab page
294|TabLeave| before leaving a tab page
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000295|CmdwinEnter| after entering the command-line window
296|CmdwinLeave| before leaving the command-line window
297
298|InsertEnter| starting Insert mode
299|InsertChange| when typing <Insert> while in Insert or Replace mode
300|InsertLeave| when leaving Insert mode
301
302|ColorScheme| after loading a color scheme
303
304|RemoteReply| a reply from a server Vim was received
305
306|QuickFixCmdPre| before a quickfix command is run
307|QuickFixCmdPost| after a quickfix command is run
308
309|SessionLoadPost| after loading a session file
310
311|MenuPopup| just before showing the popup menu
312
313|User| to be used in combination with ":doautocmd"
314
315
316The alphabetical list of autocommand events: *autocmd-events-abc*
317
318 *BufCreate* *BufAdd*
319BufAdd or BufCreate Just after creating a new buffer which is
320 added to the buffer list, or adding a buffer
321 to the buffer list.
322 Also used just after a buffer in the buffer
323 list has been renamed.
324 The BufCreate event is for historic reasons.
325 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
326 current buffer "%" may be different from the
327 buffer being created "<afile>".
328 *BufDelete*
329BufDelete Before deleting a buffer from the buffer list.
330 The BufUnload may be called first (if the
331 buffer was loaded).
332 Also used just before a buffer in the buffer
333 list is renamed.
334 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
335 current buffer "%" may be different from the
336 buffer being deleted "<afile>".
337 *BufEnter*
338BufEnter After entering a buffer. Useful for setting
339 options for a file type. Also executed when
340 starting to edit a buffer, after the
341 BufReadPost autocommands.
342 *BufFilePost*
343BufFilePost After changing the name of the current buffer
344 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000345 *BufFilePre*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000346BufFilePre Before changing the name of the current buffer
347 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
348 *BufHidden*
349BufHidden Just after a buffer has become hidden. That
350 is, when there are no longer windows that show
351 the buffer, but the buffer is not unloaded or
352 deleted. Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when
353 exiting Vim.
354 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
355 current buffer "%" may be different from the
356 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
357 *BufLeave*
358BufLeave Before leaving to another buffer. Also when
359 leaving or closing the current window and the
360 new current window is not for the same buffer.
361 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
362 *BufNew*
363BufNew Just after creating a new buffer. Also used
364 just after a buffer has been renamed. When
365 the buffer is added to the buffer list BufAdd
366 will be triggered too.
367 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
368 current buffer "%" may be different from the
369 buffer being created "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000370 *BufNewFile*
371BufNewFile When starting to edit a file that doesn't
372 exist. Can be used to read in a skeleton
373 file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000374 *BufRead* *BufReadPost*
375BufRead or BufReadPost When starting to edit a new buffer, after
376 reading the file into the buffer, before
377 executing the modelines. See |BufWinEnter|
378 for when you need to do something after
379 processing the modelines.
380 This does NOT work for ":r file". Not used
381 when the file doesn't exist. Also used after
382 successfully recovering a file.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000383 *BufReadCmd*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000384BufReadCmd Before starting to edit a new buffer. Should
385 read the file into the buffer. |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000386 *BufReadPre* *E200* *E201*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000387BufReadPre When starting to edit a new buffer, before
388 reading the file into the buffer. Not used
389 if the file doesn't exist.
390 *BufUnload*
391BufUnload Before unloading a buffer. This is when the
392 text in the buffer is going to be freed. This
393 may be after a BufWritePost and before a
394 BufDelete. Also used for all buffers that are
395 loaded when Vim is going to exit.
396 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
397 current buffer "%" may be different from the
398 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
399 *BufWinEnter*
400BufWinEnter After a buffer is displayed in a window. This
401 can be when the buffer is loaded (after
402 processing the modelines), when a hidden
403 buffer is displayed in a window (and is no
404 longer hidden) or a buffer already visible in
405 a window is also displayed in another window.
406 *BufWinLeave*
407BufWinLeave Before a buffer is removed from a window.
408 Not when it's still visible in another window.
409 Also triggered when exiting. It's triggered
410 before BufUnload or BufHidden.
411 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
412 current buffer "%" may be different from the
413 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
414 *BufWipeout*
415BufWipeout Before completely deleting a buffer. The
416 BufUnload and BufDelete events may be called
417 first (if the buffer was loaded and was in the
418 buffer list). Also used just before a buffer
419 is renamed (also when it's not in the buffer
420 list).
421 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
422 current buffer "%" may be different from the
423 buffer being deleted "<afile>".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000424 *BufWrite* *BufWritePre*
425BufWrite or BufWritePre Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000426 *BufWriteCmd*
427BufWriteCmd Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
428 Should do the writing of the file and reset
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000429 'modified' if successful, unless '+' is in
430 'cpo' and writing to another file |cpo-+|.
431 The buffer contents should not be changed.
432 |Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000433 *BufWritePost*
434BufWritePost After writing the whole buffer to a file
435 (should undo the commands for BufWritePre).
436 *CmdwinEnter*
437CmdwinEnter After entering the command-line window.
438 Useful for setting options specifically for
439 this special type of window. This is
440 triggered _instead_ of BufEnter and WinEnter.
441 <afile> is set to a single character,
442 indicating the type of command-line.
443 |cmdwin-char|
444 *CmdwinLeave*
445CmdwinLeave Before leaving the command-line window.
446 Useful to clean up any global setting done
447 with CmdwinEnter. This is triggered _instead_
448 of BufLeave and WinLeave.
449 <afile> is set to a single character,
450 indicating the type of command-line.
451 |cmdwin-char|
452 *ColorScheme*
453ColorScheme After loading a color scheme. |:colorscheme|
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000454
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000455 *CursorHold*
456CursorHold When the user doesn't press a key for the time
457 specified with 'updatetime'. Not re-triggered
458 until the user has pressed a key (i.e. doesn't
459 fire every 'updatetime' ms if you leave Vim to
460 make some coffee. :) See |CursorHold-example|
461 for previewing tags.
462 This event is only triggered in Normal mode.
Bram Moolenaare3226be2005-12-18 22:10:00 +0000463 While recording the CursorHold event is not
464 triggered. |q|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000465 Note: Interactive commands cannot be used for
466 this event. There is no hit-enter prompt,
467 the screen is updated directly (when needed).
468 Note: In the future there will probably be
469 another option to set the time.
470 Hint: to force an update of the status lines
471 use: >
472 :let &ro = &ro
473< {only on Amiga, Unix, Win32, MSDOS and all GUI
474 versions}
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000475 *CursorHoldI*
476CursorHoldI Just like CursorHold, but in Insert mode.
477
478 *CursorMoved*
479CursorMoved After the cursor was moved in Normal mode.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +0000480 Also when the text of the cursor line has been
481 changed, e.g., with "x", "rx" or "p".
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000482 Not triggered when there is typeahead or when
483 an operator is pending.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000484 For an example see |match-parens|.
Bram Moolenaar754b5602006-02-09 23:53:20 +0000485 Careful: Don't do anything that the user does
486 not expect or that is slow.
487 *CursorMovedI*
488CursorMovedI After the cursor was moved in Insert mode.
489 Otherwise the same as CursorMoved.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000490 *EncodingChanged*
491EncodingChanged Fires off after the 'encoding' option has been
492 changed. Useful to set up fonts, for example.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000493 *FileAppendCmd*
494FileAppendCmd Before appending to a file. Should do the
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000495 appending to the file. Use the '[ and ']
496 marks for the range of lines.|Cmd-event|
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000497 *FileAppendPost*
498FileAppendPost After appending to a file.
499 *FileAppendPre*
500FileAppendPre Before appending to a file. Use the '[ and ']
501 marks for the range of lines.
502 *FileChangedRO*
503FileChangedRO Before making the first change to a read-only
504 file. Can be used to check-out the file from
505 a source control system. Not triggered when
506 the change was caused by an autocommand.
507 This event is triggered when making the first
508 change in a buffer or the first change after
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +0000509 'readonly' was set, just before the change is
510 applied to the text.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000511 WARNING: If the autocommand moves the cursor
512 the effect of the change is undefined.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000513 *E788*
514 It is not allowed to change to another buffer
515 here. You can reload the buffer but not edit
516 another one.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000517 *FileChangedShell*
518FileChangedShell When Vim notices that the modification time of
519 a file has changed since editing started.
520 Also when the file attributes of the file
521 change. |timestamp|
522 Mostly triggered after executing a shell
523 command, but also with a |:checktime| command
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +0000524 or when Gvim regains input focus.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000525 This autocommand is triggered for each changed
526 file. It is not used when 'autoread' is set
527 and the buffer was not changed. If a
528 FileChangedShell autocommand is present the
529 warning message and prompt is not given.
530 This is useful for reloading related buffers
531 which are affected by a single command.
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +0000532 The |v:fcs_reason| variable is set to indicate
533 what happened and |v:fcs_choice| can be used
534 to tell Vim what to do next.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000535 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
536 current buffer "%" may be different from the
537 buffer that was changed "<afile>".
538 NOTE: The commands must not change the current
539 buffer, jump to another buffer or delete a
540 buffer. *E246*
541 NOTE: This event never nests, to avoid an
542 endless loop. This means that while executing
543 commands for the FileChangedShell event no
544 other FileChangedShell event will be
545 triggered.
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000546 *FileChangedShellPost*
547FileChangedShellPost After handling a file that was changed outside
548 of Vim. Can be used to update the statusline.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000549 *FileEncoding*
550FileEncoding Obsolete. It still works and is equivalent
551 to |EncodingChanged|.
552 *FileReadCmd*
553FileReadCmd Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
554 Should do the reading of the file. |Cmd-event|
555 *FileReadPost*
556FileReadPost After reading a file with a ":read" command.
557 Note that Vim sets the '[ and '] marks to the
558 first and last line of the read. This can be
559 used to operate on the lines just read.
560 *FileReadPre*
561FileReadPre Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
562 *FileType*
563FileType When the 'filetype' option has been set.
564 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
565 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
566 the new value of 'filetype'.
567 See |filetypes|.
568 *FileWriteCmd*
569FileWriteCmd Before writing to a file, when not writing the
570 whole buffer. Should do the writing to the
571 file. Should not change the buffer. Use the
572 '[ and '] marks for the range of lines.
573 |Cmd-event|
574 *FileWritePost*
575FileWritePost After writing to a file, when not writing the
576 whole buffer.
577 *FileWritePre*
578FileWritePre Before writing to a file, when not writing the
579 whole buffer. Use the '[ and '] marks for the
580 range of lines.
581 *FilterReadPost*
582FilterReadPost After reading a file from a filter command.
583 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
584 the current buffer as with FilterReadPre.
585 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
586 *FilterReadPre* *E135*
587FilterReadPre Before reading a file from a filter command.
588 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
589 the current buffer, not the name of the
590 temporary file that is the output of the
591 filter command.
592 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
593 *FilterWritePost*
594FilterWritePost After writing a file for a filter command or
595 making a diff.
596 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
597 the current buffer as with FilterWritePre.
598 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
599 *FilterWritePre*
600FilterWritePre Before writing a file for a filter command or
601 making a diff.
602 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
603 the current buffer, not the name of the
604 temporary file that is the output of the
605 filter command.
606 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000607 *FocusGained*
608FocusGained When Vim got input focus. Only for the GUI
609 version and a few console versions where this
610 can be detected.
611 *FocusLost*
612FocusLost When Vim lost input focus. Only for the GUI
613 version and a few console versions where this
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +0000614 can be detected. May also happen when a
615 dialog pops up.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000616 *FuncUndefined*
617FuncUndefined When a user function is used but it isn't
618 defined. Useful for defining a function only
619 when it's used. Both <amatch> and <afile> are
620 set to the name of the function.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000621 See |autoload-functions|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000622 *GUIEnter*
623GUIEnter After starting the GUI successfully, and after
624 opening the window. It is triggered before
625 VimEnter when using gvim. Can be used to
626 position the window from a .gvimrc file: >
627 :autocmd GUIEnter * winpos 100 50
628< *InsertChange*
629InsertChange When typing <Insert> while in Insert or
630 Replace mode. The |v:insertmode| variable
631 indicates the new mode.
632 Be careful not to move the cursor or do
633 anything else that the user does not expect.
634 *InsertEnter*
635InsertEnter When starting Insert mode. Also for Replace
636 mode and Virtual Replace mode. The
637 |v:insertmode| variable indicates the mode.
638 Be careful not to move the cursor or do
639 anything else that the user does not expect.
640 *InsertLeave*
641InsertLeave When leaving Insert mode. Also when using
642 CTRL-O |i_CTRL-O|. But not for |i_CTRL-C|.
643 *MenuPopup*
644MenuPopup Just before showing the popup menu (under the
645 right mouse button). Useful for adjusting the
646 menu for what is under the cursor or mouse
647 pointer.
648 The pattern is matched against a single
649 character representing the mode:
650 n Normal
651 v Visual
652 o Operator-pending
653 i Insert
654 c Commmand line
655 *QuickFixCmdPre*
656QuickFixCmdPre Before a quickfix command is run (|:make|,
Bram Moolenaara6557602006-02-04 22:43:20 +0000657 |:lmake|, |:grep|, |:lgrep|, |:grepadd|,
658 |:lgrepadd|, |:vimgrep|, |:lvimgrep|,
659 |:vimgrepadd|, |:vimgrepadd|). The pattern is
660 matched against the command being run. When
661 |:grep| is used but 'grepprg' is set to
662 "internal" it still matches "grep".
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000663 This command cannot be used to set the
664 'makeprg' and 'grepprg' variables.
665 If this command causes an error, the quickfix
666 command is not executed.
667 *QuickFixCmdPost*
668QuickFixCmdPost Like QuickFixCmdPre, but after a quickfix
669 command is run.
670 *RemoteReply*
671RemoteReply When a reply from a Vim that functions as
672 server was received |server2client()|.
673 <amatch> is equal to the {serverid} from which
674 the reply was sent, and <afile> is the actual
675 reply string.
676 Note that even if an autocommand is defined,
677 the reply should be read with |remote_read()|
678 to consume it.
679 *SessionLoadPost*
680SessionLoadPost After loading the session file created using
681 the |:mksession| command.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +0000682 *ShellCmdPost*
683ShellCmdPost After executing a shell command with |:!cmd|,
684 |:shell|, |:make| and |:grep|. Can be used to
685 check for any changed files.
686 *ShellFilterPost*
687ShellFilterPost After executing a shell command with
688 ":{range}!cmd", ":w !cmd" or ":r !cmd".
689 Can be used to check for any changed files.
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +0000690 *SourcePre*
691SourcePre Before sourcing a Vim script. |:source|
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +0000692 *SpellFileMissing*
693SpellFileMissing When trying to load a spell checking file and
694 it can't be found. <amatch> is the language,
695 'encoding' also matters. See
696 |spell-SpellFileMissing|.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000697 *StdinReadPost*
698StdinReadPost After reading from the stdin into the buffer,
699 before executing the modelines. Only used
700 when the "-" argument was used when Vim was
701 started |--|.
702 *StdinReadPre*
703StdinReadPre Before reading from stdin into the buffer.
704 Only used when the "-" argument was used when
705 Vim was started |--|.
706 *SwapExists*
707SwapExists Detected an existing swap file when starting
708 to edit a file. Only when it is possible to
709 select a way to handle the situation, when Vim
710 would ask the user what to do.
711 The |v:swapname| variable holds the name of
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +0000712 the swap file found, <afile> the file being
713 edited. |v:swapcommand| may contain a command
714 to be executed in the opened file.
715 The commands should set the |v:swapchoice|
716 variable to a string with one character to
717 tell Vim what should be done next:
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000718 'o' open read-only
719 'e' edit the file anyway
720 'r' recover
721 'd' delete the swap file
722 'q' quit, don't edit the file
723 'a' abort, like hitting CTRL-C
724 When set to an empty string the user will be
725 asked, as if there was no SwapExists autocmd.
726 Note: Do not try to change the buffer, the
727 results are unpredictable.
728 *Syntax*
729Syntax When the 'syntax' option has been set.
730 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
731 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
732 the new value of 'syntax'.
733 See |:syn-on|.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000734 *TabEnter*
735TabEnter Just after entering a tab page. |tab-page|
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +0000736 Before triggering the WinEnter and BufEnter
737 events.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +0000738 *TabLeave*
739TabLeave Just before leaving a tab page. |tab-page|
740 A WinLeave event will have been triggered
741 first.
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +0000742 *TermChanged*
743TermChanged After the value of 'term' has changed. Useful
744 for re-loading the syntax file to update the
745 colors, fonts and other terminal-dependent
746 settings. Executed for all loaded buffers.
747 *TermResponse*
748TermResponse After the response to |t_RV| is received from
749 the terminal. The value of |v:termresponse|
750 can be used to do things depending on the
751 terminal version.
752 *User*
753User Never executed automatically. To be used for
754 autocommands that are only executed with
755 ":doautocmd".
756 *UserGettingBored*
757UserGettingBored When the user hits CTRL-C. Just kidding! :-)
758 *VimEnter*
759VimEnter After doing all the startup stuff, including
760 loading .vimrc files, executing the "-c cmd"
761 arguments, creating all windows and loading
762 the buffers in them.
763 *VimLeave*
764VimLeave Before exiting Vim, just after writing the
765 .viminfo file. Executed only once, like
766 VimLeavePre.
767 To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
768 *VimLeavePre*
769VimLeavePre Before exiting Vim, just before writing the
770 .viminfo file. This is executed only once,
771 if there is a match with the name of what
772 happens to be the current buffer when exiting.
773 Mostly useful with a "*" pattern. >
774 :autocmd VimLeavePre * call CleanupStuff()
775< To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
Bram Moolenaar7d47b6e2006-03-15 22:59:18 +0000776 *VimResized*
777VimResized After the Vim window was resized, thus 'lines'
778 and/or 'columns' changed. Not when starting
779 up though.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000780 *WinEnter*
781WinEnter After entering another window. Not done for
782 the first window, when Vim has just started.
783 Useful for setting the window height.
784 If the window is for another buffer, Vim
785 executes the BufEnter autocommands after the
786 WinEnter autocommands.
787 Note: When using ":split fname" the WinEnter
788 event is triggered after the split but before
789 the file "fname" is loaded.
790 *WinLeave*
791WinLeave Before leaving a window. If the window to be
792 entered next is for a different buffer, Vim
793 executes the BufLeave autocommands before the
794 WinLeave autocommands (but not for ":new").
795 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000796
797==============================================================================
7986. Patterns *autocmd-patterns* *{pat}*
799
800The file pattern {pat} is tested for a match against the file name in one of
801two ways:
8021. When there is no '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against only
803 the tail part of the file name (without its leading directory path).
8042. When there is a '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against the
805 both short file name (as you typed it) and the full file name (after
806 expanding it to a full path and resolving symbolic links).
807
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000808The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> is used for buffer-local
809autocommands |autocmd-buflocal|. This pattern is not matched against the name
810of a buffer.
811
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000812Examples: >
813 :autocmd BufRead *.txt set et
814Set the 'et' option for all text files. >
815
816 :autocmd BufRead /vim/src/*.c set cindent
817Set the 'cindent' option for C files in the /vim/src directory. >
818
819 :autocmd BufRead /tmp/*.c set ts=5
820If you have a link from "/tmp/test.c" to "/home/nobody/vim/src/test.c", and
821you start editing "/tmp/test.c", this autocommand will match.
822
823Note: To match part of a path, but not from the root directory, use a '*' as
824the first character. Example: >
825 :autocmd BufRead */doc/*.txt set tw=78
826This autocommand will for example be executed for "/tmp/doc/xx.txt" and
827"/usr/home/piet/doc/yy.txt". The number of directories does not matter here.
828
829
830The file name that the pattern is matched against is after expanding
831wildcards. Thus is you issue this command: >
832 :e $ROOTDIR/main.$EXT
833The argument is first expanded to: >
834 /usr/root/main.py
835Before it's matched with the pattern of the autocommand. Careful with this
836when using events like FileReadCmd, the value of <amatch> may not be what you
837expect.
838
839
840Environment variables can be used in a pattern: >
841 :autocmd BufRead $VIMRUNTIME/doc/*.txt set expandtab
842And ~ can be used for the home directory (if $HOME is defined): >
843 :autocmd BufWritePost ~/.vimrc so ~/.vimrc
844 :autocmd BufRead ~archive/* set readonly
845The environment variable is expanded when the autocommand is defined, not when
846the autocommand is executed. This is different from the command!
847
848 *file-pattern*
849The pattern is interpreted like mostly used in file names:
850 * matches any sequence of characters
851 ? matches any single character
852 \? matches a '?'
853 . matches a '.'
854 ~ matches a '~'
855 , separates patterns
856 \, matches a ','
857 { } like \( \) in a |pattern|
858 , inside { }: like \| in a |pattern|
859 \ special meaning like in a |pattern|
860 [ch] matches 'c' or 'h'
861 [^ch] match any character but 'c' and 'h'
862
863Note that for all systems the '/' character is used for path separator (even
864MS-DOS and OS/2). This was done because the backslash is difficult to use
865in a pattern and to make the autocommands portable across different systems.
866
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000867 *autocmd-changes*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000868Matching with the pattern is done when an event is triggered. Changing the
869buffer name in one of the autocommands, or even deleting the buffer, does not
870change which autocommands will be executed. Example: >
871
872 au BufEnter *.foo bdel
873 au BufEnter *.foo set modified
874
875This will delete the current buffer and then set 'modified' in what has become
876the current buffer instead. Vim doesn't take into account that "*.foo"
877doesn't match with that buffer name. It matches "*.foo" with the name of the
878buffer at the moment the event was triggered.
879
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000880However, buffer-local autocommands will not be executed for a buffer that has
881been wiped out with |:bwipe|. After deleting the buffer with |:bdel| the
882buffer actually still exists (it becomes unlisted), thus the autocommands are
883still executed.
884
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000885==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00008867. Buffer-local autocommands *autocmd-buflocal* *autocmd-buffer-local*
887 *<buffer=N>* *<buffer=abuf>* *E680*
888
889Buffer-local autocommands are attached to a specific buffer. They are useful
890if the buffer does not have a name and when the name does not match a specific
891pattern. But it also means they must be explicitly added to each buffer.
892
893Instead of a pattern buffer-local autocommands use one of these forms:
894 <buffer> current buffer
895 <buffer=99> buffer number 99
896 <buffer=abuf> using <abuf> (only when executing autocommands)
897 |<abuf>|
898
899Examples: >
900 :au CursorHold <buffer> echo 'hold'
901 :au CursorHold <buffer=33> echo 'hold'
902 :au CursorHold <buffer=abuf> echo 'hold'
903
904All the commands for autocommands also work with buffer-local autocommands,
905simply use the special string instead of the pattern. Examples: >
906 :au! * <buffer> " remove buffer-local autotommands for
907 " current buffer
908 :au! * <buffer=33> " remove buffer-local autotommands for
909 " buffer #33
910 :dobuf :au! CursorHold <buffer> " remove autocmd for given event for all
911 " buffers
912 :au * <buffer> " list buffer-local autocommands for
913 " current buffer
914
915Note that when an autocommand is defined for the current buffer, it is stored
916with the buffer number. Thus it uses the form "<buffer=12>", where 12 is the
917number of the current buffer. You will see this when listing autocommands,
918for example.
919
920To test for presence of buffer-local autocommands use the |exists()| function
921as follows: >
922 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer=12>") | ... | endif
923 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer>") | ... | endif " for current buffer
924
925When a buffer is wiped out its buffer-local autocommands are also gone, of
926course. Note that when deleting a buffer, e.g., with ":bdel", it is only
927unlisted, the autocommands are still present. In order to see the removal of
928buffer-local autocommands: >
929 :set verbose=6
930
931It is not possible to define buffer-local autocommands for a non-existent
932buffer.
933
934==============================================================================
9358. Groups *autocmd-groups*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000936
937Autocommands can be put together in a group. This is useful for removing or
938executing a group of autocommands. For example, all the autocommands for
939syntax highlighting are put in the "highlight" group, to be able to execute
940":doautoall highlight BufRead" when the GUI starts.
941
942When no specific group is selected, Vim uses the default group. The default
943group does not have a name. You cannot execute the autocommands from the
944default group separately; you can execute them only by executing autocommands
945for all groups.
946
947Normally, when executing autocommands automatically, Vim uses the autocommands
948for all groups. The group only matters when executing autocommands with
949":doautocmd" or ":doautoall", or when defining or deleting autocommands.
950
951The group name can contain any characters except white space. The group name
952"end" is reserved (also in uppercase).
953
954The group name is case sensitive. Note that this is different from the event
955name!
956
957 *:aug* *:augroup*
958:aug[roup] {name} Define the autocmd group name for the
959 following ":autocmd" commands. The name "end"
960 or "END" selects the default group.
961
962 *:augroup-delete* *E367*
963:aug[roup]! {name} Delete the autocmd group {name}. Don't use
964 this if there is still an autocommand using
965 this group! This is not checked.
966
967To enter autocommands for a specific group, use this method:
9681. Select the group with ":augroup {name}".
9692. Delete any old autocommands with ":au!".
9703. Define the autocommands.
9714. Go back to the default group with "augroup END".
972
973Example: >
974 :augroup uncompress
975 : au!
976 : au BufEnter *.gz %!gunzip
977 :augroup END
978
979This prevents having the autocommands defined twice (e.g., after sourcing the
980.vimrc file again).
981
982==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00009839. Executing autocommands *autocmd-execute*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000984
985Vim can also execute Autocommands non-automatically. This is useful if you
986have changed autocommands, or when Vim has executed the wrong autocommands
987(e.g., the file pattern match was wrong).
988
989Note that the 'eventignore' option applies here too. Events listed in this
990option will not cause any commands to be executed.
991
992 *:do* *:doau* *:doautocmd* *E217*
993:do[autocmd] [group] {event} [fname]
994 Apply the autocommands matching [fname] (default:
995 current file name) for {event} to the current buffer.
996 You can use this when the current file name does not
997 match the right pattern, after changing settings, or
998 to execute autocommands for a certain event.
999 It's possible to use this inside an autocommand too,
1000 so you can base the autocommands for one extension on
1001 another extension. Example: >
1002 :au Bufenter *.cpp so ~/.vimrc_cpp
1003 :au Bufenter *.cpp doau BufEnter x.c
1004< Be careful to avoid endless loops. See
1005 |autocmd-nested|.
1006
1007 When the [group] argument is not given, Vim executes
1008 the autocommands for all groups. When the [group]
1009 argument is included, Vim executes only the matching
1010 autocommands for that group. Note: if you use an
1011 undefined group name, Vim gives you an error message.
1012
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001013 After applying the autocommands the modelines are
1014 processed, so that their overrule the settings from
1015 autocommands, like what happens when editing a file.
1016
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001017 *:doautoa* *:doautoall*
1018:doautoa[ll] [group] {event} [fname]
1019 Like ":doautocmd", but apply the autocommands to each
1020 loaded buffer. Note that {fname} is used to select
1021 the autocommands, not the buffers to which they are
1022 applied.
1023 Careful: Don't use this for autocommands that delete a
1024 buffer, change to another buffer or change the
1025 contents of a buffer; the result is unpredictable.
1026 This command is intended for autocommands that set
1027 options, change highlighting, and things like that.
1028
1029==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000103010. Using autocommands *autocmd-use*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001031
1032For WRITING FILES there are four possible sets of events. Vim uses only one
1033of these sets for a write command:
1034
1035BufWriteCmd BufWritePre BufWritePost writing the whole buffer
1036 FilterWritePre FilterWritePost writing to filter temp file
1037FileAppendCmd FileAppendPre FileAppendPost appending to a file
1038FileWriteCmd FileWritePre FileWritePost any other file write
1039
1040When there is a matching "*Cmd" autocommand, it is assumed it will do the
1041writing. No further writing is done and the other events are not triggered.
1042|Cmd-event|
1043
1044Note that the *WritePost commands should undo any changes to the buffer that
1045were caused by the *WritePre commands; otherwise, writing the file will have
1046the side effect of changing the buffer.
1047
1048Before executing the autocommands, the buffer from which the lines are to be
1049written temporarily becomes the current buffer. Unless the autocommands
1050change the current buffer or delete the previously current buffer, the
1051previously current buffer is made the current buffer again.
1052
1053The *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands must not delete the buffer from
1054which the lines are to be written.
1055
1056The '[ and '] marks have a special position:
1057- Before the *ReadPre event the '[ mark is set to the line just above where
1058 the new lines will be inserted.
1059- Before the *ReadPost event the '[ mark is set to the first line that was
1060 just read, the '] mark to the last line.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001061- Before executing the *WriteCmd, *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands the '[
1062 mark is set to the first line that will be written, the '] mark to the last
1063 line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001064Careful: '[ and '] change when using commands that change the buffer.
1065
1066In commands which expect a file name, you can use "<afile>" for the file name
1067that is being read |:<afile>| (you can also use "%" for the current file
1068name). "<abuf>" can be used for the buffer number of the currently effective
1069buffer. This also works for buffers that doesn't have a name. But it doesn't
1070work for files without a buffer (e.g., with ":r file").
1071
1072 *gzip-example*
1073Examples for reading and writing compressed files: >
1074 :augroup gzip
1075 : autocmd!
1076 : autocmd BufReadPre,FileReadPre *.gz set bin
1077 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz '[,']!gunzip
1078 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz set nobin
1079 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz execute ":doautocmd BufReadPost " . expand("%:r")
1080 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1081 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1082
1083 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !gunzip <afile>
1084 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !mv <afile>:r <afile>
1085 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1086 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1087 :augroup END
1088
1089The "gzip" group is used to be able to delete any existing autocommands with
1090":autocmd!", for when the file is sourced twice.
1091
1092("<afile>:r" is the file name without the extension, see |:_%:|)
1093
1094The commands executed for the BufNewFile, BufRead/BufReadPost, BufWritePost,
1095FileAppendPost and VimLeave events do not set or reset the changed flag of the
1096buffer. When you decompress the buffer with the BufReadPost autocommands, you
1097can still exit with ":q". When you use ":undo" in BufWritePost to undo the
1098changes made by BufWritePre commands, you can still do ":q" (this also makes
1099"ZZ" work). If you do want the buffer to be marked as modified, set the
1100'modified' option.
1101
1102To execute Normal mode commands from an autocommand, use the ":normal"
1103command. Use with care! If the Normal mode command is not finished, the user
1104needs to type characters (e.g., after ":normal m" you need to type a mark
1105name).
1106
1107If you want the buffer to be unmodified after changing it, reset the
1108'modified' option. This makes it possible to exit the buffer with ":q"
1109instead of ":q!".
1110
1111 *autocmd-nested* *E218*
1112By default, autocommands do not nest. If you use ":e" or ":w" in an
1113autocommand, Vim does not execute the BufRead and BufWrite autocommands for
1114those commands. If you do want this, use the "nested" flag for those commands
1115in which you want nesting. For example: >
1116 :autocmd FileChangedShell *.c nested e!
1117The nesting is limited to 10 levels to get out of recursive loops.
1118
1119It's possible to use the ":au" command in an autocommand. This can be a
1120self-modifying command! This can be useful for an autocommand that should
1121execute only once.
1122
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001123If you want to skip autocommands for one command, use the |:noautocmd| command
1124modifier or the 'eventignore' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001125
1126Note: When reading a file (with ":read file" or with a filter command) and the
1127last line in the file does not have an <EOL>, Vim remembers this. At the next
1128write (with ":write file" or with a filter command), if the same line is
1129written again as the last line in a file AND 'binary' is set, Vim does not
1130supply an <EOL>. This makes a filter command on the just read lines write the
1131same file as was read, and makes a write command on just filtered lines write
1132the same file as was read from the filter. For example, another way to write
1133a compressed file: >
1134
1135 :autocmd FileWritePre *.gz set bin|'[,']!gzip
1136 :autocmd FileWritePost *.gz undo|set nobin
1137<
1138 *autocommand-pattern*
1139You can specify multiple patterns, separated by commas. Here are some
1140examples: >
1141
1142 :autocmd BufRead * set tw=79 nocin ic infercase fo=2croq
1143 :autocmd BufRead .letter set tw=72 fo=2tcrq
1144 :autocmd BufEnter .letter set dict=/usr/lib/dict/words
1145 :autocmd BufLeave .letter set dict=
1146 :autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.c,*.h set tw=0 cin noic
1147 :autocmd BufEnter *.c,*.h abbr FOR for (i = 0; i < 3; ++i)<CR>{<CR>}<Esc>O
1148 :autocmd BufLeave *.c,*.h unabbr FOR
1149
1150For makefiles (makefile, Makefile, imakefile, makefile.unix, etc.): >
1151
1152 :autocmd BufEnter ?akefile* set include=^s\=include
1153 :autocmd BufLeave ?akefile* set include&
1154
1155To always start editing C files at the first function: >
1156
1157 :autocmd BufRead *.c,*.h 1;/^{
1158
1159Without the "1;" above, the search would start from wherever the file was
1160entered, rather than from the start of the file.
1161
1162 *skeleton* *template*
1163To read a skeleton (template) file when opening a new file: >
1164
1165 :autocmd BufNewFile *.c 0r ~/vim/skeleton.c
1166 :autocmd BufNewFile *.h 0r ~/vim/skeleton.h
1167 :autocmd BufNewFile *.java 0r ~/vim/skeleton.java
1168
1169To insert the current date and time in a *.html file when writing it: >
1170
1171 :autocmd BufWritePre,FileWritePre *.html ks|call LastMod()|'s
1172 :fun LastMod()
1173 : if line("$") > 20
1174 : let l = 20
1175 : else
1176 : let l = line("$")
1177 : endif
1178 : exe "1," . l . "g/Last modified: /s/Last modified: .*/Last modified: " .
1179 : \ strftime("%Y %b %d")
1180 :endfun
1181
1182You need to have a line "Last modified: <date time>" in the first 20 lines
1183of the file for this to work. Vim replaces <date time> (and anything in the
1184same line after it) with the current date and time. Explanation:
1185 ks mark current position with mark 's'
1186 call LastMod() call the LastMod() function to do the work
1187 's return the cursor to the old position
1188The LastMod() function checks if the file is shorter than 20 lines, and then
1189uses the ":g" command to find lines that contain "Last modified: ". For those
1190lines the ":s" command is executed to replace the existing date with the
1191current one. The ":execute" command is used to be able to use an expression
1192for the ":g" and ":s" commands. The date is obtained with the strftime()
1193function. You can change its argument to get another date string.
1194
1195When entering :autocmd on the command-line, completion of events and command
1196names may be done (with <Tab>, CTRL-D, etc.) where appropriate.
1197
1198Vim executes all matching autocommands in the order that you specify them.
1199It is recommended that your first autocommand be used for all files by using
1200"*" as the file pattern. This means that you can define defaults you like
1201here for any settings, and if there is another matching autocommand it will
1202override these. But if there is no other matching autocommand, then at least
1203your default settings are recovered (if entering this file from another for
1204which autocommands did match). Note that "*" will also match files starting
1205with ".", unlike Unix shells.
1206
1207 *autocmd-searchpat*
1208Autocommands do not change the current search patterns. Vim saves the current
1209search patterns before executing autocommands then restores them after the
1210autocommands finish. This means that autocommands do not affect the strings
1211highlighted with the 'hlsearch' option. Within autocommands, you can still
1212use search patterns normally, e.g., with the "n" command.
1213If you want an autocommand to set the search pattern, such that it is used
1214after the autocommand finishes, use the ":let @/ =" command.
1215The search-highlighting cannot be switched off with ":nohlsearch" in an
1216autocommand. Use the 'h' flag in the 'viminfo' option to disable search-
1217highlighting when starting Vim.
1218
1219 *Cmd-event*
1220When using one of the "*Cmd" events, the matching autocommands are expected to
1221do the file reading or writing. This can be used when working with a special
1222kind of file, for example on a remote system.
1223CAREFUL: If you use these events in a wrong way, it may have the effect of
1224making it impossible to read or write the matching files! Make sure you test
1225your autocommands properly. Best is to use a pattern that will never match a
1226normal file name, for example "ftp://*".
1227
1228When defining a BufReadCmd it will be difficult for Vim to recover a crashed
1229editing session. When recovering from the original file, Vim reads only those
1230parts of a file that are not found in the swap file. Since that is not
1231possible with a BufReadCmd, use the |:preserve| command to make sure the
1232original file isn't needed for recovery. You might want to do this only when
1233you expect the file to be modified.
1234
1235The |v:cmdarg| variable holds the "++enc=" and "++ff=" argument that are
1236effective. These should be used for the command that reads/writes the file.
1237The |v:cmdbang| variable is one when "!" was used, zero otherwise.
1238
1239See the $VIMRUNTIME/plugin/netrw.vim for examples.
1240
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001241==============================================================================
124211. Disabling autocommands *autocmd-disable*
1243
1244To disable autocommands for some time use the 'eventignore' option. Note that
1245this may cause unexpected behavior, make sure you restore 'eventignore'
1246afterwards, using a |:try| block with |:finally|.
1247
1248 *:noautocmd* *:noa*
1249To disable autocommands for just one command use the ":noautocmd" command
1250modifier. This will set 'eventignore' to "all" for the duration of the
1251following command. Example: >
1252
1253 :noautocmd w fname.gz
1254
1255This will write the file without triggering the autocommands defined by the
1256gzip plugin.
1257
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +00001258
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001259 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: