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1 *autocmd.txt* For Vim version 7.1. Last change: 2008 Feb 22
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
7 Automatic commands *autocommand*
9 For a basic explanation, see section |40.3| in the user manual.
11 1. Introduction |autocmd-intro|
12 2. Defining autocommands |autocmd-define|
13 3. Removing autocommands |autocmd-remove|
14 4. Listing autocommands |autocmd-list|
15 5. Events |autocmd-events|
16 6. Patterns |autocmd-patterns|
17 7. Buffer-local autocommands |autocmd-buflocal|
18 8. Groups |autocmd-groups|
19 9. Executing autocommands |autocmd-execute|
20 10. Using autocommands |autocmd-use|
21 11. Disabling autocommands |autocmd-disable|
23 {Vi does not have any of these commands}
24 {only when the |+autocmd| feature has not been disabled at compile time}
26 ==============================================================================
27 1. Introduction *autocmd-intro*
29 You can specify commands to be executed automatically when reading or writing
30 a file, when entering or leaving a buffer or window, and when exiting Vim.
31 For example, you can create an autocommand to set the 'cindent' option for
32 files matching *.c. You can also use autocommands to implement advanced
33 features, such as editing compressed files (see |gzip-example|). The usual
34 place to put autocommands is in your .vimrc or .exrc file.
36 *E203* *E204* *E143*
37 WARNING: Using autocommands is very powerful, and may lead to unexpected side
38 effects. 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.
52 ==============================================================================
53 2. Defining autocommands *autocmd-define*
55 Note: The ":autocmd" command cannot be followed by another command, since any
56 '|' is considered part of the command.
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].
67 The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> defines a buffer-local autocommand.
68 See |autocmd-buflocal|.
70 Note that special characters (e.g., "%", "<cword>") in the ":autocmd"
71 arguments are not expanded when the autocommand is defined. These will be
72 expanded when the Event is recognized, and the {cmd} is executed. The only
73 exception is that "<sfile>" is expanded when the autocmd is defined. Example:
74 >
75 :au BufNewFile,BufRead *.html so <sfile>:h/html.vim
77 Here Vim expands <sfile> to the name of the file containing this line.
79 When your .vimrc file is sourced twice, the autocommands will appear twice.
80 To avoid this, put this command in your .vimrc file, before defining
81 autocommands: >
83 :autocmd! " Remove ALL autocommands for the current group.
85 If you don't want to remove all autocommands, you can instead use a variable
86 to ensure that Vim includes the autocommands only once: >
88 :if !exists("autocommands_loaded")
89 : let autocommands_loaded = 1
90 : au ...
91 :endif
93 When the [group] argument is not given, Vim uses the current group (as defined
94 with ":augroup"); otherwise, Vim uses the group defined with [group]. Note
95 that [group] must have been defined before. You cannot define a new group
96 with ":au group ..."; use ":augroup" for that.
98 While testing autocommands, you might find the 'verbose' option to be useful: >
99 :set verbose=9
100 This setting makes Vim echo the autocommands as it executes them.
102 When defining an autocommand in a script, it will be able to call functions
103 local to the script and use mappings local to the script. When the event is
104 triggered and the command executed, it will run in the context of the script
105 it was defined in. This matters if |<SID>| is used in a command.
107 When executing the commands, the messages from one command overwrites a
108 previous message. This is different from when executing the commands
109 manually. Mostly the screen will not scroll up, thus there is no hit-enter
110 prompt. When one command outputs two messages this can happen anyway.
112 ==============================================================================
113 3. Removing autocommands *autocmd-remove*
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].
120 :au[tocmd]! [group] {event} {pat}
121 Remove all autocommands associated with {event} and
122 {pat}.
124 :au[tocmd]! [group] * {pat}
125 Remove all autocommands associated with {pat} for all
126 events.
128 :au[tocmd]! [group] {event}
129 Remove ALL autocommands for {event}.
131 :au[tocmd]! [group] Remove ALL autocommands.
133 When the [group] argument is not given, Vim uses the current group (as defined
134 with ":augroup"); otherwise, Vim uses the group defined with [group].
136 ==============================================================================
137 4. Listing autocommands *autocmd-list*
139 :au[tocmd] [group] {event} {pat}
140 Show the autocommands associated with {event} and
141 {pat}.
143 :au[tocmd] [group] * {pat}
144 Show the autocommands associated with {pat} for all
145 events.
147 :au[tocmd] [group] {event}
148 Show all autocommands for {event}.
150 :au[tocmd] [group] Show all autocommands.
152 If you provide the [group] argument, Vim lists only the autocommands for
153 [group]; otherwise, Vim lists the autocommands for ALL groups. Note that this
154 argument behavior differs from that for defining and removing autocommands.
156 In order to list buffer-local autocommands, use a pattern in the form <buffer>
157 or <buffer=N>. See |autocmd-buflocal|.
159 *:autocmd-verbose*
160 When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing an autocommand will also display where it
161 was last defined. Example: >
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 <
168 See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
170 ==============================================================================
171 5. Events *autocmd-events* *E215* *E216*
173 You can specify a comma-separated list of event names. No white space can be
174 used in this list. The command applies to all the events in the list.
176 For 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
181 Vim 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.
184 Note that the autocommands for the *ReadPre events and all the Filter events
185 are not allowed to change the current buffer (you will get an error message if
186 this happens). This is to prevent the file to be read into the wrong buffer.
188 Note that the 'modified' flag is reset AFTER executing the BufReadPost
189 and BufNewFile autocommands. But when the 'modified' option was set by the
190 autocommands, this doesn't happen.
192 You can use the 'eventignore' option to ignore a number of events or all
193 events.
194 *autocommand-events* *{event}*
195 Vim recognizes the following events. Vim ignores the case of event names
196 (e.g., you can use "BUFread" or "bufread" instead of "BufRead").
198 First an overview by function with a short explanation. Then the list
199 alphabetically with full explanations |autocmd-events-abc|.
201 Name triggered by ~
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|
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" command |Cmd-event|
214 |FilterReadPre| before reading a file from a filter command
215 |FilterReadPost| after reading a file from a filter command
217 |StdinReadPre| before reading from stdin into the buffer
218 |StdinReadPost| After reading from the stdin into the buffer
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|
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|
230 |FileAppendPre| starting to append to a file
231 |FileAppendPost| after appending to a file
232 |FileAppendCmd| before appending to a file |Cmd-event|
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
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
243 |BufFilePre| before changing the name of the current buffer
244 |BufFilePost| after changing the name of the current buffer
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
251 |BufUnload| before unloading a buffer
252 |BufHidden| just after a buffer has become hidden
253 |BufNew| just after creating a new buffer
255 |SwapExists| detected an existing swap file
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
263 Startup and exit
264 |VimEnter| after doing all the startup stuff
265 |GUIEnter| after starting the GUI successfully
266 |TermResponse| after the terminal response to |t_RV| is received
268 |VimLeavePre| before exiting Vim, before writing the viminfo file
269 |VimLeave| before exiting Vim, after writing the viminfo file
271 Various
272 |FileChangedShell| Vim notices that a file changed since editing started
273 |FileChangedShellPost| After handling a file changed since editing started
274 |FileChangedRO| before making the first change to a read-only file
276 |ShellCmdPost| after executing a shell command
277 |ShellFilterPost| after filtering with a shell command
279 |FuncUndefined| a user function is used but it isn't defined
280 |SpellFileMissing| a spell file is used but it can't be found
281 |SourcePre| before sourcing a Vim script
282 |SourceCmd| before sourcing a Vim script |Cmd-event|
284 |VimResized| after the Vim window size changed
285 |FocusGained| Vim got input focus
286 |FocusLost| Vim lost input focus
287 |CursorHold| the user doesn't press a key for a while
288 |CursorHoldI| the user doesn't press a key for a while in Insert mode
289 |CursorMoved| the cursor was moved in Normal mode
290 |CursorMovedI| the cursor was moved in Insert mode
292 |WinEnter| after entering another window
293 |WinLeave| before leaving a window
294 |TabEnter| after entering another tab page
295 |TabLeave| before leaving a tab page
296 |CmdwinEnter| after entering the command-line window
297 |CmdwinLeave| before leaving the command-line window
299 |InsertEnter| starting Insert mode
300 |InsertChange| when typing <Insert> while in Insert or Replace mode
301 |InsertLeave| when leaving Insert mode
303 |ColorScheme| after loading a color scheme
305 |RemoteReply| a reply from a server Vim was received
307 |QuickFixCmdPre| before a quickfix command is run
308 |QuickFixCmdPost| after a quickfix command is run
310 |SessionLoadPost| after loading a session file
312 |MenuPopup| just before showing the popup menu
314 |User| to be used in combination with ":doautocmd"
317 The alphabetical list of autocommand events: *autocmd-events-abc*
319 *BufCreate* *BufAdd*
320 BufAdd or BufCreate Just after creating a new buffer which is
321 added to the buffer list, or adding a buffer
322 to the buffer list.
323 Also used just after a buffer in the buffer
324 list has been renamed.
325 The BufCreate event is for historic reasons.
326 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
327 current buffer "%" may be different from the
328 buffer being created "<afile>".
329 *BufDelete*
330 BufDelete Before deleting a buffer from the buffer list.
331 The BufUnload may be called first (if the
332 buffer was loaded).
333 Also used just before a buffer in the buffer
334 list is renamed.
335 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
336 current buffer "%" may be different from the
337 buffer being deleted "<afile>" and "<abuf>".
338 *BufEnter*
339 BufEnter After entering a buffer. Useful for setting
340 options for a file type. Also executed when
341 starting to edit a buffer, after the
342 BufReadPost autocommands.
343 *BufFilePost*
344 BufFilePost After changing the name of the current buffer
345 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
346 *BufFilePre*
347 BufFilePre Before changing the name of the current buffer
348 with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
349 *BufHidden*
350 BufHidden Just after a buffer has become hidden. That
351 is, when there are no longer windows that show
352 the buffer, but the buffer is not unloaded or
353 deleted. Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when
354 exiting Vim.
355 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
356 current buffer "%" may be different from the
357 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
358 *BufLeave*
359 BufLeave Before leaving to another buffer. Also when
360 leaving or closing the current window and the
361 new current window is not for the same buffer.
362 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
363 *BufNew*
364 BufNew Just after creating a new buffer. Also used
365 just after a buffer has been renamed. When
366 the buffer is added to the buffer list BufAdd
367 will be triggered too.
368 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
369 current buffer "%" may be different from the
370 buffer being created "<afile>".
371 *BufNewFile*
372 BufNewFile When starting to edit a file that doesn't
373 exist. Can be used to read in a skeleton
374 file.
375 *BufRead* *BufReadPost*
376 BufRead or BufReadPost When starting to edit a new buffer, after
377 reading the file into the buffer, before
378 executing the modelines. See |BufWinEnter|
379 for when you need to do something after
380 processing the modelines.
381 This does NOT work for ":r file". Not used
382 when the file doesn't exist. Also used after
383 successfully recovering a file.
384 *BufReadCmd*
385 BufReadCmd Before starting to edit a new buffer. Should
386 read the file into the buffer. |Cmd-event|
387 *BufReadPre* *E200* *E201*
388 BufReadPre When starting to edit a new buffer, before
389 reading the file into the buffer. Not used
390 if the file doesn't exist.
391 *BufUnload*
392 BufUnload Before unloading a buffer. This is when the
393 text in the buffer is going to be freed. This
394 may be after a BufWritePost and before a
395 BufDelete. Also used for all buffers that are
396 loaded when Vim is going to exit.
397 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
398 current buffer "%" may be different from the
399 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
400 *BufWinEnter*
401 BufWinEnter After a buffer is displayed in a window. This
402 can be when the buffer is loaded (after
403 processing the modelines), when a hidden
404 buffer is displayed in a window (and is no
405 longer hidden) or a buffer already visible in
406 a window is also displayed in another window.
407 *BufWinLeave*
408 BufWinLeave Before a buffer is removed from a window.
409 Not when it's still visible in another window.
410 Also triggered when exiting. It's triggered
411 before BufUnload or BufHidden.
412 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
413 current buffer "%" may be different from the
414 buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
415 *BufWipeout*
416 BufWipeout Before completely deleting a buffer. The
417 BufUnload and BufDelete events may be called
418 first (if the buffer was loaded and was in the
419 buffer list). Also used just before a buffer
420 is renamed (also when it's not in the buffer
421 list).
422 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
423 current buffer "%" may be different from the
424 buffer being deleted "<afile>".
425 *BufWrite* *BufWritePre*
426 BufWrite or BufWritePre Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
427 *BufWriteCmd*
428 BufWriteCmd Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
429 Should do the writing of the file and reset
430 'modified' if successful, unless '+' is in
431 'cpo' and writing to another file |cpo-+|.
432 The buffer contents should not be changed.
433 |Cmd-event|
434 *BufWritePost*
435 BufWritePost After writing the whole buffer to a file
436 (should undo the commands for BufWritePre).
437 *CmdwinEnter*
438 CmdwinEnter After entering the command-line window.
439 Useful for setting options specifically for
440 this special type of window. This is
441 triggered _instead_ of BufEnter and WinEnter.
442 <afile> is set to a single character,
443 indicating the type of command-line.
444 |cmdwin-char|
445 *CmdwinLeave*
446 CmdwinLeave Before leaving the command-line window.
447 Useful to clean up any global setting done
448 with CmdwinEnter. This is triggered _instead_
449 of BufLeave and WinLeave.
450 <afile> is set to a single character,
451 indicating the type of command-line.
452 |cmdwin-char|
453 *ColorScheme*
454 ColorScheme After loading a color scheme. |:colorscheme|
456 *CursorHold*
457 CursorHold When the user doesn't press a key for the time
458 specified with 'updatetime'. Not re-triggered
459 until the user has pressed a key (i.e. doesn't
460 fire every 'updatetime' ms if you leave Vim to
461 make some coffee. :) See |CursorHold-example|
462 for previewing tags.
463 This event is only triggered in Normal mode.
464 It is not triggered when waiting for a command
465 argument to be typed, or a movement after an
466 operator.
467 While recording the CursorHold event is not
468 triggered. |q|
469 Note: Interactive commands cannot be used for
470 this event. There is no hit-enter prompt,
471 the screen is updated directly (when needed).
472 Note: In the future there will probably be
473 another option to set the time.
474 Hint: to force an update of the status lines
475 use: >
476 :let &ro = &ro
477 < {only on Amiga, Unix, Win32, MSDOS and all GUI
478 versions}
479 *CursorHoldI*
480 CursorHoldI Just like CursorHold, but in Insert mode.
482 *CursorMoved*
483 CursorMoved After the cursor was moved in Normal mode.
484 Also when the text of the cursor line has been
485 changed, e.g., with "x", "rx" or "p".
486 Not triggered when there is typeahead or when
487 an operator is pending.
488 For an example see |match-parens|.
489 Careful: Don't do anything that the user does
490 not expect or that is slow.
491 *CursorMovedI*
492 CursorMovedI After the cursor was moved in Insert mode.
493 Otherwise the same as CursorMoved.
494 *EncodingChanged*
495 EncodingChanged Fires off after the 'encoding' option has been
496 changed. Useful to set up fonts, for example.
497 *FileAppendCmd*
498 FileAppendCmd Before appending to a file. Should do the
499 appending to the file. Use the '[ and ']
500 marks for the range of lines.|Cmd-event|
501 *FileAppendPost*
502 FileAppendPost After appending to a file.
503 *FileAppendPre*
504 FileAppendPre Before appending to a file. Use the '[ and ']
505 marks for the range of lines.
506 *FileChangedRO*
507 FileChangedRO Before making the first change to a read-only
508 file. Can be used to check-out the file from
509 a source control system. Not triggered when
510 the change was caused by an autocommand.
511 This event is triggered when making the first
512 change in a buffer or the first change after
513 'readonly' was set, just before the change is
514 applied to the text.
515 WARNING: If the autocommand moves the cursor
516 the effect of the change is undefined.
517 *E788*
518 It is not allowed to change to another buffer
519 here. You can reload the buffer but not edit
520 another one.
521 *FileChangedShell*
522 FileChangedShell When Vim notices that the modification time of
523 a file has changed since editing started.
524 Also when the file attributes of the file
525 change. |timestamp|
526 Mostly triggered after executing a shell
527 command, but also with a |:checktime| command
528 or when Gvim regains input focus.
529 This autocommand is triggered for each changed
530 file. It is not used when 'autoread' is set
531 and the buffer was not changed. If a
532 FileChangedShell autocommand is present the
533 warning message and prompt is not given.
534 The |v:fcs_reason| variable is set to indicate
535 what happened and |v:fcs_choice| can be used
536 to tell Vim what to do next.
537 NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
538 current buffer "%" may be different from the
539 buffer that was changed "<afile>".
540 NOTE: The commands must not change the current
541 buffer, jump to another buffer or delete a
542 buffer. *E246*
543 NOTE: This event never nests, to avoid an
544 endless loop. This means that while executing
545 commands for the FileChangedShell event no
546 other FileChangedShell event will be
547 triggered.
548 *FileChangedShellPost*
549 FileChangedShellPost After handling a file that was changed outside
550 of Vim. Can be used to update the statusline.
551 *FileEncoding*
552 FileEncoding Obsolete. It still works and is equivalent
553 to |EncodingChanged|.
554 *FileReadCmd*
555 FileReadCmd Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
556 Should do the reading of the file. |Cmd-event|
557 *FileReadPost*
558 FileReadPost After reading a file with a ":read" command.
559 Note that Vim sets the '[ and '] marks to the
560 first and last line of the read. This can be
561 used to operate on the lines just read.
562 *FileReadPre*
563 FileReadPre Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
564 *FileType*
565 FileType When the 'filetype' option has been set. The
566 pattern is matched against the filetype.
567 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
568 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
569 the new value of 'filetype'.
570 See |filetypes|.
571 *FileWriteCmd*
572 FileWriteCmd Before writing to a file, when not writing the
573 whole buffer. Should do the writing to the
574 file. Should not change the buffer. Use the
575 '[ and '] marks for the range of lines.
576 |Cmd-event|
577 *FileWritePost*
578 FileWritePost After writing to a file, when not writing the
579 whole buffer.
580 *FileWritePre*
581 FileWritePre Before writing to a file, when not writing the
582 whole buffer. Use the '[ and '] marks for the
583 range of lines.
584 *FilterReadPost*
585 FilterReadPost After reading a file from a filter command.
586 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
587 the current buffer as with FilterReadPre.
588 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
589 *FilterReadPre* *E135*
590 FilterReadPre Before reading a file from a filter command.
591 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
592 the current buffer, not the name of the
593 temporary file that is the output of the
594 filter command.
595 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
596 *FilterWritePost*
597 FilterWritePost After writing a file for a filter command or
598 making a diff.
599 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
600 the current buffer as with FilterWritePre.
601 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
602 *FilterWritePre*
603 FilterWritePre Before writing a file for a filter command or
604 making a diff.
605 Vim checks the pattern against the name of
606 the current buffer, not the name of the
607 temporary file that is the output of the
608 filter command.
609 Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
610 *FocusGained*
611 FocusGained When Vim got input focus. Only for the GUI
612 version and a few console versions where this
613 can be detected.
614 *FocusLost*
615 FocusLost When Vim lost input focus. Only for the GUI
616 version and a few console versions where this
617 can be detected. May also happen when a
618 dialog pops up.
619 *FuncUndefined*
620 FuncUndefined When a user function is used but it isn't
621 defined. Useful for defining a function only
622 when it's used. The pattern is matched
623 against the function name. Both <amatch> and
624 <afile> are set to the name of the function.
625 See |autoload-functions|.
626 *GUIEnter*
627 GUIEnter After starting the GUI successfully, and after
628 opening the window. It is triggered before
629 VimEnter when using gvim. Can be used to
630 position the window from a .gvimrc file: >
631 :autocmd GUIEnter * winpos 100 50
632 < *GUIFailed*
633 GUIFailed After starting the GUI failed. Vim may
634 continue to run in the terminal, if possible
635 (only on Unix and alikes, when connecting the
636 X server fails). You may want to quit Vim: >
637 :autocmd GUIFailed * qall
638 < *InsertChange*
639 InsertChange When typing <Insert> while in Insert or
640 Replace mode. The |v:insertmode| variable
641 indicates the new mode.
642 Be careful not to move the cursor or do
643 anything else that the user does not expect.
644 *InsertEnter*
645 InsertEnter Just before starting Insert mode. Also for
646 Replace mode and Virtual Replace mode. The
647 |v:insertmode| variable indicates the mode.
648 Be careful not to move the cursor or do
649 anything else that the user does not expect.
650 *InsertLeave*
651 InsertLeave When leaving Insert mode. Also when using
652 CTRL-O |i_CTRL-O|. But not for |i_CTRL-C|.
653 *MenuPopup*
654 MenuPopup Just before showing the popup menu (under the
655 right mouse button). Useful for adjusting the
656 menu for what is under the cursor or mouse
657 pointer.
658 The pattern is matched against a single
659 character representing the mode:
660 n Normal
661 v Visual
662 o Operator-pending
663 i Insert
664 c Command line
665 *QuickFixCmdPre*
666 QuickFixCmdPre Before a quickfix command is run (|:make|,
667 |:lmake|, |:grep|, |:lgrep|, |:grepadd|,
668 |:lgrepadd|, |:vimgrep|, |:lvimgrep|,
669 |:vimgrepadd|, |:lvimgrepadd|). The pattern is
670 matched against the command being run. When
671 |:grep| is used but 'grepprg' is set to
672 "internal" it still matches "grep".
673 This command cannot be used to set the
674 'makeprg' and 'grepprg' variables.
675 If this command causes an error, the quickfix
676 command is not executed.
677 *QuickFixCmdPost*
678 QuickFixCmdPost Like QuickFixCmdPre, but after a quickfix
679 command is run, before jumping to the first
680 location. See |QuickFixCmdPost-example|.
681 *RemoteReply*
682 RemoteReply When a reply from a Vim that functions as
683 server was received |server2client()|. The
684 pattern is matched against the {serverid}.
685 <amatch> is equal to the {serverid} from which
686 the reply was sent, and <afile> is the actual
687 reply string.
688 Note that even if an autocommand is defined,
689 the reply should be read with |remote_read()|
690 to consume it.
691 *SessionLoadPost*
692 SessionLoadPost After loading the session file created using
693 the |:mksession| command.
694 *ShellCmdPost*
695 ShellCmdPost After executing a shell command with |:!cmd|,
696 |:shell|, |:make| and |:grep|. Can be used to
697 check for any changed files.
698 *ShellFilterPost*
699 ShellFilterPost After executing a shell command with
700 ":{range}!cmd", ":w !cmd" or ":r !cmd".
701 Can be used to check for any changed files.
702 *SourcePre*
703 SourcePre Before sourcing a Vim script. |:source|
704 <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
705 *SourceCmd*
706 SourceCmd When sourcing a Vim script. |:source|
707 <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
708 The autocommand must source this file.
709 |Cmd-event|
710 *SpellFileMissing*
711 SpellFileMissing When trying to load a spell checking file and
712 it can't be found. The pattern is matched
713 against the language. <amatch> is the
714 language, 'encoding' also matters. See
715 |spell-SpellFileMissing|.
716 *StdinReadPost*
717 StdinReadPost After reading from the stdin into the buffer,
718 before executing the modelines. Only used
719 when the "-" argument was used when Vim was
720 started |--|.
721 *StdinReadPre*
722 StdinReadPre Before reading from stdin into the buffer.
723 Only used when the "-" argument was used when
724 Vim was started |--|.
725 *SwapExists*
726 SwapExists Detected an existing swap file when starting
727 to edit a file. Only when it is possible to
728 select a way to handle the situation, when Vim
729 would ask the user what to do.
730 The |v:swapname| variable holds the name of
731 the swap file found, <afile> the file being
732 edited. |v:swapcommand| may contain a command
733 to be executed in the opened file.
734 The commands should set the |v:swapchoice|
735 variable to a string with one character to
736 tell Vim what should be done next:
737 'o' open read-only
738 'e' edit the file anyway
739 'r' recover
740 'd' delete the swap file
741 'q' quit, don't edit the file
742 'a' abort, like hitting CTRL-C
743 When set to an empty string the user will be
744 asked, as if there was no SwapExists autocmd.
745 Note: Do not try to change the buffer, the
746 results are unpredictable.
747 *Syntax*
748 Syntax When the 'syntax' option has been set. The
749 pattern is matched against the syntax name.
750 <afile> can be used for the name of the file
751 where this option was set, and <amatch> for
752 the new value of 'syntax'.
753 See |:syn-on|.
754 *TabEnter*
755 TabEnter Just after entering a tab page. |tab-page|
756 After triggering the WinEnter and before
757 triggering the BufEnter event.
758 *TabLeave*
759 TabLeave Just before leaving a tab page. |tab-page|
760 A WinLeave event will have been triggered
761 first.
762 *TermChanged*
763 TermChanged After the value of 'term' has changed. Useful
764 for re-loading the syntax file to update the
765 colors, fonts and other terminal-dependent
766 settings. Executed for all loaded buffers.
767 *TermResponse*
768 TermResponse After the response to |t_RV| is received from
769 the terminal. The value of |v:termresponse|
770 can be used to do things depending on the
771 terminal version.
772 *User*
773 User Never executed automatically. To be used for
774 autocommands that are only executed with
775 ":doautocmd".
776 *UserGettingBored*
777 UserGettingBored When the user hits CTRL-C. Just kidding! :-)
778 *VimEnter*
779 VimEnter After doing all the startup stuff, including
780 loading .vimrc files, executing the "-c cmd"
781 arguments, creating all windows and loading
782 the buffers in them.
783 *VimLeave*
784 VimLeave Before exiting Vim, just after writing the
785 .viminfo file. Executed only once, like
786 VimLeavePre.
787 To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
788 *VimLeavePre*
789 VimLeavePre Before exiting Vim, just before writing the
790 .viminfo file. This is executed only once,
791 if there is a match with the name of what
792 happens to be the current buffer when exiting.
793 Mostly useful with a "*" pattern. >
794 :autocmd VimLeavePre * call CleanupStuff()
795 < To detect an abnormal exit use |v:dying|.
796 *VimResized*
797 VimResized After the Vim window was resized, thus 'lines'
798 and/or 'columns' changed. Not when starting
799 up though.
800 *WinEnter*
801 WinEnter After entering another window. Not done for
802 the first window, when Vim has just started.
803 Useful for setting the window height.
804 If the window is for another buffer, Vim
805 executes the BufEnter autocommands after the
806 WinEnter autocommands.
807 Note: When using ":split fname" the WinEnter
808 event is triggered after the split but before
809 the file "fname" is loaded.
810 *WinLeave*
811 WinLeave Before leaving a window. If the window to be
812 entered next is for a different buffer, Vim
813 executes the BufLeave autocommands before the
814 WinLeave autocommands (but not for ":new").
815 Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
817 ==============================================================================
818 6. Patterns *autocmd-patterns* *{pat}*
820 The file pattern {pat} is tested for a match against the file name in one of
821 two ways:
822 1. When there is no '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against only
823 the tail part of the file name (without its leading directory path).
824 2. When there is a '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against the
825 both short file name (as you typed it) and the full file name (after
826 expanding it to a full path and resolving symbolic links).
828 The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> is used for buffer-local
829 autocommands |autocmd-buflocal|. This pattern is not matched against the name
830 of a buffer.
832 Examples: >
833 :autocmd BufRead *.txt set et
834 Set the 'et' option for all text files. >
836 :autocmd BufRead /vim/src/*.c set cindent
837 Set the 'cindent' option for C files in the /vim/src directory. >
839 :autocmd BufRead /tmp/*.c set ts=5
840 If you have a link from "/tmp/test.c" to "/home/nobody/vim/src/test.c", and
841 you start editing "/tmp/test.c", this autocommand will match.
843 Note: To match part of a path, but not from the root directory, use a '*' as
844 the first character. Example: >
845 :autocmd BufRead */doc/*.txt set tw=78
846 This autocommand will for example be executed for "/tmp/doc/xx.txt" and
847 "/usr/home/piet/doc/yy.txt". The number of directories does not matter here.
850 The file name that the pattern is matched against is after expanding
851 wildcards. Thus if you issue this command: >
852 :e $ROOTDIR/main.$EXT
853 The argument is first expanded to: >
854 /usr/root/main.py
855 Before it's matched with the pattern of the autocommand. Careful with this
856 when using events like FileReadCmd, the value of <amatch> may not be what you
857 expect.
860 Environment variables can be used in a pattern: >
861 :autocmd BufRead $VIMRUNTIME/doc/*.txt set expandtab
862 And ~ can be used for the home directory (if $HOME is defined): >
863 :autocmd BufWritePost ~/.vimrc so ~/.vimrc
864 :autocmd BufRead ~archive/* set readonly
865 The environment variable is expanded when the autocommand is defined, not when
866 the autocommand is executed. This is different from the command!
868 *file-pattern*
869 The pattern is interpreted like mostly used in file names:
870 * matches any sequence of characters
871 ? matches any single character
872 \? matches a '?'
873 . matches a '.'
874 ~ matches a '~'
875 , separates patterns
876 \, matches a ','
877 { } like \( \) in a |pattern|
878 , inside { }: like \| in a |pattern|
879 \ special meaning like in a |pattern|
880 [ch] matches 'c' or 'h'
881 [^ch] match any character but 'c' and 'h'
883 Note that for all systems the '/' character is used for path separator (even
884 MS-DOS and OS/2). This was done because the backslash is difficult to use
885 in a pattern and to make the autocommands portable across different systems.
887 *autocmd-changes*
888 Matching with the pattern is done when an event is triggered. Changing the
889 buffer name in one of the autocommands, or even deleting the buffer, does not
890 change which autocommands will be executed. Example: >
892 au BufEnter *.foo bdel
893 au BufEnter *.foo set modified
895 This will delete the current buffer and then set 'modified' in what has become
896 the current buffer instead. Vim doesn't take into account that "*.foo"
897 doesn't match with that buffer name. It matches "*.foo" with the name of the
898 buffer at the moment the event was triggered.
900 However, buffer-local autocommands will not be executed for a buffer that has
901 been wiped out with |:bwipe|. After deleting the buffer with |:bdel| the
902 buffer actually still exists (it becomes unlisted), thus the autocommands are
903 still executed.
905 ==============================================================================
906 7. Buffer-local autocommands *autocmd-buflocal* *autocmd-buffer-local*
907 *<buffer=N>* *<buffer=abuf>* *E680*
909 Buffer-local autocommands are attached to a specific buffer. They are useful
910 if the buffer does not have a name and when the name does not match a specific
911 pattern. But it also means they must be explicitly added to each buffer.
913 Instead of a pattern buffer-local autocommands use one of these forms:
914 <buffer> current buffer
915 <buffer=99> buffer number 99
916 <buffer=abuf> using <abuf> (only when executing autocommands)
917 |<abuf>|
919 Examples: >
920 :au CursorHold <buffer> echo 'hold'
921 :au CursorHold <buffer=33> echo 'hold'
922 :au CursorHold <buffer=abuf> echo 'hold'
924 All the commands for autocommands also work with buffer-local autocommands,
925 simply use the special string instead of the pattern. Examples: >
926 :au! * <buffer> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
927 " current buffer
928 :au! * <buffer=33> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
929 " buffer #33
930 :bufdo :au! CursorHold <buffer> " remove autocmd for given event for all
931 " buffers
932 :au * <buffer> " list buffer-local autocommands for
933 " current buffer
935 Note that when an autocommand is defined for the current buffer, it is stored
936 with the buffer number. Thus it uses the form "<buffer=12>", where 12 is the
937 number of the current buffer. You will see this when listing autocommands,
938 for example.
940 To test for presence of buffer-local autocommands use the |exists()| function
941 as follows: >
942 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer=12>") | ... | endif
943 :if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer>") | ... | endif " for current buffer
945 When a buffer is wiped out its buffer-local autocommands are also gone, of
946 course. Note that when deleting a buffer, e.g., with ":bdel", it is only
947 unlisted, the autocommands are still present. In order to see the removal of
948 buffer-local autocommands: >
949 :set verbose=6
951 It is not possible to define buffer-local autocommands for a non-existent
952 buffer.
954 ==============================================================================
955 8. Groups *autocmd-groups*
957 Autocommands can be put together in a group. This is useful for removing or
958 executing a group of autocommands. For example, all the autocommands for
959 syntax highlighting are put in the "highlight" group, to be able to execute
960 ":doautoall highlight BufRead" when the GUI starts.
962 When no specific group is selected, Vim uses the default group. The default
963 group does not have a name. You cannot execute the autocommands from the
964 default group separately; you can execute them only by executing autocommands
965 for all groups.
967 Normally, when executing autocommands automatically, Vim uses the autocommands
968 for all groups. The group only matters when executing autocommands with
969 ":doautocmd" or ":doautoall", or when defining or deleting autocommands.
971 The group name can contain any characters except white space. The group name
972 "end" is reserved (also in uppercase).
974 The group name is case sensitive. Note that this is different from the event
975 name!
977 *:aug* *:augroup*
978 :aug[roup] {name} Define the autocmd group name for the
979 following ":autocmd" commands. The name "end"
980 or "END" selects the default group.
982 *:augroup-delete* *E367*
983 :aug[roup]! {name} Delete the autocmd group {name}. Don't use
984 this if there is still an autocommand using
985 this group! This is not checked.
987 To enter autocommands for a specific group, use this method:
988 1. Select the group with ":augroup {name}".
989 2. Delete any old autocommands with ":au!".
990 3. Define the autocommands.
991 4. Go back to the default group with "augroup END".
993 Example: >
994 :augroup uncompress
995 : au!
996 : au BufEnter *.gz %!gunzip
997 :augroup END
999 This prevents having the autocommands defined twice (e.g., after sourcing the
1000 .vimrc file again).
1002 ==============================================================================
1003 9. Executing autocommands *autocmd-execute*
1005 Vim can also execute Autocommands non-automatically. This is useful if you
1006 have changed autocommands, or when Vim has executed the wrong autocommands
1007 (e.g., the file pattern match was wrong).
1009 Note that the 'eventignore' option applies here too. Events listed in this
1010 option will not cause any commands to be executed.
1012 *:do* *:doau* *:doautocmd* *E217*
1013 :do[autocmd] [group] {event} [fname]
1014 Apply the autocommands matching [fname] (default:
1015 current file name) for {event} to the current buffer.
1016 You can use this when the current file name does not
1017 match the right pattern, after changing settings, or
1018 to execute autocommands for a certain event.
1019 It's possible to use this inside an autocommand too,
1020 so you can base the autocommands for one extension on
1021 another extension. Example: >
1022 :au Bufenter *.cpp so ~/.vimrc_cpp
1023 :au Bufenter *.cpp doau BufEnter x.c
1024 < Be careful to avoid endless loops. See
1025 |autocmd-nested|.
1027 When the [group] argument is not given, Vim executes
1028 the autocommands for all groups. When the [group]
1029 argument is included, Vim executes only the matching
1030 autocommands for that group. Note: if you use an
1031 undefined group name, Vim gives you an error message.
1033 After applying the autocommands the modelines are
1034 processed, so that their settings overrule the
1035 settings from autocommands, like what happens when
1036 editing a file.
1038 *:doautoa* *:doautoall*
1039 :doautoa[ll] [group] {event} [fname]
1040 Like ":doautocmd", but apply the autocommands to each
1041 loaded buffer. Note that {fname} is used to select
1042 the autocommands, not the buffers to which they are
1043 applied.
1044 Careful: Don't use this for autocommands that delete a
1045 buffer, change to another buffer or change the
1046 contents of a buffer; the result is unpredictable.
1047 This command is intended for autocommands that set
1048 options, change highlighting, and things like that.
1050 ==============================================================================
1051 10. Using autocommands *autocmd-use*
1053 For WRITING FILES there are four possible sets of events. Vim uses only one
1054 of these sets for a write command:
1056 BufWriteCmd BufWritePre BufWritePost writing the whole buffer
1057 FilterWritePre FilterWritePost writing to filter temp file
1058 FileAppendCmd FileAppendPre FileAppendPost appending to a file
1059 FileWriteCmd FileWritePre FileWritePost any other file write
1061 When there is a matching "*Cmd" autocommand, it is assumed it will do the
1062 writing. No further writing is done and the other events are not triggered.
1063 |Cmd-event|
1065 Note that the *WritePost commands should undo any changes to the buffer that
1066 were caused by the *WritePre commands; otherwise, writing the file will have
1067 the side effect of changing the buffer.
1069 Before executing the autocommands, the buffer from which the lines are to be
1070 written temporarily becomes the current buffer. Unless the autocommands
1071 change the current buffer or delete the previously current buffer, the
1072 previously current buffer is made the current buffer again.
1074 The *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands must not delete the buffer from
1075 which the lines are to be written.
1077 The '[ and '] marks have a special position:
1078 - Before the *ReadPre event the '[ mark is set to the line just above where
1079 the new lines will be inserted.
1080 - Before the *ReadPost event the '[ mark is set to the first line that was
1081 just read, the '] mark to the last line.
1082 - Before executing the *WriteCmd, *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands the '[
1083 mark is set to the first line that will be written, the '] mark to the last
1084 line.
1085 Careful: '[ and '] change when using commands that change the buffer.
1087 In commands which expect a file name, you can use "<afile>" for the file name
1088 that is being read |:<afile>| (you can also use "%" for the current file
1089 name). "<abuf>" can be used for the buffer number of the currently effective
1090 buffer. This also works for buffers that doesn't have a name. But it doesn't
1091 work for files without a buffer (e.g., with ":r file").
1093 *gzip-example*
1094 Examples for reading and writing compressed files: >
1095 :augroup gzip
1096 : autocmd!
1097 : autocmd BufReadPre,FileReadPre *.gz set bin
1098 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz '[,']!gunzip
1099 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz set nobin
1100 : autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz execute ":doautocmd BufReadPost " . expand("%:r")
1101 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1102 : autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1104 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !gunzip <afile>
1105 : autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !mv <afile>:r <afile>
1106 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
1107 : autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
1108 :augroup END
1110 The "gzip" group is used to be able to delete any existing autocommands with
1111 ":autocmd!", for when the file is sourced twice.
1113 ("<afile>:r" is the file name without the extension, see |:_%:|)
1115 The commands executed for the BufNewFile, BufRead/BufReadPost, BufWritePost,
1116 FileAppendPost and VimLeave events do not set or reset the changed flag of the
1117 buffer. When you decompress the buffer with the BufReadPost autocommands, you
1118 can still exit with ":q". When you use ":undo" in BufWritePost to undo the
1119 changes made by BufWritePre commands, you can still do ":q" (this also makes
1120 "ZZ" work). If you do want the buffer to be marked as modified, set the
1121 'modified' option.
1123 To execute Normal mode commands from an autocommand, use the ":normal"
1124 command. Use with care! If the Normal mode command is not finished, the user
1125 needs to type characters (e.g., after ":normal m" you need to type a mark
1126 name).
1128 If you want the buffer to be unmodified after changing it, reset the
1129 'modified' option. This makes it possible to exit the buffer with ":q"
1130 instead of ":q!".
1132 *autocmd-nested* *E218*
1133 By default, autocommands do not nest. If you use ":e" or ":w" in an
1134 autocommand, Vim does not execute the BufRead and BufWrite autocommands for
1135 those commands. If you do want this, use the "nested" flag for those commands
1136 in which you want nesting. For example: >
1137 :autocmd FileChangedShell *.c nested e!
1138 The nesting is limited to 10 levels to get out of recursive loops.
1140 It's possible to use the ":au" command in an autocommand. This can be a
1141 self-modifying command! This can be useful for an autocommand that should
1142 execute only once.
1144 If you want to skip autocommands for one command, use the |:noautocmd| command
1145 modifier or the 'eventignore' option.
1147 Note: When reading a file (with ":read file" or with a filter command) and the
1148 last line in the file does not have an <EOL>, Vim remembers this. At the next
1149 write (with ":write file" or with a filter command), if the same line is
1150 written again as the last line in a file AND 'binary' is set, Vim does not
1151 supply an <EOL>. This makes a filter command on the just read lines write the
1152 same file as was read, and makes a write command on just filtered lines write
1153 the same file as was read from the filter. For example, another way to write
1154 a compressed file: >
1156 :autocmd FileWritePre *.gz set bin|'[,']!gzip
1157 :autocmd FileWritePost *.gz undo|set nobin
1158 <
1159 *autocommand-pattern*
1160 You can specify multiple patterns, separated by commas. Here are some
1161 examples: >
1163 :autocmd BufRead * set tw=79 nocin ic infercase fo=2croq
1164 :autocmd BufRead .letter set tw=72 fo=2tcrq
1165 :autocmd BufEnter .letter set dict=/usr/lib/dict/words
1166 :autocmd BufLeave .letter set dict=
1167 :autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.c,*.h set tw=0 cin noic
1168 :autocmd BufEnter *.c,*.h abbr FOR for (i = 0; i < 3; ++i)<CR>{<CR>}<Esc>O
1169 :autocmd BufLeave *.c,*.h unabbr FOR
1171 For makefiles (makefile, Makefile, imakefile, makefile.unix, etc.): >
1173 :autocmd BufEnter ?akefile* set include=^s\=include
1174 :autocmd BufLeave ?akefile* set include&
1176 To always start editing C files at the first function: >
1178 :autocmd BufRead *.c,*.h 1;/^{
1180 Without the "1;" above, the search would start from wherever the file was
1181 entered, rather than from the start of the file.
1183 *skeleton* *template*
1184 To read a skeleton (template) file when opening a new file: >
1186 :autocmd BufNewFile *.c 0r ~/vim/skeleton.c
1187 :autocmd BufNewFile *.h 0r ~/vim/skeleton.h
1188 :autocmd BufNewFile *.java 0r ~/vim/skeleton.java
1190 To insert the current date and time in a *.html file when writing it: >
1192 :autocmd BufWritePre,FileWritePre *.html ks|call LastMod()|'s
1193 :fun LastMod()
1194 : if line("$") > 20
1195 : let l = 20
1196 : else
1197 : let l = line("$")
1198 : endif
1199 : exe "1," . l . "g/Last modified: /s/Last modified: .*/Last modified: " .
1200 : \ strftime("%Y %b %d")
1201 :endfun
1203 You need to have a line "Last modified: <date time>" in the first 20 lines
1204 of the file for this to work. Vim replaces <date time> (and anything in the
1205 same line after it) with the current date and time. Explanation:
1206 ks mark current position with mark 's'
1207 call LastMod() call the LastMod() function to do the work
1208 's return the cursor to the old position
1209 The LastMod() function checks if the file is shorter than 20 lines, and then
1210 uses the ":g" command to find lines that contain "Last modified: ". For those
1211 lines the ":s" command is executed to replace the existing date with the
1212 current one. The ":execute" command is used to be able to use an expression
1213 for the ":g" and ":s" commands. The date is obtained with the strftime()
1214 function. You can change its argument to get another date string.
1216 When entering :autocmd on the command-line, completion of events and command
1217 names may be done (with <Tab>, CTRL-D, etc.) where appropriate.
1219 Vim executes all matching autocommands in the order that you specify them.
1220 It is recommended that your first autocommand be used for all files by using
1221 "*" as the file pattern. This means that you can define defaults you like
1222 here for any settings, and if there is another matching autocommand it will
1223 override these. But if there is no other matching autocommand, then at least
1224 your default settings are recovered (if entering this file from another for
1225 which autocommands did match). Note that "*" will also match files starting
1226 with ".", unlike Unix shells.
1228 *autocmd-searchpat*
1229 Autocommands do not change the current search patterns. Vim saves the current
1230 search patterns before executing autocommands then restores them after the
1231 autocommands finish. This means that autocommands do not affect the strings
1232 highlighted with the 'hlsearch' option. Within autocommands, you can still
1233 use search patterns normally, e.g., with the "n" command.
1234 If you want an autocommand to set the search pattern, such that it is used
1235 after the autocommand finishes, use the ":let @/ =" command.
1236 The search-highlighting cannot be switched off with ":nohlsearch" in an
1237 autocommand. Use the 'h' flag in the 'viminfo' option to disable search-
1238 highlighting when starting Vim.
1240 *Cmd-event*
1241 When using one of the "*Cmd" events, the matching autocommands are expected to
1242 do the file reading, writing or sourcing. This can be used when working with
1243 a special kind of file, for example on a remote system.
1244 CAREFUL: If you use these events in a wrong way, it may have the effect of
1245 making it impossible to read or write the matching files! Make sure you test
1246 your autocommands properly. Best is to use a pattern that will never match a
1247 normal file name, for example "ftp://*".
1249 When defining a BufReadCmd it will be difficult for Vim to recover a crashed
1250 editing session. When recovering from the original file, Vim reads only those
1251 parts of a file that are not found in the swap file. Since that is not
1252 possible with a BufReadCmd, use the |:preserve| command to make sure the
1253 original file isn't needed for recovery. You might want to do this only when
1254 you expect the file to be modified.
1256 For file read and write commands the |v:cmdarg| variable holds the "++enc="
1257 and "++ff=" argument that are effective. These should be used for the command
1258 that reads/writes the file. The |v:cmdbang| variable is one when "!" was
1259 used, zero otherwise.
1261 See the $VIMRUNTIME/plugin/netrw.vim for examples.
1263 ==============================================================================
1264 11. Disabling autocommands *autocmd-disable*
1266 To disable autocommands for some time use the 'eventignore' option. Note that
1267 this may cause unexpected behavior, make sure you restore 'eventignore'
1268 afterwards, using a |:try| block with |:finally|.
1270 *:noautocmd* *:noa*
1271 To disable autocommands for just one command use the ":noautocmd" command
1272 modifier. This will set 'eventignore' to "all" for the duration of the
1273 following command. Example: >
1275 :noautocmd w fname.gz
1277 This will write the file without triggering the autocommands defined by the
1278 gzip plugin.
1281 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: