autocmd.txt For Vim version 7.4. Last change: 2014 Sep 23LINK
VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
Automatic commands autocommandLINK
For a basic explanation, see section 40.3 in the user manual.
1. Introduction autocmd-intro
2. Defining autocommands autocmd-define
3. Removing autocommands autocmd-remove
4. Listing autocommands autocmd-list
5. Events autocmd-events
6. Patterns autocmd-patterns
7. Buffer-local autocommands autocmd-buflocal
8. Groups autocmd-groups
9. Executing autocommands autocmd-execute
10. Using autocommands autocmd-use
11. Disabling autocommands autocmd-disable
{Vi does not have any of these commands}
{only when the +autocmd feature has not been disabled at compile time}
==============================================================================
1. Introduction autocmd-introLINK
You can specify commands to be executed automatically when reading or writing
a file, when entering or leaving a buffer or window, and when exiting Vim.
For example, you can create an autocommand to set the 'cindent' option for
files matching *.c. You can also use autocommands to implement advanced
features, such as editing compressed files (see gzip-example). The usual
place to put autocommands is in your .vimrc or .exrc file.
E203 E204 E143 E855LINK
WARNING: Using autocommands is very powerful, and may lead to unexpected side
effects. Be careful not to destroy your text.
- It's a good idea to do some testing on an expendable copy of a file first.
For example: If you use autocommands to decompress a file when starting to
edit it, make sure that the autocommands for compressing when writing work
correctly.
- Be prepared for an error halfway through (e.g., disk full). Vim will mostly
be able to undo the changes to the buffer, but you may have to clean up the
changes to other files by hand (e.g., compress a file that has been
decompressed).
- If the BufRead* events allow you to edit a compressed file, the FileRead*
events should do the same (this makes recovery possible in some rare cases).
It's a good idea to use the same autocommands for the File* and Buf* events
when possible.
==============================================================================
2. Defining autocommands autocmd-defineLINK
Note: The ":autocmd" command cannot be followed by another command, since any
'|' is considered part of the command.
:au :autocmdLINK
:au[tocmd] [group] {event} {pat} [nested] {cmd}
Add {cmd} to the list of commands that Vim will
execute automatically on {event} for a file matching
{pat} autocmd-patterns.
Vim always adds the {cmd} after existing autocommands,
so that the autocommands execute in the order in which
they were given. See autocmd-nested for [nested].
The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> defines a buffer-local autocommand.
See autocmd-buflocal.
Note that special characters (e.g., "%", "<cword>") in the ":autocmd"
arguments are not expanded when the autocommand is defined. These will be
expanded when the Event is recognized, and the {cmd} is executed. The only
exception is that "<sfile>" is expanded when the autocmd is defined. Example:
:au BufNewFile,BufRead *.html so <sfile>:h/html.vim
Here Vim expands <sfile> to the name of the file containing this line.
When your .vimrc file is sourced twice, the autocommands will appear twice.
To avoid this, put this command in your .vimrc file, before defining
autocommands:
:autocmd! " Remove ALL autocommands for the current group.
If you don't want to remove all autocommands, you can instead use a variable
to ensure that Vim includes the autocommands only once:
:if !exists("autocommands_loaded")
: let autocommands_loaded = 1
: au ...
:endif
When the [group] argument is not given, Vim uses the current group (as defined
with ":augroup"); otherwise, Vim uses the group defined with [group]. Note
that [group] must have been defined before. You cannot define a new group
with ":au group ..."; use ":augroup" for that.
While testing autocommands, you might find the 'verbose' option to be useful:
:set verbose=9
This setting makes Vim echo the autocommands as it executes them.
When defining an autocommand in a script, it will be able to call functions
local to the script and use mappings local to the script. When the event is
triggered and the command executed, it will run in the context of the script
it was defined in. This matters if <SID> is used in a command.
When executing the commands, the message from one command overwrites a
previous message. This is different from when executing the commands
manually. Mostly the screen will not scroll up, thus there is no hit-enter
prompt. When one command outputs two messages this can happen anyway.
==============================================================================
3. Removing autocommands autocmd-removeLINK
:au[tocmd]! [group] {event} {pat} [nested] {cmd}
Remove all autocommands associated with {event} and
{pat}, and add the command {cmd}. See
autocmd-nested for [nested].
:au[tocmd]! [group] {event} {pat}
Remove all autocommands associated with {event} and
{pat}.
:au[tocmd]! [group] * {pat}
Remove all autocommands associated with {pat} for all
events.
:au[tocmd]! [group] {event}
Remove ALL autocommands for {event}.
:au[tocmd]! [group] Remove ALL autocommands.
When the [group] argument is not given, Vim uses the current group (as defined
with ":augroup"); otherwise, Vim uses the group defined with [group].
==============================================================================
4. Listing autocommands autocmd-listLINK
:au[tocmd] [group] {event} {pat}
Show the autocommands associated with {event} and
{pat}.
:au[tocmd] [group] * {pat}
Show the autocommands associated with {pat} for all
events.
:au[tocmd] [group] {event}
Show all autocommands for {event}.
:au[tocmd] [group] Show all autocommands.
If you provide the [group] argument, Vim lists only the autocommands for
[group]; otherwise, Vim lists the autocommands for ALL groups. Note that this
argument behavior differs from that for defining and removing autocommands.
In order to list buffer-local autocommands, use a pattern in the form <buffer>
or <buffer=N>. See autocmd-buflocal.
:autocmd-verboseLINK
When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing an autocommand will also display where it
was last defined. Example:
:verbose autocmd BufEnter
FileExplorer BufEnter
* call s:LocalBrowse(expand("<amatch>"))
Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/plugin/NetrwPlugin.vim
See :verbose-cmd for more information.
==============================================================================
5. Events autocmd-events E215 E216LINK
You can specify a comma-separated list of event names. No white space can be
used in this list. The command applies to all the events in the list.
For READING FILES there are four kinds of events possible:
BufNewFile starting to edit a non-existent file
BufReadPre BufReadPost starting to edit an existing file
FilterReadPre FilterReadPost read the temp file with filter output
FileReadPre FileReadPost any other file read
Vim uses only one of these four kinds when reading a file. The "Pre" and
"Post" events are both triggered, before and after reading the file.
Note that the autocommands for the *ReadPre events and all the Filter events
are not allowed to change the current buffer (you will get an error message if
this happens). This is to prevent the file to be read into the wrong buffer.
Note that the 'modified' flag is reset AFTER executing the BufReadPost
and BufNewFile autocommands. But when the 'modified' option was set by the
autocommands, this doesn't happen.
You can use the 'eventignore' option to ignore a number of events or all
events.
autocommand-events {event}LINK
Vim recognizes the following events. Vim ignores the case of event names
(e.g., you can use "BUFread" or "bufread" instead of "BufRead").
First an overview by function with a short explanation. Then the list
alphabetically with full explanations autocmd-events-abc.
Name triggered by
Reading
BufNewFile starting to edit a file that doesn't exist
BufReadPre starting to edit a new buffer, before reading the file
BufRead starting to edit a new buffer, after reading the file
BufReadPost starting to edit a new buffer, after reading the file
BufReadCmd before starting to edit a new buffer Cmd-event
FileReadPre before reading a file with a ":read" command
FileReadPost after reading a file with a ":read" command
FileReadCmd before reading a file with a ":read" command Cmd-event
FilterReadPre before reading a file from a filter command
FilterReadPost after reading a file from a filter command
StdinReadPre before reading from stdin into the buffer
StdinReadPost After reading from the stdin into the buffer
Writing
BufWrite starting to write the whole buffer to a file
BufWritePre starting to write the whole buffer to a file
BufWritePost after writing the whole buffer to a file
BufWriteCmd before writing the whole buffer to a file Cmd-event
FileWritePre starting to write part of a buffer to a file
FileWritePost after writing part of a buffer to a file
FileWriteCmd before writing part of a buffer to a file Cmd-event
FileAppendPre starting to append to a file
FileAppendPost after appending to a file
FileAppendCmd before appending to a file Cmd-event
FilterWritePre starting to write a file for a filter command or diff
FilterWritePost after writing a file for a filter command or diff
Buffers
BufAdd just after adding a buffer to the buffer list
BufCreate just after adding a buffer to the buffer list
BufDelete before deleting a buffer from the buffer list
BufWipeout before completely deleting a buffer
BufFilePre before changing the name of the current buffer
BufFilePost after changing the name of the current buffer
BufEnter after entering a buffer
BufLeave before leaving to another buffer
BufWinEnter after a buffer is displayed in a window
BufWinLeave before a buffer is removed from a window
BufUnload before unloading a buffer
BufHidden just after a buffer has become hidden
BufNew just after creating a new buffer
SwapExists detected an existing swap file
Options
FileType when the 'filetype' option has been set
Syntax when the 'syntax' option has been set
EncodingChanged after the 'encoding' option has been changed
TermChanged after the value of 'term' has changed
Startup and exit
VimEnter after doing all the startup stuff
GUIEnter after starting the GUI successfully
GUIFailed after starting the GUI failed
TermResponse after the terminal response to t_RV is received
QuitPre when using :quit, before deciding whether to quit
VimLeavePre before exiting Vim, before writing the viminfo file
VimLeave before exiting Vim, after writing the viminfo file
Various
FileChangedShell Vim notices that a file changed since editing started
FileChangedShellPost After handling a file changed since editing started
FileChangedRO before making the first change to a read-only file
ShellCmdPost after executing a shell command
ShellFilterPost after filtering with a shell command
CmdUndefined a user command is used but it isn't defined
FuncUndefined a user function is used but it isn't defined
SpellFileMissing a spell file is used but it can't be found
SourcePre before sourcing a Vim script
SourceCmd before sourcing a Vim script Cmd-event
VimResized after the Vim window size changed
FocusGained Vim got input focus
FocusLost Vim lost input focus
CursorHold the user doesn't press a key for a while
CursorHoldI the user doesn't press a key for a while in Insert mode
CursorMoved the cursor was moved in Normal mode
CursorMovedI the cursor was moved in Insert mode
WinEnter after entering another window
WinLeave before leaving a window
TabEnter after entering another tab page
TabLeave before leaving a tab page
CmdwinEnter after entering the command-line window
CmdwinLeave before leaving the command-line window
InsertEnter starting Insert mode
InsertChange when typing <Insert> while in Insert or Replace mode
InsertLeave when leaving Insert mode
InsertCharPre when a character was typed in Insert mode, before
inserting it
TextChanged after a change was made to the text in Normal mode
TextChangedI after a change was made to the text in Insert mode
ColorScheme after loading a color scheme
RemoteReply a reply from a server Vim was received
QuickFixCmdPre before a quickfix command is run
QuickFixCmdPost after a quickfix command is run
SessionLoadPost after loading a session file
MenuPopup just before showing the popup menu
CompleteDone after Insert mode completion is done
User to be used in combination with ":doautocmd"
The alphabetical list of autocommand events: autocmd-events-abcLINK
BufCreate BufAddLINK
BufAdd or BufCreate Just after creating a new buffer which is
added to the buffer list, or adding a buffer
to the buffer list.
Also used just after a buffer in the buffer
list has been renamed.
The BufCreate event is for historic reasons.
NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
current buffer "%" may be different from the
buffer being created "<afile>".
BufDeleteLINK
BufDelete Before deleting a buffer from the buffer list.
The BufUnload may be called first (if the
buffer was loaded).
Also used just before a buffer in the buffer
list is renamed.
NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
current buffer "%" may be different from the
buffer being deleted "<afile>" and "<abuf>".
Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
problems.
BufEnterLINK
BufEnter After entering a buffer. Useful for setting
options for a file type. Also executed when
starting to edit a buffer, after the
BufReadPost autocommands.
BufFilePostLINK
BufFilePost After changing the name of the current buffer
with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
BufFilePreLINK
BufFilePre Before changing the name of the current buffer
with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.
BufHiddenLINK
BufHidden Just after a buffer has become hidden. That
is, when there are no longer windows that show
the buffer, but the buffer is not unloaded or
deleted. Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when
exiting Vim.
NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
current buffer "%" may be different from the
buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
BufLeaveLINK
BufLeave Before leaving to another buffer. Also when
leaving or closing the current window and the
new current window is not for the same buffer.
Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
BufNewLINK
BufNew Just after creating a new buffer. Also used
just after a buffer has been renamed. When
the buffer is added to the buffer list BufAdd
will be triggered too.
NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
current buffer "%" may be different from the
buffer being created "<afile>".
BufNewFileLINK
BufNewFile When starting to edit a file that doesn't
exist. Can be used to read in a skeleton
file.
BufRead BufReadPostLINK
BufRead or BufReadPost When starting to edit a new buffer, after
reading the file into the buffer, before
executing the modelines. See BufWinEnter
for when you need to do something after
processing the modelines.
This does NOT work for ":r file". Not used
when the file doesn't exist. Also used after
successfully recovering a file.
Also triggered for the filetypedetect group
when executing ":filetype detect" and when
writing an unnamed buffer in a way that the
buffer gets a name.
BufReadCmdLINK
BufReadCmd Before starting to edit a new buffer. Should
read the file into the buffer. Cmd-event
BufReadPre E200 E201LINK
BufReadPre When starting to edit a new buffer, before
reading the file into the buffer. Not used
if the file doesn't exist.
BufUnloadLINK
BufUnload Before unloading a buffer. This is when the
text in the buffer is going to be freed. This
may be after a BufWritePost and before a
BufDelete. Also used for all buffers that are
loaded when Vim is going to exit.
NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
current buffer "%" may be different from the
buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
problems.
When exiting and v:dying is 2 or more this
event is not triggered.
BufWinEnterLINK
BufWinEnter After a buffer is displayed in a window. This
can be when the buffer is loaded (after
processing the modelines) or when a hidden
buffer is displayed in a window (and is no
longer hidden).
Does not happen for :split without
arguments, since you keep editing the same
buffer, or ":split" with a file that's already
open in a window, because it re-uses an
existing buffer. But it does happen for a
":split" with the name of the current buffer,
since it reloads that buffer.
BufWinLeaveLINK
BufWinLeave Before a buffer is removed from a window.
Not when it's still visible in another window.
Also triggered when exiting. It's triggered
before BufUnload or BufHidden.
NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
current buffer "%" may be different from the
buffer being unloaded "<afile>".
When exiting and v:dying is 2 or more this
event is not triggered.
BufWipeoutLINK
BufWipeout Before completely deleting a buffer. The
BufUnload and BufDelete events may be called
first (if the buffer was loaded and was in the
buffer list). Also used just before a buffer
is renamed (also when it's not in the buffer
list).
NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
current buffer "%" may be different from the
buffer being deleted "<afile>".
Don't change to another buffer, it will cause
problems.
BufWrite BufWritePreLINK
BufWrite or BufWritePre Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
BufWriteCmdLINK
BufWriteCmd Before writing the whole buffer to a file.
Should do the writing of the file and reset
'modified' if successful, unless '+' is in
'cpo' and writing to another file cpo-+.
The buffer contents should not be changed.
When the command resets 'modified' the undo
information is adjusted to mark older undo
states as 'modified', like :write does.
BufWritePostLINK
BufWritePost After writing the whole buffer to a file
(should undo the commands for BufWritePre).
CmdUndefinedLINK
CmdUndefined When a user command is used but it isn't
defined. Useful for defining a command only
when it's used. The pattern is matched
against the command name. Both <amatch> and
<afile> are set to the name of the command.
NOTE: Autocompletion won't work until the
command is defined. An alternative is to
always define the user command and have it
invoke an autoloaded function. See autoload.
CmdwinEnterLINK
CmdwinEnter After entering the command-line window.
Useful for setting options specifically for
this special type of window. This is
triggered _instead_ of BufEnter and WinEnter.
<afile> is set to a single character,
indicating the type of command-line.
CmdwinLeaveLINK
CmdwinLeave Before leaving the command-line window.
Useful to clean up any global setting done
with CmdwinEnter. This is triggered _instead_
of BufLeave and WinLeave.
<afile> is set to a single character,
indicating the type of command-line.
ColorSchemeLINK
ColorScheme After loading a color scheme. :colorscheme
The pattern is matched against the
colorscheme name. <afile> can be used for the
name of the actual file where this option was
set, and <amatch> for the new colorscheme
name.
CompleteDoneLINK
CompleteDone After Insert mode completion is done. Either
when something was completed or abandoning
completion. ins-completion
CursorHoldLINK
CursorHold When the user doesn't press a key for the time
specified with 'updatetime'. Not re-triggered
until the user has pressed a key (i.e. doesn't
fire every 'updatetime' ms if you leave Vim to
make some coffee. :) See CursorHold-example
for previewing tags.
This event is only triggered in Normal mode.
It is not triggered when waiting for a command
argument to be typed, or a movement after an
operator.
While recording the CursorHold event is not
triggered. q
<CursorHold>LINK
Internally the autocommand is triggered by the
<CursorHold> key. In an expression mapping
getchar() may see this character.
Note: Interactive commands cannot be used for
this event. There is no hit-enter prompt,
the screen is updated directly (when needed).
Note: In the future there will probably be
another option to set the time.
Hint: to force an update of the status lines
use:
:let &ro = &ro
{only on Amiga, Unix, Win32, MSDOS and all GUI
versions}
CursorHoldILINK
CursorHoldI Just like CursorHold, but in Insert mode.
CursorMovedLINK
CursorMoved After the cursor was moved in Normal or Visual
mode. Also when the text of the cursor line
has been changed, e.g., with "x", "rx" or "p".
Not triggered when there is typeahead or when
an operator is pending.
For an example see match-parens.
Careful: This is triggered very often, don't
do anything that the user does not expect or
that is slow.
CursorMovedILINK
CursorMovedI After the cursor was moved in Insert mode.
Not triggered when the popup menu is visible.
Otherwise the same as CursorMoved.
EncodingChangedLINK
EncodingChanged Fires off after the 'encoding' option has been
changed. Useful to set up fonts, for example.
FileAppendCmdLINK
FileAppendCmd Before appending to a file. Should do the
appending to the file. Use the '[ and ']
marks for the range of lines.Cmd-event
FileAppendPostLINK
FileAppendPost After appending to a file.
FileAppendPreLINK
FileAppendPre Before appending to a file. Use the '[ and ']
marks for the range of lines.
FileChangedROLINK
FileChangedRO Before making the first change to a read-only
file. Can be used to check-out the file from
a source control system. Not triggered when
the change was caused by an autocommand.
This event is triggered when making the first
change in a buffer or the first change after
'readonly' was set, just before the change is
applied to the text.
WARNING: If the autocommand moves the cursor
the effect of the change is undefined.
E788LINK
It is not allowed to change to another buffer
here. You can reload the buffer but not edit
another one.
E881LINK
If the number of lines changes saving for undo
may fail and the change will be aborted.
FileChangedShellLINK
FileChangedShell When Vim notices that the modification time of
a file has changed since editing started.
Also when the file attributes of the file
change or when the size of the file changes.
Mostly triggered after executing a shell
command, but also with a :checktime command
or when Gvim regains input focus.
This autocommand is triggered for each changed
file. It is not used when 'autoread' is set
and the buffer was not changed. If a
FileChangedShell autocommand is present the
warning message and prompt is not given.
The v:fcs_reason variable is set to indicate
what happened and v:fcs_choice can be used
to tell Vim what to do next.
NOTE: When this autocommand is executed, the
current buffer "%" may be different from the
buffer that was changed "<afile>".
NOTE: The commands must not change the current
buffer, jump to another buffer or delete a
buffer. E246 E811LINK
NOTE: This event never nests, to avoid an
endless loop. This means that while executing
commands for the FileChangedShell event no
other FileChangedShell event will be
triggered.
FileChangedShellPostLINK
FileChangedShellPost After handling a file that was changed outside
of Vim. Can be used to update the statusline.
FileEncodingLINK
FileEncoding Obsolete. It still works and is equivalent
to EncodingChanged.
FileReadCmdLINK
FileReadCmd Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
Should do the reading of the file. Cmd-event
FileReadPostLINK
FileReadPost After reading a file with a ":read" command.
Note that Vim sets the '[ and '] marks to the
first and last line of the read. This can be
used to operate on the lines just read.
FileReadPreLINK
FileReadPre Before reading a file with a ":read" command.
FileTypeLINK
FileType When the 'filetype' option has been set. The
pattern is matched against the filetype.
<afile> can be used for the name of the file
where this option was set, and <amatch> for
the new value of 'filetype'.
See filetypes.
FileWriteCmdLINK
FileWriteCmd Before writing to a file, when not writing the
whole buffer. Should do the writing to the
file. Should not change the buffer. Use the
'[ and '] marks for the range of lines.
FileWritePostLINK
FileWritePost After writing to a file, when not writing the
whole buffer.
FileWritePreLINK
FileWritePre Before writing to a file, when not writing the
whole buffer. Use the '[ and '] marks for the
range of lines.
FilterReadPostLINK
FilterReadPost After reading a file from a filter command.
Vim checks the pattern against the name of
the current buffer as with FilterReadPre.
Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
FilterReadPre E135LINK
FilterReadPre Before reading a file from a filter command.
Vim checks the pattern against the name of
the current buffer, not the name of the
temporary file that is the output of the
filter command.
Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
FilterWritePostLINK
FilterWritePost After writing a file for a filter command or
making a diff.
Vim checks the pattern against the name of
the current buffer as with FilterWritePre.
Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
FilterWritePreLINK
FilterWritePre Before writing a file for a filter command or
making a diff.
Vim checks the pattern against the name of
the current buffer, not the name of the
temporary file that is the output of the
filter command.
Not triggered when 'shelltemp' is off.
FocusGainedLINK
FocusGained When Vim got input focus. Only for the GUI
version and a few console versions where this
can be detected.
FocusLostLINK
FocusLost When Vim lost input focus. Only for the GUI
version and a few console versions where this
can be detected. May also happen when a
dialog pops up.
FuncUndefinedLINK
FuncUndefined When a user function is used but it isn't
defined. Useful for defining a function only
when it's used. The pattern is matched
against the function name. Both <amatch> and
<afile> are set to the name of the function.
NOTE: When writing Vim scripts a better
alternative is to use an autoloaded function.
See autoload-functions.
GUIEnterLINK
GUIEnter After starting the GUI successfully, and after
opening the window. It is triggered before
VimEnter when using gvim. Can be used to
position the window from a .gvimrc file:
:autocmd GUIEnter * winpos 100 50
GUIFailedLINK
GUIFailed After starting the GUI failed. Vim may
continue to run in the terminal, if possible
(only on Unix and alikes, when connecting the
X server fails). You may want to quit Vim:
:autocmd GUIFailed * qall
InsertChangeLINK
InsertChange When typing <Insert> while in Insert or
Replace mode. The v:insertmode variable
indicates the new mode.
Be careful not to move the cursor or do
anything else that the user does not expect.
InsertCharPreLINK
InsertCharPre When a character is typed in Insert mode,
before inserting the char.
The v:char variable indicates the char typed
and can be changed during the event to insert
a different character. When v:char is set
to more than one character this text is
inserted literally.
It is not allowed to change the text textlock.
The event is not triggered when 'paste' is
set.
InsertEnterLINK
InsertEnter Just before starting Insert mode. Also for
Replace mode and Virtual Replace mode. The
v:insertmode variable indicates the mode.
Be careful not to do anything else that the
user does not expect.
The cursor is restored afterwards. If you do
not want that set v:char to a non-empty
string.
InsertLeaveLINK
InsertLeave When leaving Insert mode. Also when using
CTRL-O i_CTRL-O. But not for i_CTRL-C.
MenuPopupLINK
MenuPopup Just before showing the popup menu (under the
right mouse button). Useful for adjusting the
menu for what is under the cursor or mouse
pointer.
The pattern is matched against a single
character representing the mode:
n Normal
v Visual
o Operator-pending
i Insert
c Command line
QuickFixCmdPreLINK
QuickFixCmdPre Before a quickfix command is run (:make,
:lmake, :grep, :lgrep, :grepadd,
:lgrepadd, :vimgrep, :lvimgrep,
:vimgrepadd, :lvimgrepadd, :cscope,
:cfile, :cgetfile, :caddfile, :lfile,
:lgetfile, :laddfile, :helpgrep,
The pattern is matched against the command
being run. When :grep is used but 'grepprg'
is set to "internal" it still matches "grep".
This command cannot be used to set the
'makeprg' and 'grepprg' variables.
If this command causes an error, the quickfix
command is not executed.
QuickFixCmdPostLINK
QuickFixCmdPost Like QuickFixCmdPre, but after a quickfix
command is run, before jumping to the first
location. For :cfile and :lfile commands
it is run after error file is read and before
moving to the first error.
QuitPreLINK
QuitPre When using :quit, :wq or :qall, before
deciding whether it closes the current window
or quits Vim. Can be used to close any
non-essential window if the current window is
the last ordinary window.
RemoteReplyLINK
RemoteReply When a reply from a Vim that functions as
server was received server2client(). The
pattern is matched against the {serverid}.
<amatch> is equal to the {serverid} from which
the reply was sent, and <afile> is the actual
reply string.
Note that even if an autocommand is defined,
the reply should be read with remote_read()
to consume it.
SessionLoadPostLINK
SessionLoadPost After loading the session file created using
the :mksession command.
ShellCmdPostLINK
ShellCmdPost After executing a shell command with :!cmd,
:shell, :make and :grep. Can be used to
check for any changed files.
ShellFilterPostLINK
ShellFilterPost After executing a shell command with
":{range}!cmd", ":w !cmd" or ":r !cmd".
Can be used to check for any changed files.
SourcePreLINK
SourcePre Before sourcing a Vim script. :source
<afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
SourceCmdLINK
SourceCmd When sourcing a Vim script. :source
<afile> is the name of the file being sourced.
The autocommand must source this file.
SpellFileMissingLINK
SpellFileMissing When trying to load a spell checking file and
it can't be found. The pattern is matched
against the language. <amatch> is the
language, 'encoding' also matters. See
StdinReadPostLINK
StdinReadPost After reading from the stdin into the buffer,
before executing the modelines. Only used
when the "-" argument was used when Vim was
started --.
StdinReadPreLINK
StdinReadPre Before reading from stdin into the buffer.
Only used when the "-" argument was used when
Vim was started --.
SwapExistsLINK
SwapExists Detected an existing swap file when starting
to edit a file. Only when it is possible to
select a way to handle the situation, when Vim
would ask the user what to do.
The v:swapname variable holds the name of
the swap file found, <afile> the file being
edited. v:swapcommand may contain a command
to be executed in the opened file.
The commands should set the v:swapchoice
variable to a string with one character to
tell Vim what should be done next:
'o' open read-only
'e' edit the file anyway
'r' recover
'd' delete the swap file
'q' quit, don't edit the file
'a' abort, like hitting CTRL-C
When set to an empty string the user will be
asked, as if there was no SwapExists autocmd.
E812LINK
It is not allowed to change to another buffer,
change a buffer name or change directory
here.
SyntaxLINK
Syntax When the 'syntax' option has been set. The
pattern is matched against the syntax name.
<afile> can be used for the name of the file
where this option was set, and <amatch> for
the new value of 'syntax'.
See :syn-on.
TabEnterLINK
TabEnter Just after entering a tab page. tab-page
After triggering the WinEnter and before
triggering the BufEnter event.
TabLeaveLINK
TabLeave Just before leaving a tab page. tab-page
A WinLeave event will have been triggered
first.
TermChangedLINK
TermChanged After the value of 'term' has changed. Useful
for re-loading the syntax file to update the
colors, fonts and other terminal-dependent
settings. Executed for all loaded buffers.
TermResponseLINK
TermResponse After the response to t_RV is received from
the terminal. The value of v:termresponse
can be used to do things depending on the
terminal version. Note that this event may be
triggered halfway executing another event,
especially if file I/O, a shell command or
anything else that takes time is involved.
TextChangedLINK
TextChanged After a change was made to the text in the
current buffer in Normal mode. That is when
b:changedtick has changed.
Not triggered when there is typeahead or when
an operator is pending.
Careful: This is triggered very often, don't
do anything that the user does not expect or
that is slow.
TextChangedILINK
TextChangedI After a change was made to the text in the
current buffer in Insert mode.
Not triggered when the popup menu is visible.
Otherwise the same as TextChanged.
UserLINK
User Never executed automatically. To be used for
autocommands that are only executed with
":doautocmd".
UserGettingBoredLINK
UserGettingBored When the user presses the same key 42 times.
Just kidding! :-)
VimEnterLINK
VimEnter After doing all the startup stuff, including
loading .vimrc files, executing the "-c cmd"
arguments, creating all windows and loading
the buffers in them.
VimLeaveLINK
VimLeave Before exiting Vim, just after writing the
.viminfo file. Executed only once, like
VimLeavePre.
To detect an abnormal exit use v:dying.
When v:dying is 2 or more this event is not
triggered.
VimLeavePreLINK
VimLeavePre Before exiting Vim, just before writing the
.viminfo file. This is executed only once,
if there is a match with the name of what
happens to be the current buffer when exiting.
Mostly useful with a "*" pattern.
:autocmd VimLeavePre * call CleanupStuff()
To detect an abnormal exit use v:dying.
When v:dying is 2 or more this event is not
triggered.
VimResizedLINK
VimResized After the Vim window was resized, thus 'lines'
and/or 'columns' changed. Not when starting
up though.
WinEnterLINK
WinEnter After entering another window. Not done for
the first window, when Vim has just started.
Useful for setting the window height.
If the window is for another buffer, Vim
executes the BufEnter autocommands after the
WinEnter autocommands.
Note: When using ":split fname" the WinEnter
event is triggered after the split but before
the file "fname" is loaded.
WinLeaveLINK
WinLeave Before leaving a window. If the window to be
entered next is for a different buffer, Vim
executes the BufLeave autocommands before the
WinLeave autocommands (but not for ":new").
Not used for ":qa" or ":q" when exiting Vim.
==============================================================================
6. Patterns autocmd-patterns {pat}LINK
The file pattern {pat} is tested for a match against the file name in one of
two ways:
1. When there is no '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against only
the tail part of the file name (without its leading directory path).
2. When there is a '/' in the pattern, Vim checks for a match against both the
short file name (as you typed it) and the full file name (after expanding
it to a full path and resolving symbolic links).
The special pattern <buffer> or <buffer=N> is used for buffer-local
autocommands autocmd-buflocal. This pattern is not matched against the name
of a buffer.
Examples:
:autocmd BufRead *.txt set et
Set the 'et' option for all text files.
:autocmd BufRead /vim/src/*.c set cindent
Set the 'cindent' option for C files in the /vim/src directory.
:autocmd BufRead /tmp/*.c set ts=5
If you have a link from "/tmp/test.c" to "/home/nobody/vim/src/test.c", and
you start editing "/tmp/test.c", this autocommand will match.
Note: To match part of a path, but not from the root directory, use a '*' as
the first character. Example:
:autocmd BufRead */doc/*.txt set tw=78
This autocommand will for example be executed for "/tmp/doc/xx.txt" and
"/usr/home/piet/doc/yy.txt". The number of directories does not matter here.
The file name that the pattern is matched against is after expanding
wildcards. Thus if you issue this command:
:e $ROOTDIR/main.$EXT
The argument is first expanded to:
/usr/root/main.py
Before it's matched with the pattern of the autocommand. Careful with this
when using events like FileReadCmd, the value of <amatch> may not be what you
expect.
Environment variables can be used in a pattern:
:autocmd BufRead $VIMRUNTIME/doc/*.txt set expandtab
And ~ can be used for the home directory (if $HOME is defined):
:autocmd BufWritePost ~/.vimrc so ~/.vimrc
:autocmd BufRead ~archive/* set readonly
The environment variable is expanded when the autocommand is defined, not when
the autocommand is executed. This is different from the command!
file-patternLINK
The pattern is interpreted like mostly used in file names:
* matches any sequence of characters; Unusual: includes path
separators
? matches any single character
\? matches a '?'
. matches a '.'
~ matches a '~'
, separates patterns
\, matches a ','
{ } like \( \) in a pattern
, inside { }: like \| in a pattern
\} literal }
\{ literal {
\\\{n,m\} like \{n,m} in a pattern
\ special meaning like in a pattern
[ch] matches 'c' or 'h'
[^ch] match any character but 'c' and 'h'
Note that for all systems the '/' character is used for path separator (even
MS-DOS and OS/2). This was done because the backslash is difficult to use
in a pattern and to make the autocommands portable across different systems.
autocmd-changesLINK
Matching with the pattern is done when an event is triggered. Changing the
buffer name in one of the autocommands, or even deleting the buffer, does not
change which autocommands will be executed. Example:
au BufEnter *.foo bdel
au BufEnter *.foo set modified
This will delete the current buffer and then set 'modified' in what has become
the current buffer instead. Vim doesn't take into account that "*.foo"
doesn't match with that buffer name. It matches "*.foo" with the name of the
buffer at the moment the event was triggered.
However, buffer-local autocommands will not be executed for a buffer that has
been wiped out with :bwipe. After deleting the buffer with :bdel the
buffer actually still exists (it becomes unlisted), thus the autocommands are
still executed.
==============================================================================
7. Buffer-local autocommands autocmd-buflocal autocmd-buffer-localLINK
<buffer=N> <buffer=abuf> E680LINK
Buffer-local autocommands are attached to a specific buffer. They are useful
if the buffer does not have a name and when the name does not match a specific
pattern. But it also means they must be explicitly added to each buffer.
Instead of a pattern buffer-local autocommands use one of these forms:
<buffer> current buffer
<buffer=99> buffer number 99
<buffer=abuf> using <abuf> (only when executing autocommands)
Examples:
:au CursorHold <buffer> echo 'hold'
:au CursorHold <buffer=33> echo 'hold'
:au CursorHold <buffer=abuf> echo 'hold'
All the commands for autocommands also work with buffer-local autocommands,
simply use the special string instead of the pattern. Examples:
:au! * <buffer> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
" current buffer
:au! * <buffer=33> " remove buffer-local autocommands for
" buffer #33
:bufdo :au! CursorHold <buffer> " remove autocmd for given event for all
" buffers
:au * <buffer> " list buffer-local autocommands for
" current buffer
Note that when an autocommand is defined for the current buffer, it is stored
with the buffer number. Thus it uses the form "<buffer=12>", where 12 is the
number of the current buffer. You will see this when listing autocommands,
for example.
To test for presence of buffer-local autocommands use the exists() function
as follows:
:if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer=12>") | ... | endif
:if exists("#CursorHold#<buffer>") | ... | endif " for current buffer
When a buffer is wiped out its buffer-local autocommands are also gone, of
course. Note that when deleting a buffer, e.g., with ":bdel", it is only
unlisted, the autocommands are still present. In order to see the removal of
buffer-local autocommands:
:set verbose=6
It is not possible to define buffer-local autocommands for a non-existent
buffer.
==============================================================================
8. Groups autocmd-groupsLINK
Autocommands can be put together in a group. This is useful for removing or
executing a group of autocommands. For example, all the autocommands for
syntax highlighting are put in the "highlight" group, to be able to execute
":doautoall highlight BufRead" when the GUI starts.
When no specific group is selected, Vim uses the default group. The default
group does not have a name. You cannot execute the autocommands from the
default group separately; you can execute them only by executing autocommands
for all groups.
Normally, when executing autocommands automatically, Vim uses the autocommands
for all groups. The group only matters when executing autocommands with
":doautocmd" or ":doautoall", or when defining or deleting autocommands.
The group name can contain any characters except white space. The group name
"end" is reserved (also in uppercase).
The group name is case sensitive. Note that this is different from the event
name!
:aug :augroupLINK
:aug[roup] {name} Define the autocmd group name for the
following ":autocmd" commands. The name "end"
or "END" selects the default group.
:augroup-delete E367LINK
:aug[roup]! {name} Delete the autocmd group {name}. Don't use
this if there is still an autocommand using
this group! This is not checked.
To enter autocommands for a specific group, use this method:
1. Select the group with ":augroup {name}".
2. Delete any old autocommands with ":au!".
3. Define the autocommands.
4. Go back to the default group with "augroup END".
Example:
:augroup uncompress
: au!
: au BufEnter *.gz %!gunzip
:augroup END
This prevents having the autocommands defined twice (e.g., after sourcing the
.vimrc file again).
==============================================================================
9. Executing autocommands autocmd-executeLINK
Vim can also execute Autocommands non-automatically. This is useful if you
have changed autocommands, or when Vim has executed the wrong autocommands
(e.g., the file pattern match was wrong).
Note that the 'eventignore' option applies here too. Events listed in this
option will not cause any commands to be executed.
:do :doau :doautocmd E217LINK
:do[autocmd] [<nomodeline>] [group] {event} [fname]
Apply the autocommands matching [fname] (default:
current file name) for {event} to the current buffer.
You can use this when the current file name does not
match the right pattern, after changing settings, or
to execute autocommands for a certain event.
It's possible to use this inside an autocommand too,
so you can base the autocommands for one extension on
another extension. Example:
:au BufEnter *.cpp so ~/.vimrc_cpp
:au BufEnter *.cpp doau BufEnter x.c
Be careful to avoid endless loops. See
When the [group] argument is not given, Vim executes
the autocommands for all groups. When the [group]
argument is included, Vim executes only the matching
autocommands for that group. Note: if you use an
undefined group name, Vim gives you an error message.
<nomodeline>LINK
After applying the autocommands the modelines are
processed, so that their settings overrule the
settings from autocommands, like what happens when
editing a file. This is skipped when the <nomodeline>
argument is present. You probably want to use
<nomodeline> for events that are not used when loading
a buffer, such as User.
:doautoa :doautoallLINK
:doautoa[ll] [<nomodeline>] [group] {event} [fname]
Like ":doautocmd", but apply the autocommands to each
loaded buffer. Note that [fname] is used to select
the autocommands, not the buffers to which they are
applied.
Careful: Don't use this for autocommands that delete a
buffer, change to another buffer or change the
contents of a buffer; the result is unpredictable.
This command is intended for autocommands that set
options, change highlighting, and things like that.
==============================================================================
10. Using autocommands autocmd-useLINK
For WRITING FILES there are four possible sets of events. Vim uses only one
of these sets for a write command:
BufWriteCmd BufWritePre BufWritePost writing the whole buffer
FilterWritePre FilterWritePost writing to filter temp file
FileAppendCmd FileAppendPre FileAppendPost appending to a file
FileWriteCmd FileWritePre FileWritePost any other file write
When there is a matching "*Cmd" autocommand, it is assumed it will do the
writing. No further writing is done and the other events are not triggered.
Note that the *WritePost commands should undo any changes to the buffer that
were caused by the *WritePre commands; otherwise, writing the file will have
the side effect of changing the buffer.
Before executing the autocommands, the buffer from which the lines are to be
written temporarily becomes the current buffer. Unless the autocommands
change the current buffer or delete the previously current buffer, the
previously current buffer is made the current buffer again.
The *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands must not delete the buffer from
which the lines are to be written.
The '[ and '] marks have a special position:
- Before the *ReadPre event the '[ mark is set to the line just above where
the new lines will be inserted.
- Before the *ReadPost event the '[ mark is set to the first line that was
just read, the '] mark to the last line.
- Before executing the *WriteCmd, *WritePre and *AppendPre autocommands the '[
mark is set to the first line that will be written, the '] mark to the last
line.
Careful: '[ and '] change when using commands that change the buffer.
In commands which expect a file name, you can use "<afile>" for the file name
that is being read :<afile> (you can also use "%" for the current file
name). "<abuf>" can be used for the buffer number of the currently effective
buffer. This also works for buffers that doesn't have a name. But it doesn't
work for files without a buffer (e.g., with ":r file").
gzip-exampleLINK
Examples for reading and writing compressed files:
:augroup gzip
: autocmd!
: autocmd BufReadPre,FileReadPre *.gz set bin
: autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz '[,']!gunzip
: autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz set nobin
: autocmd BufReadPost,FileReadPost *.gz execute ":doautocmd BufReadPost " . expand("%:r")
: autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
: autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
: autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !gunzip <afile>
: autocmd FileAppendPre *.gz !mv <afile>:r <afile>
: autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !mv <afile> <afile>:r
: autocmd FileAppendPost *.gz !gzip <afile>:r
:augroup END
The "gzip" group is used to be able to delete any existing autocommands with
":autocmd!", for when the file is sourced twice.
("<afile>:r" is the file name without the extension, see :_%:)
The commands executed for the BufNewFile, BufRead/BufReadPost, BufWritePost,
FileAppendPost and VimLeave events do not set or reset the changed flag of the
buffer. When you decompress the buffer with the BufReadPost autocommands, you
can still exit with ":q". When you use ":undo" in BufWritePost to undo the
changes made by BufWritePre commands, you can still do ":q" (this also makes
"ZZ" work). If you do want the buffer to be marked as modified, set the
'modified' option.
To execute Normal mode commands from an autocommand, use the ":normal"
command. Use with care! If the Normal mode command is not finished, the user
needs to type characters (e.g., after ":normal m" you need to type a mark
name).
If you want the buffer to be unmodified after changing it, reset the
'modified' option. This makes it possible to exit the buffer with ":q"
instead of ":q!".
autocmd-nested E218LINK
By default, autocommands do not nest. If you use ":e" or ":w" in an
autocommand, Vim does not execute the BufRead and BufWrite autocommands for
those commands. If you do want this, use the "nested" flag for those commands
in which you want nesting. For example:
:autocmd FileChangedShell *.c nested e!
The nesting is limited to 10 levels to get out of recursive loops.
It's possible to use the ":au" command in an autocommand. This can be a
self-modifying command! This can be useful for an autocommand that should
execute only once.
If you want to skip autocommands for one command, use the :noautocmd command
modifier or the 'eventignore' option.
Note: When reading a file (with ":read file" or with a filter command) and the
last line in the file does not have an <EOL>, Vim remembers this. At the next
write (with ":write file" or with a filter command), if the same line is
written again as the last line in a file AND 'binary' is set, Vim does not
supply an <EOL>. This makes a filter command on the just read lines write the
same file as was read, and makes a write command on just filtered lines write
the same file as was read from the filter. For example, another way to write
a compressed file:
:autocmd FileWritePre *.gz set bin|'[,']!gzip
:autocmd FileWritePost *.gz undo|set nobin
autocommand-patternLINK
You can specify multiple patterns, separated by commas. Here are some
examples:
:autocmd BufRead * set tw=79 nocin ic infercase fo=2croq
:autocmd BufRead .letter set tw=72 fo=2tcrq
:autocmd BufEnter .letter set dict=/usr/lib/dict/words
:autocmd BufLeave .letter set dict=
:autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.c,*.h set tw=0 cin noic
:autocmd BufEnter *.c,*.h abbr FOR for (i = 0; i < 3; ++i)<CR>{<CR>}<Esc>O
:autocmd BufLeave *.c,*.h unabbr FOR
For makefiles (makefile, Makefile, imakefile, makefile.unix, etc.):
:autocmd BufEnter ?akefile* set include=^s\=include
:autocmd BufLeave ?akefile* set include&
To always start editing C files at the first function:
:autocmd BufRead *.c,*.h 1;/^{
Without the "1;" above, the search would start from wherever the file was
entered, rather than from the start of the file.
skeleton templateLINK
To read a skeleton (template) file when opening a new file:
:autocmd BufNewFile *.c 0r ~/vim/skeleton.c
:autocmd BufNewFile *.h 0r ~/vim/skeleton.h
:autocmd BufNewFile *.java 0r ~/vim/skeleton.java
To insert the current date and time in a *.html file when writing it:
:autocmd BufWritePre,FileWritePre *.html ks|call LastMod()|'s
:fun LastMod()
: if line("$") > 20
: let l = 20
: else
: let l = line("$")
: endif
: exe "1," . l . "g/Last modified: /s/Last modified: .*/Last modified: " .
: \ strftime("%Y %b %d")
:endfun
You need to have a line "Last modified: <date time>" in the first 20 lines
of the file for this to work. Vim replaces <date time> (and anything in the
same line after it) with the current date and time. Explanation:
ks mark current position with mark 's'
call LastMod() call the LastMod() function to do the work
's return the cursor to the old position
The LastMod() function checks if the file is shorter than 20 lines, and then
uses the ":g" command to find lines that contain "Last modified: ". For those
lines the ":s" command is executed to replace the existing date with the
current one. The ":execute" command is used to be able to use an expression
for the ":g" and ":s" commands. The date is obtained with the strftime()
function. You can change its argument to get another date string.
When entering :autocmd on the command-line, completion of events and command
names may be done (with <Tab>, CTRL-D, etc.) where appropriate.
Vim executes all matching autocommands in the order that you specify them.
It is recommended that your first autocommand be used for all files by using
"*" as the file pattern. This means that you can define defaults you like
here for any settings, and if there is another matching autocommand it will
override these. But if there is no other matching autocommand, then at least
your default settings are recovered (if entering this file from another for
which autocommands did match). Note that "*" will also match files starting
with ".", unlike Unix shells.
autocmd-searchpatLINK
Autocommands do not change the current search patterns. Vim saves the current
search patterns before executing autocommands then restores them after the
autocommands finish. This means that autocommands do not affect the strings
highlighted with the 'hlsearch' option. Within autocommands, you can still
use search patterns normally, e.g., with the "n" command.
If you want an autocommand to set the search pattern, such that it is used
after the autocommand finishes, use the ":let @/ =" command.
The search-highlighting cannot be switched off with ":nohlsearch" in an
autocommand. Use the 'h' flag in the 'viminfo' option to disable search-
highlighting when starting Vim.
Cmd-eventLINK
When using one of the "*Cmd" events, the matching autocommands are expected to
do the file reading, writing or sourcing. This can be used when working with
a special kind of file, for example on a remote system.
CAREFUL: If you use these events in a wrong way, it may have the effect of
making it impossible to read or write the matching files! Make sure you test
your autocommands properly. Best is to use a pattern that will never match a
normal file name, for example "ftp://*".
When defining a BufReadCmd it will be difficult for Vim to recover a crashed
editing session. When recovering from the original file, Vim reads only those
parts of a file that are not found in the swap file. Since that is not
possible with a BufReadCmd, use the :preserve command to make sure the
original file isn't needed for recovery. You might want to do this only when
you expect the file to be modified.
For file read and write commands the v:cmdarg variable holds the "++enc="
and "++ff=" argument that are effective. These should be used for the command
that reads/writes the file. The v:cmdbang variable is one when "!" was
used, zero otherwise.
See the $VIMRUNTIME/plugin/netrwPlugin.vim for examples.
==============================================================================
11. Disabling autocommands autocmd-disableLINK
To disable autocommands for some time use the 'eventignore' option. Note that
this may cause unexpected behavior, make sure you restore 'eventignore'
afterwards, using a :try block with :finally.
:noautocmd :noaLINK
To disable autocommands for just one command use the ":noautocmd" command
modifier. This will set 'eventignore' to "all" for the duration of the
following command. Example:
:noautocmd w fname.gz
This will write the file without triggering the autocommands defined by the
gzip plugin.
vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: