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*autocmd.txt* For Vim version 8.0. Last change: 2018 Apr 19 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar Automatic commands *autocommand* 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} ============================================================================== 1. Introduction *autocmd-intro* 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* *E855* *E937* *E952* 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-define* *:au* *:autocmd* :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|. Note: A quote character is seen as argument to the :autocmd and won't start a comment. 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: The ":autocmd" command can only be followed by another command when the '|' appears before {cmd}. This works: > :augroup mine | au! BufRead | augroup END But this sees "augroup" as part of the defined command: > :augroup mine | au! BufRead * | augroup END :augroup mine | au BufRead * set tw=70 | augroup END Instead you can put the group name into the command: > :au! mine BufRead * :au mine BufRead * set tw=70 Or use `:execute`: > :augroup mine | exe "au! BufRead *" | augroup END :augroup mine | exe "au BufRead * set tw=70" | augroup END 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. `:autocmd` adds to the list of autocommands regardless of whether they are already present. When your .vimrc file is sourced twice, the autocommands will appear twice. To avoid this, define your autocommands in a group, so that you can easily clear them: > augroup vimrc " Remove all vimrc autocommands autocmd! au BufNewFile,BufRead *.html so <sfile>:h/html.vim augroup END 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-remove* :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}. Warning: You should not do this without a group for |BufRead| and other common events, it can break plugins, syntax highlighting, etc. :au[tocmd]! [group] Remove ALL autocommands. Note: a quote will be seen as argument to the :autocmd and won't start a comment. Warning: You should normally not do this without a group, it breaks plugins, syntax highlighting, etc. 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-list* :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-verbose* 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* *E216* 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}* 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 |TerminalOpen| after a terminal buffer was created |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 |OptionSet| after setting any option 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 exit |ExitPre| when using a command that may make Vim exit |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 |DirChanged| after the working directory has changed |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 |WinNew| after creating a new window |TabNew| after creating a new tab page |TabClosed| after closing a tab page |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 |CmdlineChanged| after a change was made to the command-line text |CmdlineEnter| after the cursor moves to the command line |CmdlineLeave| before the cursor leaves the command line |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 when popup menu is not visible |TextChangedP| after a change was made to the text in Insert mode when popup menu visible |TextYankPost| after text is yanked or deleted |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-abc* *BufCreate* *BufAdd* 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>". *BufDelete* 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. *BufEnter* 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. *BufFilePost* BufFilePost After changing the name of the current buffer with the ":file" or ":saveas" command. *BufFilePre* BufFilePre Before changing the name of the current buffer with the ":file" or ":saveas" command. *BufHidden* 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>". *BufLeave* 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. *BufNew* 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>". *BufNewFile* BufNewFile When starting to edit a file that doesn't exist. Can be used to read in a skeleton file. *BufRead* *BufReadPost* 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. *BufReadCmd* BufReadCmd Before starting to edit a new buffer. Should read the file into the buffer. |Cmd-event| *BufReadPre* *E200* *E201* BufReadPre When starting to edit a new buffer, before reading the file into the buffer. Not used if the file doesn't exist. *BufUnload* 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 or window, it will cause problems! When exiting and v:dying is 2 or more this event is not triggered. *BufWinEnter* 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. *BufWinLeave* 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. *BufWipeout* 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* *BufWritePre* BufWrite or BufWritePre Before writing the whole buffer to a file. *BufWriteCmd* 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. |Cmd-event| *BufWritePost* BufWritePost After writing the whole buffer to a file (should undo the commands for BufWritePre). *CmdUndefined* 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|. *CmdlineChanged* CmdlineChanged After a change was made to the text in the command line. Be careful not to mess up the command line, it may cause Vim to lock up. <afile> is set to a single character, indicating the type of command-line. |cmdwin-char| *CmdlineEnter* CmdlineEnter After moving the cursor to the command line, where the user can type a command or search string. <afile> is set to a single character, indicating the type of command-line. |cmdwin-char| *CmdlineLeave* CmdlineLeave Before leaving the command line. Also when abandoning the command line, after typing CTRL-C or <Esc>. When the commands result in an error the command line is still executed. <afile> is set to a single character, indicating the type of command-line. |cmdwin-char| *CmdwinEnter* 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. |cmdwin-char| *CmdwinLeave* 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. |cmdwin-char| *ColorScheme* 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. *CompleteDone* CompleteDone After Insert mode completion is done. Either when something was completed or abandoning completion. |ins-completion| The |v:completed_item| variable contains information about the completed item. *CursorHold* 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>* 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} *CursorHoldI* CursorHoldI Just like CursorHold, but in Insert mode. Not triggered when waiting for another key, e.g. after CTRL-V, and not when in CTRL-X mode |insert_expand|. *CursorMoved* 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. *CursorMovedI* CursorMovedI After the cursor was moved in Insert mode. Not triggered when the popup menu is visible. Otherwise the same as CursorMoved. *EncodingChanged* EncodingChanged Fires off after the 'encoding' option has been changed. Useful to set up fonts, for example. *FileAppendCmd* FileAppendCmd Before appending to a file. Should do the appending to the file. Use the '[ and '] marks for the range of lines.|Cmd-event| *FileAppendPost* FileAppendPost After appending to a file. *FileAppendPre* FileAppendPre Before appending to a file. Use the '[ and '] marks for the range of lines. *FileChangedRO* 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. *E788* It is not allowed to change to another buffer here. You can reload the buffer but not edit another one. *E881* If the number of lines changes saving for undo may fail and the change will be aborted. *DirChanged* DirChanged The working directory has changed in response to the |:cd| or |:lcd| commands, or as a result of the 'autochdir' option. The pattern can be: "window" to trigger on `:lcd "global" to trigger on `:cd` "auto" to trigger on 'autochdir'. "drop" to trigger on editing a file <afile> is set to the new directory name. *ExitPre* ExitPre When using `:quit`, `:wq` in a way it makes Vim exit, or using `:qall`, just after |QuitPre|. Can be used to close any non-essential window. *FileChangedShell* 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. |timestamp| 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, which is in "<afile>". NOTE: The commands must not change the current buffer, jump to another buffer or delete a buffer. *E246* *E811* 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. *FileChangedShellPost* FileChangedShellPost After handling a file that was changed outside of Vim. Can be used to update the statusline. *FileEncoding* FileEncoding Obsolete. It still works and is equivalent to |EncodingChanged|. *FileReadCmd* FileReadCmd Before reading a file with a ":read" command. Should do the reading of the file. |Cmd-event| *FileReadPost* 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. *FileReadPre* FileReadPre Before reading a file with a ":read" command. *FileType* 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'. Navigating to another window or buffer is not allowed. See |filetypes|. *FileWriteCmd* 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. |Cmd-event| *FileWritePost* FileWritePost After writing to a file, when not writing the whole buffer. *FileWritePre* FileWritePre Before writing to a file, when not writing the whole buffer. Use the '[ and '] marks for the range of lines. *FilterReadPost* 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* *E135* 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. *FilterWritePost* 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. *FilterWritePre* 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. *FocusGained* FocusGained When Vim got input focus. Only for the GUI version and a few console versions where this can be detected. *FocusLost* 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. *FuncUndefined* 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|. *GUIEnter* 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 < *GUIFailed* 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 < *InsertChange* 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. *InsertCharPre* 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. {only with the +eval feature} *InsertEnter* 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. *InsertLeave* InsertLeave When leaving Insert mode. Also when using CTRL-O |i_CTRL-O|. But not for |i_CTRL-C|. *MenuPopup* 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 *OptionSet* OptionSet After setting an option. The pattern is matched against the long option name. The |v:option_old| variable indicates the old option value, |v:option_new| variable indicates the newly set value, the |v:option_type| variable indicates whether it's global or local scoped and |<amatch>| indicates what option has been set. Is not triggered on startup and for the 'key' option for obvious reasons. Usage example: Check for the existence of the directory in the 'backupdir' and 'undodir' options, create the directory if it doesn't exist yet. Note: It's a bad idea to reset an option during this autocommand, this may break a plugin. You can always use `:noa` to prevent triggering this autocommand. *QuickFixCmdPre* 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|, |:lhelpgrep|, |:cexpr|, |:cgetexpr|, |:caddexpr|, |:cbuffer|, |:cgetbuffer|, |:caddbuffer|). 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. *QuickFixCmdPost* 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. See |QuickFixCmdPost-example|. *QuitPre* 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. Also see |ExitPre|. *RemoteReply* 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. *SessionLoadPost* SessionLoadPost After loading the session file created using the |:mksession| command. *ShellCmdPost* ShellCmdPost After executing a shell command with |:!cmd|, |:shell|, |:make| and |:grep|. Can be used to check for any changed files. *ShellFilterPost* ShellFilterPost After executing a shell command with ":{range}!cmd", ":w !cmd" or ":r !cmd". Can be used to check for any changed files. *SourcePre* SourcePre Before sourcing a Vim script. |:source| <afile> is the name of the file being sourced. *SourceCmd* SourceCmd When sourcing a Vim script. |:source| <afile> is the name of the file being sourced. The autocommand must source this file. |Cmd-event| *SpellFileMissing* 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 |spell-SpellFileMissing|. *StdinReadPost* StdinReadPost After reading from the stdin into the buffer, before executing the modelines. Only used when the "-" argument was used when Vim was started |--|. *StdinReadPre* StdinReadPre Before reading from stdin into the buffer. Only used when the "-" argument was used when Vim was started |--|. *SwapExists* 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. *E812* It is not allowed to change to another buffer, change a buffer name or change directory here. {only available with the +eval feature} *Syntax* 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|. *TabClosed* TabClosed After closing a tab page. *TabEnter* TabEnter Just after entering a tab page. |tab-page| After triggering the WinEnter and before triggering the BufEnter event. *TabLeave* TabLeave Just before leaving a tab page. |tab-page| A WinLeave event will have been triggered first. *TabNew* TabNew When a tab page was created. |tab-page| A WinEnter event will have been triggered first, TabEnter follows. *TermChanged* 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. *TerminalOpen* TerminalOpen Just after a terminal buffer was created, with `:terminal` or |term_start()|. This event is triggered even if the buffer is created without a window, with the ++hidden option. *TermResponse* 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. *TextChanged* 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. *TextChangedI* 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. *TextChangedP* TextChangedP After a change was made to the text in the current buffer in Insert mode, only when the popup menu is visible. Otherwise the same as TextChanged. *TextYankPost* TextYankPost After text has been yanked or deleted in the current buffer. The following values of |v:event| can be used to determine the operation that triggered this autocmd: operator The operation performed. regcontents Text that was stored in the register, as a list of lines, like with: > getreg(r, 1, 1) < regname Name of the |register| or empty string for the unnamed register. regtype Type of the register, see |getregtype()|. Not triggered when |quote_| is used nor when called recursively. It is not allowed to change the buffer text, see |textlock|. {only when compiled with the +eval feature} *User* User Never executed automatically. To be used for autocommands that are only executed with ":doautocmd". Note that when `:doautocmd User MyEvent` is used while there are no matching autocommands, you will get an error. If you don't want that, define a dummy autocommand yourself. *UserGettingBored* UserGettingBored When the user presses the same key 42 times. Just kidding! :-) *VimEnter* 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. Just before this event is triggered the |v:vim_did_enter| variable is set, so that you can do: > if v:vim_did_enter call s:init() else au VimEnter * call s:init() endif < *VimLeave* 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. *VimLeavePre* 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. *VimResized* VimResized After the Vim window was resized, thus 'lines' and/or 'columns' changed. Not when starting up though. *WinEnter* 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: For split and tabpage commands the WinEnter event is triggered after the split or tab command but before the file is loaded. *WinLeave* 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. *WinNew* WinNew When a new window was created. Not done for the first window, when Vim has just started. Before a WinEnter event. ============================================================================== 6. Patterns *autocmd-patterns* *{pat}* The {pat} argument can be a comma separated list. This works as if the command was given with each pattern separately. Thus this command: > :autocmd BufRead *.txt,*.info set et Is equivalent to: > :autocmd BufRead *.txt set et :autocmd BufRead *.info set et 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-pattern* 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. It is possible to use |pattern| items, but they may not work as expected, because of the translation done for the above. *autocmd-changes* 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-local* *<buffer=N>* *<buffer=abuf>* *E680* 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) |<abuf>| Examples: > :au CursorHold <buffer> echo 'hold' :au CursorHold <buffer=33> echo 'hold' :au BufNewFile * 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-groups* 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* *:augroup* :aug[roup] {name} Define the autocmd group name for the following ":autocmd" commands. The name "end" or "END" selects the default group. To avoid confusion, the name should be different from existing {event} names, as this most likely will not do what you intended. *:augroup-delete* *E367* *W19* *E936* :aug[roup]! {name} Delete the autocmd group {name}. Don't use this if there is still an autocommand using this group! You will get a warning if doing it anyway. when the group is the current group you will get error E936. 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-execute* 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* *E217* :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 |autocmd-nested|. 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>* 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|. Processing modelines is also skipped when no matching autocommands were executed. *:doautoa* *:doautoall* :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-use* 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. |Cmd-event| 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-example* 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* *E218* 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-pattern* 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* *template* 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-searchpat* 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-event* 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-disable* 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* *:noa* 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: