Vim documentation: autocmd

 *autocmd.txt* For Vim version 7.3. Last change: 2010 Jul 22 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} {only when the |+autocmd| feature has not been disabled at compile time} ============================================================================== 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* 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* Note: The ":autocmd" command cannot be followed by another command, since any '|' is considered part of the command.	*: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|.	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-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}. :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-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: BufNewFilestarting to edit a non-existent file BufReadPreBufReadPoststarting to edit an existing file FilterReadPreFilterReadPostread the temp file with filter output FileReadPreFileReadPostany 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 |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 |TermResponse|	after the terminal response to |t_RV| is received |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 |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 |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 |User|	to be used in combination with ":doautocmd" The alphabetical list of autocommand events:	*autocmd-events-abc*	*BufCreate* *BufAdd* BufAdd or BufCreateJust 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* BufDeleteBefore 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* BufEnterAfter entering a buffer. Useful for setting options for a file type. Also executed when	starting to edit a buffer, after the BufReadPost autocommands.	*BufFilePost* BufFilePostAfter changing the name of the current buffer	with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.	*BufFilePre* BufFilePreBefore changing the name of the current buffer	with the ":file" or ":saveas" command.	*BufHidden* BufHiddenJust 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* BufLeaveBefore 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* BufNewJust 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* BufNewFileWhen starting to edit a file that doesn't	exist. Can be used to read in a skeleton	file.	*BufRead* *BufReadPost* BufRead or BufReadPostWhen 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.	*BufReadCmd* BufReadCmdBefore starting to edit a new buffer. Should	read the file into the buffer. |Cmd-event|	*BufReadPre* *E200* *E201* BufReadPreWhen starting to edit a new buffer, before	reading the file into the buffer. Not used	if the file doesn't exist.	*BufUnload* BufUnloadBefore 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.	*BufWinEnter* BufWinEnterAfter 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* BufWinLeaveBefore 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* BufWipeoutBefore 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 BufWritePreBefore writing the whole buffer to a file.	*BufWriteCmd* BufWriteCmdBefore 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.	|Cmd-event|	*BufWritePost* BufWritePostAfter writing the whole buffer to a file	(should undo the commands for BufWritePre).	*CmdwinEnter* CmdwinEnterAfter 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* CmdwinLeaveBefore 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* ColorSchemeAfter loading a color scheme. |:colorscheme|	*CursorHold* CursorHoldWhen 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|	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* CursorHoldIJust like CursorHold, but in Insert mode.	*CursorMoved* CursorMovedAfter the cursor was moved in Normal 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: Don't do anything that the user does	not expect or that is slow.	*CursorMovedI* CursorMovedIAfter the cursor was moved in Insert mode.	Otherwise the same as CursorMoved.	*EncodingChanged* EncodingChangedFires off after the 'encoding' option has been	changed. Useful to set up fonts, for example.	*FileAppendCmd* FileAppendCmdBefore appending to a file. Should do the	appending to the file. Use the '[ and ']	marks for the range of lines.|Cmd-eventYXXY	*FileAppendPost* FileAppendPostAfter appending to a file.	*FileAppendPre* FileAppendPreBefore appending to a file. Use the '[ and ']	marks for the range of lines.	*FileChangedRO* FileChangedROBefore 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.	*FileChangedShell* FileChangedShellWhen Vim notices that the modification time of	a file has changed since editing started.	Also when the file attributes of the file	change. |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 "<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* FileChangedShellPostAfter handling a file that was changed outside	of Vim. Can be used to update the statusline.	*FileEncoding* FileEncodingObsolete. It still works and is equivalent	to |EncodingChanged|.	*FileReadCmd* FileReadCmdBefore reading a file with a ":read" command.	Should do the reading of the file. |Cmd-event|	*FileReadPost* FileReadPostAfter 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* FileReadPreBefore reading a file with a ":read" command.	*FileType* FileTypeWhen 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|.	*FileWriteCmd* FileWriteCmdBefore 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* FileWritePostAfter writing to a file, when not writing the	whole buffer.	*FileWritePre* FileWritePreBefore writing to a file, when not writing the	whole buffer. Use the '[ and '] marks for the	range of lines.	*FilterReadPost* FilterReadPostAfter 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* FilterReadPreBefore 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* FilterWritePostAfter 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* FilterWritePreBefore 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* FocusGainedWhen Vim got input focus. Only for the GUI	version and a few console versions where this	can be detected.	*FocusLost* FocusLostWhen 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* FuncUndefinedWhen 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.	See |autoload-functions|.	*GUIEnter* GUIEnterAfter 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* GUIFailedAfter 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* InsertChangeWhen 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.	*InsertEnter* InsertEnterJust before starting Insert mode. Also for Replace mode and Virtual Replace mode. The	|v:insertmode| variable indicates the mode.	Be careful not to move the cursor or do	anything else that the user does not expect.	*InsertLeave* InsertLeaveWhen leaving Insert mode. Also when using	CTRL-O |i_CTRL-O|. But not for |i_CTRL-C|.	*MenuPopup* MenuPopupJust 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: nNormal vVisual oOperator-pending iInsert cCommand line	*QuickFixCmdPre* QuickFixCmdPreBefore a quickfix command is run (|:make|,	|:lmake|, |:grep|, |:lgrep|, |:grepadd|,	|:lgrepadd|, |:vimgrep|, |:lvimgrep|,	|:vimgrepadd|, |:lvimgrepadd|, |:cscope|).	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* QuickFixCmdPostLike QuickFixCmdPre, but after a quickfix	command is run, before jumping to the first	location. See |QuickFixCmdPost-example|.	*RemoteReply* RemoteReplyWhen 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* SessionLoadPostAfter loading the session file created using	the |:mksession| command.	*ShellCmdPost* ShellCmdPostAfter executing a shell command with |:!cmd|,	|:shell|, |:make| and |:grep|. Can be used to	check for any changed files.	*ShellFilterPost* ShellFilterPostAfter executing a shell command with	":{range}!cmd", ":w !cmd" or ":r !cmd".	Can be used to check for any changed files.	*SourcePre* SourcePreBefore sourcing a Vim script. |:source| <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.	*SourceCmd* SourceCmdWhen sourcing a Vim script. |:source| <afile> is the name of the file being sourced.	The autocommand must source this file.	|Cmd-event|	*SpellFileMissing* SpellFileMissingWhen 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* StdinReadPostAfter reading from the stdin into the buffer,	before executing the modelines. Only used	when the "-" argument was used when Vim was	started |--|.	*StdinReadPre* StdinReadPreBefore reading from stdin into the buffer.	Only used when the "-" argument was used when	Vim was started |--|.	*SwapExists* SwapExistsDetected 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.	*Syntax* SyntaxWhen 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|.	*TabEnter* TabEnterJust after entering a tab page. |tab-page|	After triggering the WinEnter and before	triggering the BufEnter event.	*TabLeave* TabLeaveJust before leaving a tab page. |tab-page|	A WinLeave event will have been triggered	first.	*TermChanged* TermChangedAfter 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.	*TermResponse* TermResponseAfter 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.	*User* UserNever executed automatically. To be used for	autocommands that are only executed with	":doautocmd".	*UserGettingBored* UserGettingBoredWhen the user hits CTRL-C. Just kidding! :-)	*VimEnter* VimEnterAfter doing all the startup stuff, including	loading .vimrc files, executing the "-c cmd"	arguments, creating all windows and loading	the buffers in them.	*VimLeave* VimLeaveBefore 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* VimLeavePreBefore 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* VimResizedAfter the Vim window was resized, thus 'lines'	and/or 'columns' changed. Not when starting	up though.	*WinEnter* WinEnterAfter 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.	*WinLeave* WinLeaveBefore 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}* 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	?	matches any single character	\?	matches a '?'	.	matches a '.'	~	matches a '~'	,	separates patterns	\,	matches a ','	{ }	like \( \) in a |pattern|	,	inside { }: like \| 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-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 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.	*:augroup-delete* *E367* :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-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] [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.	After applying the autocommands the modelines are	processed, so that their settings overrule the	settings from autocommands, like what happens when	editing a file.	*:doautoa* *:doautoall* :doautoa[ll] [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: BufWriteCmdBufWritePreBufWritePostwriting the whole buffer FilterWritePreFilterWritePostwriting to filter temp file FileAppendCmdFileAppendPreFileAppendPostappending to a file FileWriteCmdFileWritePreFileWritePostany 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:	ksmark 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. top - main help file