How to automatically execute a shell command after saving a file in Vim?

Question

This is because I'd like to automatically run tests after each file save.

I have looked at autocmd and BufWritePost but cannot make it work.

Gastrectomy

Answer 1

This runs run_tests.sh after any file is saved, with the current filename as the only parameter:

:autocmd BufWritePost * !run_tests.sh <afile>

View the auto-command with:

:autocmd BufWritePost *

And remove all auto-commands from the previous with:

:autocmd! BufWritePost *

Ellingson

Is there a way to to something like this ?: if a file named tests.html is present in the current directory OR in the directory just above then run command testprog tests.html OR cd .. testprog tests.html ? – Gastrectomy

@Running Turle: I would create a function for this and then use it in an autocmd. Use filereadable() to test if there is a file and then act accordingly. – Afterimage

This works, but what if you want to pass the full path to the file. Is it possible? #51272935 – Gravity

How to do this quietly in the background so you won't get the output? – Stratigraphy

@Stratigraphy Try :autocmd BufWritePost * silent !run_tests.sh <afile>. Output will still be written to the console, but vim won't wait for you to acknowledge. Send a "quiet"/"silent" option to your specific command or add >/dev/null to blackhole its output if need be. – Orelle

and for before save it's BufWritePre – Antitragus

Answer 2

put this into your .vimrc file:

(take raml2html doc/api.raml > public/api_doc.html as a command example)

autocmd BufWritePost,FileWritePost *.raml silent! !raml2html doc/api.raml > public/api_doc.html

notice:

• silent! will hide all the output of this command
• :silent if you are using vim7.3-, and silent! if using vim7.3+
• need to quit and restart vim, to make .vimrc take effect.

Metallophone