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+*usr_43.txt* For Vim version 9.0. Last change: 2015 Oct 23
+
+ VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar
+
+ Using filetypes
+
+
+When you are editing a file of a certain type, for example a C program or a
+shell script, you often use the same option settings and mappings. You
+quickly get tired of manually setting these each time. This chapter explains
+how to do it automatically.
+
+|43.1| Plugins for a filetype
+|43.2| Adding a filetype
+
+ Next chapter: |usr_44.txt| Your own syntax highlighted
+ Previous chapter: |usr_42.txt| Add new menus
+Table of contents: |usr_toc.txt|
+
+==============================================================================
+*43.1* Plugins for a filetype *filetype-plugin*
+
+How to start using filetype plugins has already been discussed here:
+|add-filetype-plugin|. But you probably are not satisfied with the default
+settings, because they have been kept minimal. Suppose that for C files you
+want to set the 'softtabstop' option to 4 and define a mapping to insert a
+three-line comment. You do this with only two steps:
+
+ *your-runtime-dir*
+1. Create your own runtime directory. On Unix this usually is "~/.vim". In
+ this directory create the "ftplugin" directory: >
+
+ mkdir ~/.vim
+ mkdir ~/.vim/ftplugin
+<
+ When you are not on Unix, check the value of the 'runtimepath' option to
+ see where Vim will look for the "ftplugin" directory: >
+
+ set runtimepath
+
+< You would normally use the first directory name (before the first comma).
+ You might want to prepend a directory name to the 'runtimepath' option in
+ your |vimrc| file if you don't like the default value.
+
+2. Create the file "~/.vim/ftplugin/c.vim", with the contents: >
+
+ setlocal softtabstop=4
+ noremap <buffer> <LocalLeader>c o/**************<CR><CR>/<Esc>
+ let b:undo_ftplugin = "setl softtabstop< | unmap <buffer> <LocalLeader>c"
+
+Try editing a C file. You should notice that the 'softtabstop' option is set
+to 4. But when you edit another file it's reset to the default zero. That is
+because the ":setlocal" command was used. This sets the 'softtabstop' option
+only locally to the buffer. As soon as you edit another buffer, it will be
+set to the value set for that buffer. For a new buffer it will get the
+default value or the value from the last ":set" command.
+
+Likewise, the mapping for "\c" will disappear when editing another buffer.
+The ":map <buffer>" command creates a mapping that is local to the current
+buffer. This works with any mapping command: ":map!", ":vmap", etc. The
+|<LocalLeader>| in the mapping is replaced with the value of the
+"maplocalleader" variable.
+
+The line to set b:undo_ftplugin is for when the filetype is set to another
+value. In that case you will want to undo your preferences. The
+b:undo_ftplugin variable is executed as a command. Watch out for characters
+with a special meaning inside a string, such as a backslash.
+
+You can find examples for filetype plugins in this directory: >
+
+ $VIMRUNTIME/ftplugin/
+
+More details about writing a filetype plugin can be found here:
+|write-plugin|.
+
+==============================================================================
+*43.2* Adding a filetype
+
+If you are using a type of file that is not recognized by Vim, this is how to
+get it recognized. You need a runtime directory of your own. See
+|your-runtime-dir| above.
+
+Create a file "filetype.vim" which contains an autocommand for your filetype.
+(Autocommands were explained in section |40.3|.) Example: >
+
+ augroup filetypedetect
+ au BufNewFile,BufRead *.xyz setf xyz
+ augroup END
+
+This will recognize all files that end in ".xyz" as the "xyz" filetype. The
+":augroup" commands put this autocommand in the "filetypedetect" group. This
+allows removing all autocommands for filetype detection when doing ":filetype
+off". The "setf" command will set the 'filetype' option to its argument,
+unless it was set already. This will make sure that 'filetype' isn't set
+twice.
+
+You can use many different patterns to match the name of your file. Directory
+names can also be included. See |autocmd-patterns|. For example, the files
+under "/usr/share/scripts/" are all "ruby" files, but don't have the expected
+file name extension. Adding this to the example above: >
+
+ augroup filetypedetect
+ au BufNewFile,BufRead *.xyz setf xyz
+ au BufNewFile,BufRead /usr/share/scripts/* setf ruby
+ augroup END
+
+However, if you now edit a file /usr/share/scripts/README.txt, this is not a
+ruby file. The danger of a pattern ending in "*" is that it quickly matches
+too many files. To avoid trouble with this, put the filetype.vim file in
+another directory, one that is at the end of 'runtimepath'. For Unix for
+example, you could use "~/.vim/after/filetype.vim".
+ You now put the detection of text files in ~/.vim/filetype.vim: >
+
+ augroup filetypedetect
+ au BufNewFile,BufRead *.txt setf text
+ augroup END
+
+That file is found in 'runtimepath' first. Then use this in
+~/.vim/after/filetype.vim, which is found last: >
+
+ augroup filetypedetect
+ au BufNewFile,BufRead /usr/share/scripts/* setf ruby
+ augroup END
+
+What will happen now is that Vim searches for "filetype.vim" files in each
+directory in 'runtimepath'. First ~/.vim/filetype.vim is found. The
+autocommand to catch *.txt files is defined there. Then Vim finds the
+filetype.vim file in $VIMRUNTIME, which is halfway 'runtimepath'. Finally
+~/.vim/after/filetype.vim is found and the autocommand for detecting ruby
+files in /usr/share/scripts is added.
+ When you now edit /usr/share/scripts/README.txt, the autocommands are
+checked in the order in which they were defined. The *.txt pattern matches,
+thus "setf text" is executed to set the filetype to "text". The pattern for
+ruby matches too, and the "setf ruby" is executed. But since 'filetype' was
+already set to "text", nothing happens here.
+ When you edit the file /usr/share/scripts/foobar the same autocommands are
+checked. Only the one for ruby matches and "setf ruby" sets 'filetype' to
+ruby.
+
+
+RECOGNIZING BY CONTENTS
+
+If your file cannot be recognized by its file name, you might be able to
+recognize it by its contents. For example, many script files start with a
+line like:
+
+ #!/bin/xyz ~
+
+To recognize this script create a file "scripts.vim" in your runtime directory
+(same place where filetype.vim goes). It might look like this: >
+
+ if did_filetype()
+ finish
+ endif
+ if getline(1) =~ '^#!.*[/\\]xyz\>'
+ setf xyz
+ endif
+
+The first check with did_filetype() is to avoid that you will check the
+contents of files for which the filetype was already detected by the file
+name. That avoids wasting time on checking the file when the "setf" command
+won't do anything.
+ The scripts.vim file is sourced by an autocommand in the default
+filetype.vim file. Therefore, the order of checks is:
+
+ 1. filetype.vim files before $VIMRUNTIME in 'runtimepath'
+ 2. first part of $VIMRUNTIME/filetype.vim
+ 3. all scripts.vim files in 'runtimepath'
+ 4. remainder of $VIMRUNTIME/filetype.vim
+ 5. filetype.vim files after $VIMRUNTIME in 'runtimepath'
+
+If this is not sufficient for you, add an autocommand that matches all files
+and sources a script or executes a function to check the contents of the file.
+
+==============================================================================
+
+Next chapter: |usr_44.txt| Your own syntax highlighted
+
+Copyright: see |manual-copyright| vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: