Suppressing file changed warnings in a specific buffer

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created 2003 · complexity intermediate · author Adam Wolff · version 5.7

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I generally liked the warnings that Vim gives when a file changes outside of the editor. However, there are times when I want to run a shell command that changes the buffer, and I don't want to hear about it.

I've come up with the following convoluted method to do this, but if there's a better way, I'd love to know.

function ChangeThisBuffer
  "set an environment variable to current buffer name
  let $aucfile = expand( "%" )
  "add autocmd which only applies to this buffer which removes itself once it runs once
  autocmd FileChangedShell $aucfile autocmd! FileChangedShell $aucfile
  execute( 'silent !mycommand' )
endfunction

One problem with this approach is that if the shell command fails, or doesn't really change the file, then you won't be notified the next time it changes.

Comments

Untested, but this sounds like it would work/is what you are after.

• :help 'autoread'

function ChangeThisBuffer
  setlocal autoread
  execute( 'silent !mycommand' )
  set autoread<
endfunction

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To avoid the problem with the autocommand not being removed, you could explicity remove it in the function instead of relying on the autocommand itself to do so. Here's what I have in some of my functions:

checktime
exe "au FileChangedShell " . expand("%") . " let &cpo = &cpo"
" Do stuff to the file.
checktime
exe "au! FileChangedShell " . expand("%")

The "let &cpo = &cpo" command is just a convenient no-op.

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